SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 25, 2011
Darren McFadden went off for 171 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries as the Oakland Raiders ran all over the vaunted New York Jets defense en route to a 34-24 victory in their home opener on Sunday.
Darrius Moore and Michael Bush each added a rushing touchdown and the defense forced two turnovers for the Raiders (2-1), who totaled 234 yards on the ground.
The Jets had only allowed three 100-yard rushing days since Rex Ryan took over as head coach in 2009. McFadden wasted little time making it four, breaking free for a 70-yard touchdown up the left side with 3:40 left in the first half.
McFadden crossed the 100-yard mark with that run and went into the half already at 120.
Sebastian Janikowski’s 54-yard field goal as time expired knotted it at 17-17 going into the locker room.
Oakland took control at the end of the third quarter when Moore capped a four-play, 63-yard drive with a 23-yard touchdown run.
Antonio Cromartie fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and the Raiders needed only two more rushes to punch it in for another score, this time with Bush taking the 1-yard plunge into the end zone.
New York (2-1) pulled within a touchdown when Mark Sanchez and Plaxico Burress hooked up for a 16-yard score with 5:33 left.
But Janikowski kicked another field goal and Sanchez (369 yards) could not get into the end zone with a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-goal from the Oakland 2-yard line in the final minute.