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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
SEATTLE (AP) -- The Oakland Raiders claim they were robbed on a
disputed safety. The officials insist they made the right call with
2:24 remaining.
|  | | Oakland's Marquez Pope, on the ground facing away, slides into the end zone for a safety after recovering a fumble by Seattle's Ricky Watters during the fourth quarter Saturday. |
Then Jon Kitna threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to rookie Darrell
Jackson with 28 seconds left as the Seattle Seahawks beat the
playoff-bound Raiders 27-24 Saturday.
Kitna's winning TD pass was set up by the safety on a bizarre
play. The Seahawks' Ricky Watters had a 53-yard run before Pro Bowl
cornerback Charles Woodson knocked the ball out of his hands at the
Seattle 25.
Marquez Pope recovered the ball at the 2, but slid into the end
zone, where he was touched down by Seattle's James Williams for a
safety that cut Oakland's lead to 24-21.
"It was a fumble and I recovered it," Pope said. "Down me
where I got the ball or call it a touchback. If I thought they were
going to call a safety, I would have got up and run."
Defensive tackle Roderick Coleman used stronger words.
"It's ridiculous," Coleman said. "You give them a safety,
then you have to give them the ball back, punting into the wind.
"There should be fines for referees the same way they fine us
for dumb stuff."
The officials saw it differently.
"The defensive player (Pope) recovered the ball on the 1-yard
line, virtually took it into the end zone and then stayed in the
end zone," referee Bernie Kukar said. "In effect, what this
amounts to is a player carrying the ball into his own end zone.
"We were looking to see if he was touched down by contact,
which he was not, and he made no attempt to get out of his own end
zone. Therefore, it is a safety."
The Seahawks saw it as a safety, too.
"The rule says that on a fumble momentum can't carry you into
the end zone," Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said. "Don't ask me
why it's different for an interception versus a fumble, but that's
just the rule."
The loss in cold, wet and windy conditions left Oakland (11-4)
in jeopardy of losing first place in the AFC West. The Raiders are
a half-game ahead of Denver, but the Broncos will win the division
if they win their final two games because they beat Oakland twice.
A similar play to Seattle's safety occurred this season in
Atlanta's 15-10 victory in Carolina.
Carolina cornerback Doug Evans popped the ball out of Atlanta
running back Jamal Anderson's arms at the 16 at the end of a
42-yard run. As the ball bounced on the turf, Evans grabbed it on
the 2 and fell forward into and through the side of the end zone.
One official called it a touchback, but was overruled by another
who cited a little-known rule that momentum can't carry the
defender into the end zone unless it's on an interception.
Seattle (6-9) got the ball back after Oakland's free kick at the
39. The Seahawks went 61 yards in nine plays for the winning score.
Kitna was 4-for-5 for 50 yards in the march.
Oakland, which clinched a playoff berth last Sunday night with a
victory over the New York Jets, had one more chance. But Rich
Gannon's pass was intercepted by Willie Williams with 12 seconds
left at the Seattle 28.
Gannon threw only eight interceptions in the Raiders' first 14
games.
Randy Jordan's 7-yard TD run with 11:48 left gave the Raiders a
24-13 lead after a peculiar decision by Seattle punter Jeff
Feagles.
On fourth-and-9 from the Seahawks' 15, Feagles lined up to punt
and then, without any pressure, rolled out and threw an incomplete
pass. Oakland got the ball at the Seattle 15 and scored three plays
later.
Afterward, Feagles went to the sideline and tried to explain his
play to Holmgren. Holmgren did not call a fake punt.
"The wind blew the snap to my left," Feagles said. "By the
time I got my feet around, I couldn't kick the ball. I looked up
and saw some things there."
Feagles had a punt blocked and shanked a 15-yarder. He also
fumbled Seattle's final extra-point attempt and then kicked it out
of bounds for a penalty.
Kitna, who was knocked out of the game briefly with a bruised
left knee in the third quarter, drove the Seahawks for a touchdown
with 5:16 left. Shaun Alexander scored on a 4-yard run.
Kitna said he just aggravated a knee injury that he sustained
during the exhibition season.
"I keep jamming my knee on this turf," he said. "But I should
be fine for next week."
The Raiders took a 17-13 lead in the third quarter with a
touchdown after a 67-yard run by Tyrone Wheatley to the Seattle 12.
They scored two plays later on a 6-yard run by Jordan.
Wheatley left the game later in the third period with an injury
to his left leg. He did not return.
After the game, Wheatley refused to talk about his injury.
"I'm fine," he said. "No more questions about that. I'm
fine."
Said Oakland coach John Gruden: "Ankle sprain? Knee sprain? We
won't know his status until next week."
Game notes
Watters ran for 168 yards on 26 carries for his second
100-yard rushing game of the season, the 32nd of his career and the
third-best rushing day of his career. ... Wheatley had 146 yards on
26 carries, giving him a career-best 980 yards for the season. He
had the ninth 100-yard rushing game against the Seahawks this
season. ... Feagles tied former Raiders punter Ray Guy (1973-86)
for an NFL record by playing in his 207th consecutive game. ...
Gannon suffered a hyperextended right knee on the play when he
threw his first interception in the first quarter. He stayed in the
game, but was only 5-for-17 for 136 yards, with three interceptions
and one TD.
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FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Mike Holmgren Official Site
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