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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Jon Gruden's celebration of the Oakland
Raiders' first division title in a decade included a Gatorade
shower and a trip to the Black Hole. And now, what about a tattoo?
|  | | Tim Brown caught a 9-yard TD pass and celebrated with Raiders receivers Andre Rison and James Jett. |
"I told Andre Rison if we won the AFC West, I'd get one of
those tattoos he wears," the Oakland coach said. "I'm going to
try and sneak out of here tonight."
Rich Gannon threw for 230 yards and five touchdowns, and Eric
Allen returned an interception 37 yards for a score as the Raiders
won the AFC West with a 52-9 victory over the Carolina Panthers on
Sunday.
Gruden might spend the next few days hiding from the needle, but
it's clear his team has cured its late-season problems of years
past. After December swoons in Gruden's first two years in charge,
the Raiders (12-4), who had already clinched their first playoff
berth since 1993, are headed to the postseason on a roll.
With a potent offense that tied the franchise record for points
and an opportunistic defense that shut out the Panthers after
halftime, they won the division for the first time since 1990 and
earned a playoff bye with their largest victory margin of the
season.
"With a dominant win like this, we let everybody know you've
got to bring your best game to beat this team," receiver Tim Brown
said. "We don't plan on slowing down."
Tight ends Rickey Dudley and Jeremy Brigham caught two TD passes
apiece, and Darrien Gordon's 74-yard fumble return for a score on
the game's final play allowed Oakland to tie the team record for
points in a game, set Dec. 22, 1963 against Houston.
The officials had to clear both teams off the field to allow
Sebastian Janikowski to kick the last extra point. The Raiders
doused Gruden with 45 seconds left, and afterward, he ran to the
west end zone and exchanged high-fives with fans in the Black Hole
section.
Because of wins this weekend by Denver and Miami, the Raiders
needed a victory over Carolina to clinch a first-round bye. Mission
accomplished: Oakland, which went 7-1 at the Coliseum this season
and has a six-game home winning streak, will play host to a playoff
game on Jan. 6 or 7.
"It's like a heavyweight fight," said running back Tyrone
Wheatley, who rushed for 66 yards and finished with 1,046 on the
season. "Whoever's winning, we'll fight them."
The Raiders used an efficient ball-control offense and timely
defense to roll over the Panthers (7-9). Brown scored his
team-leading 11th TD of the season, and Gannon, who was 26-of-32
and sat out the fourth quarter, made five scoring throws -- one
short of the franchise record held by Tom Flores and Daryle
Lamonica.
"We wanted to attack underneath their zones and let our
receivers run with the ball," Gannon said.
The loss gave Carolina coach George Seifert the first losing
season of his 10-year career with the 49ers and Panthers. They
remained close in the first half despite controlling the ball for
just over eight minutes, but turnovers on their first three
possessions of the second half doomed them.
"I think the worst part was that we didn't even slow them
down," Seifert said. "They had an answer for everything we tried
to do. It's bad enough having to fly home on Christmas Eve, but
this makes it even worse."
Joe Nedney's three first-half field goals against his old team
were Carolina's only points.
Two quick touchdowns after halftime turned a competitive game
into a rout. Tshimanga Biakabutuka fumbled on the Panthers' first
possession of the second half, and Dudley caught a 21-yard scoring
pass moments later.
Allen, whose six interceptions are tied for the team lead,
intercepted Steve Beuerlein and ran untouched into the end zone to
make it 38-9 less than four minutes into the second half.
"This is great, but it doesn't mean anything if you don't go to
the Super Bowl," Rison said. "This team has shown this month that
it's ready to be in the NFL's elite."
Game notes
The Raiders opened the game with a 77-yard scoring drive,
capped by a 4-yard pass to Brigham for his first NFL touchdown. ...
Carolina receiver Muhsin Muhammad needed eight catches to reach 100
for the first time in his career. He got 10 for 114 yards. ...
Oakland RBs Napoleon Kaufman and Jon Ritchie were inactive for the
game because of injuries. Kick returner and backup receiver David
Dunn hurt his ankle early in the game and didn't play much.
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
Carolina Clubhouse
Oakland Clubhouse
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