L.A. Takes Hit on Field, Too : Pro football: Dolphins ride their defense to a 20-7 victory, all but silencing the Raiders’ playoff hopes.
MIAMI — It was basically the end of a season for the Raiders.
It was also the end of an era.
On the field Monday night, the Raiders lost to the Miami Dolphins, 20-7, to finish their hopes of a division title and reduce their chances of a wild-card spot to nearly zero.
Off the field, they apparently lost running back Marcus Allen.
In an emotional impromptu news conference in the locker room, Allen declared his days as a Raider over, finally done in by his long-running feud with owner Al Davis.
“I feel like I’ve come to the close of my career here,†said the 32-year-old Allen, emotion and hurt apparent on his face although he seemingly tried to keep it in check. “I’ve wanted to move on since ’86.â€
The Raiders’ season also came to a head Monday night, the loss dropping them to 6-8.
The Raiders didn’t get on the scoreboard until the fourth quarter, Miami (9-5) taking a 10-0 halftime lead on a 26-yard field goal by Pete Stoyanovich and a 35-yard return of an interception for a touchdown by Miami defensive back J.B. Brown.
Miami used a flea-flicker to increase the margin to 17-0 in the third quarter. Quarterback Dan Marino handed off to running back Mark Higgs, took the ball back on a lateral and then connected with Mark Duper on a 62-yard touchdown pass.
The Raiders briefly got back in the game in the fourth quarter, doing so in spectacular fashion.
Knocking on the door for another score, Marino tried to hit Keith Jackson in the end zone.
Instead, Raider defensive back Eddie Anderson picked the pass off and, aided by a great block from Ronnie Lott, raced 102 yards for a touchdown, the longest interception return in team history.
“It looked like Marino got heat,†Anderson said, “and had to get rid of the ball quickly.â€
The Miami quarterback appeared to throw the ball behind Jackson to Anderson who started up the left side and cut to the right near midfield.
After Lott’s block removed Higgs, Anderson saw only one more obstacle, dead ahead at the 20-yard line--Marino.
“I thought, ‘Oh, no, not Marino,’ †Anderson said. “I couldn’t let Marino get me. I don’t think I would have heard the last of that one.â€
Anderson need not have worried. Marino apparently wanted no part of Anderson. He took a halfhearted swipe at the Raiders’ defensive back, then let him go, like a traffic cop watching traffic zoom past.
The longest previous Raider interception return was 97 yards by Mike Haynes in 1984 at, of all places, Miami.
Monday, it was the only interception thrown by Marino, who completed 16 of 26 for 234 yards.
Marino was sacked only once Monday, by Chester McGlockton, after going down 13 times in the previous 14 quarters.
And the Raiders weren’t heard from again, Stoyanovich closing the scoring with a 25-yard field goal.
The Raiders were held to 73 yards on the ground and 78 yards through the air. As the Raiders trudged off the field, it didn’t seem as if things could get much worse.
Minutes later in the locker room, they did.
Raider Notes
The Raiders activated receiver Sam Graddy, placing linebacker Riki Ellison on the injured-reserve list to clear a spot on their 47-player roster. Graddy had sat out nine games because of a broken arm, which he suffered during a Monday night game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Ellison injured his foot two weeks ago against the San Diego Chargers and hasn’t played since. A player going on injured reserve must miss at least four games, a requirement that carries over into the playoffs. . . . The Raiders are the only NFL team to have appeared in each of ABC’s 23 seasons of Monday Night Football.
Go beyond the scoreboard
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