Allen Is Back in Airborne Form : Raiders: Playing for the first time since Oct. 19, he keeps team in playoff contention in 16-14 victory.

That old Southern California favorite, the long-grounded Air Marcus, lifted off its Coliseum runway once more to keep an appointment with victory Sunday.

Will we ever see Marcus Allen in a Raider uniform here again?

Will we ever see anyone in a Raider uniform here again?

Only Al Davis knows for sure.

Allen, his teammates’ selection as most valuable player in four of the past five seasons, returned after a nine-week absence to score the Raiders’ only touchdown. He dived one yard in the 60th minute to beat the Phoenix Cardinals, 16-14, saving the Raiders’ dreams of the playoffs.

Despite appearances, the Raiders still own the first of the two AFC wild-card berths. They’ve scored two touchdowns in two weeks. They gave up a 90-yard touchdown drive in the clutch Sunday to a couple of guys named Hogeboom and Sikahema. They were grateful for any help on their last drive--such as the pass interference call against the Cardinals and the offsides by the Cardinals blitzers on a key fourth-and-6.

“We’ll take anything,” said quarterback Steve Beuerlein after a 13-for-30 day. “We’re just happy to sneak out of there with a win.

“We’ve got a big game in Seattle next week. We’ve got to get a heck of a lot better if we want to have a chance.”

Early in the fourth period, the Raiders held a 9-7 lead when the Cardinals drove 90 yards. There was a 35-yard pass from Gary Hogeboom to Ernie Jones, who caught four for 97 yards. Jones was a reserve until J.T. Smith got hurt.

There were eight running plays--seven up the middle--for 32 yards. Finally, on third-and-goal at the two-yard line, there was a clutch pass from Hogeboom to tight end Jay Novacek, a fade pattern on which Novacek outjumped linebacker Thomas Benson.

There was 5:10 left. The Raiders hadn’t scored a touchdown all day and only a touchdown would do now.

Vance Mueller returned the kickoff 49 yards down the left sideline to the Cardinals’ 46.

The Raiders’ return game had suffered since Tim Brown was injured in the season opener. Mueller was put back there after a recent injury to Timmy Ware.

“I knew we were going to kick their guys out on the left side,” Mueller said.

“It was just perfect timing. They kicked them out just as I was hitting the thing at a full run. It just opened up. I just tried to get through there as fast as I could. The thing just opened up like the sea. It was great.”

Beuerlein, however, was still struggling.

The first play of the drive was a routine hitch pass to Willie Gault, to take advantage of the Cardinals playing off him, but Beuerlein threw the ball in on a bounce. The Coliseum crowd that loved him so recently booed as if he were Jay Schroeder.

The Raiders managed a first down at the 36. Moments later on third-and-six, Beuerlein threw an out pattern behind Mervyn Fernandez. But the officials called pass interference against cornerback Carl Carter.

The replay suggested minimal contact and a minimally catchable pass.

Fernandez said it “wasn’t like it was a blatant call. It was a close play.”

Carter took his helmet off, jumped up and down and protested, to no avail.

“It was a bad call,” Carter said. “Did you see the replay? By the time I got there, the ball was through his hands. We had them and then the ref really did it to us.”

Beuerlein then whipped a nine-yard pass to Mike Dyal to the 13.

Bo Jackson went around right end for nine yards to the Phoenix four, vaulting four Cardinals on his way.

Moments later, on third-and-one from the four, Raider right tackle Bruce Wilkerson was called for being offside.

An incomplete pass later, it was fourth-and-six and the nine, with the Raider season riding on the next play.

The Cardinals took time out. The teams lined up, and the Cardinals planned a blitz up the middle by free safety Lonnie Young and middle linebacker Eric Hill.

Hill and Young both jumped offsides, crashing into the Raider backfield well before the ball was snapped. The half-the-distance penalty made it fourth-and-one at the four.

“Fortunately, we had it called on ‘two,’ ” Beuerlein said. “They had it timed out to come on ‘one.’

“Technically, there are supposed to be adjustments made when they blitz, but I’ll tell you what, in that situation, fourth-and-six, with the whole house coming, you’d like to have a little bit more time to think about things and see what’s going on. It was a big play for us. It gave us an opportunity to go with Marcus over the top, instead of having to throw the ball in an obvious passing situation.”

Allen, who had been sidelined for nine weeks because of a torn ligament in his right knee suffered Oct. 19, had been in for only a handful of plays Sunday. On his first play, he ran onto the field unannounced and received a warm ovation. He then caught a nine-yard pass for a first down.

On fourth-and-one, Jackson came out and Allen got the call, as in the old days.

“There’s nobody better in the game going over the top,” said Art Shell. “He’s the best there is going over the top of the defense.”

Allen took the ball, leaped and came down at the one for a first down--and got kicked in the groin. He left the game, went to the bench and stretched on the ground.

He stayed there for one play, on which Steve Smith was hurled back at the six-inch line.

Allen returned for a last leap that carried him two yards deep into the end zone with 50 seconds left.

“I’ve been kicked there before,” Allen said. “It only lasts for a short time. I didn’t think they were going to come back with the same play, but I’m glad they did.

“I was elated when they called my number, but I just wanted to go out there and do the job.”

He did.

Raider Notes

The Raiders are 8-6, tied with Miami, a half-game ahead of 7-6-1 Kansas City and 7-6-1 Cleveland in the wild-card hunt. The Raiders lead the Dolphins because of their better AFC record (6-5 to 6-6). . . . For the first time in the four seasons of instant replay, the Raiders lost a touchdown on a review. Replay official Bill Swanson ruled that Cardinal running back Vai Sikahema failed to control a lateral making his second quarter fumble a muff, and Mike Wise’s 64-yard touchdown run null and void. Wise had to settle for a mere fumble recovery. . . . Art Shell, on his offense: “We’ve gotten a little rusty. We made some throws, we made some reads, we had a little trouble with pass protection. It was just one of those days when the quarterback just wasn’t in sync.”