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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Ryan Leaf was trying to make a new start.
Andre Rison was trying to recapture his past.
Making his debut for the Raiders, Rison caught a 10-yard
touchdown pass in the final minutes Sunday as Oakland defeated the San Diego Chargers 9-6 and spoiled Leaf's comeback.
|  | | Ryan Leaf was left bruised and bloodied by the rabid Raiders defense. |
Leaf had not appeared in a regular-season game in 20 months. For
a time, it looked like he was going to pull off a sloppy but gritty
victory.
Battered and bloodied, he led the Chargers on a 15-play, 80-yard
drive that ended with Robert Chancey's 3-yard run. A two-point
conversion failed.
Leaf finished 17-of-39 for 180 yards. Looking very much like he
did two years back, he added three interceptions and two fumbles.
"I could have done a lot more to help this team win," Leaf
said. "I've just got to take that this week and trudge forward."
Rison, a five-time Pro Bowl receiver who at times last season
looked like he was at the end of his career, proved to be Leaf's
undoing with the scoring pass from Rich Gannon with 2:53 left.
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TOM DONAHOE'S BREAKDOWN |
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This was a tough game to watch. There were baseball teams that almost scored as many runs Sunday as the Chargers and the Raiders did combined.
After a great preseason, Ryan Leaf struggled and it will be interesting to see how he reacts to having some more adversity early in the season.
The Raiders hung in there and got an important divisional win at home under their belt. There are some big expectations for the Raiders this year; they've shored up their kicking game, we'll see if that ultimately
makes the difference.
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Released by the Kansas City Chiefs in the preseason, Rison had
just 21 catches and no touchdowns last season.
"I don't think I was overhyped or overexcited about the
touchdown," he said. "I just wanted to start the season 1-0 in
our division."
Rison finished with five catches for 49 yards. Gannon was
20-of-35 for 176 yards. He was sacked four times.
Neither team scored until 7:23 of the third quarter. With the
Chargers on their 1-yard line, Darrell Russell tackled Chancey in
the end zone for a safety.
Later in the same quarter, the second of Leaf's fumbles was
recovered by Oakland defensive end Regan Upshaw -- although the
Raiders couldn't capitalize on the turnover. Leaf recovered his
first fumble himself.
Leaf had three turnovers in his last NFL game on Dec. 13, 1998,
at Seattle.
Leaf did not complete his first two passes of the game and was
6-of-19 at the half. Midway through the first quarter, he backed up
on a play and appeared to simply fall over -- for a loss of 6 yards.
On San Diego's third series of the game, Leaf effectively moved
the ball to the Oakland 34. But a pass tipped off the fingers of
receiver Curtis Conway and into the hands of Oakland safety Marquez
Pope.
Leaf got a scare in the first quarter when Upshaw flagrantly hit
him after an incomplete pass to Conway. Upshaw was charged with a
late hit, and Leaf was on the ground for about three minutes,
surrounded by trainers.
Led off the field and replaced by Moses Moreno for just two
plays. Leaf returned with blood on his jersey. He said later he
needed seven or eight stitches on his chin.
Leaf also left the game briefly in the third quarter after a
hard hit by Tony Bryant.
Last season, Leaf injured his shoulder last season at the start
of training camp and did not play. His rookie year he had 15
interceptions, four lost fumbles and just two touchdowns.
He also had his share of trouble off the field, including a
month-long suspension for cursing the Chargers' then-general
manager Bobby Beathard, and run-ins with the media and fans.
But Leaf said in the preseason he put his past behind him, and
he unseated Jim Harbaugh for the starting job.
Sebastian Janikowski, taken by the Raiders with the 17th overall
pick in the draft, made his NFL debut and missed his first field
goal.
Janikowski's 41-yard attempt late in the first half went wide
left. Later, the first kicker taken in the first round since 1979
stood alone on the sidelines with his head bowed.
Rison was released by the Kansas City Chiefs with just two weeks
left in preseason and picked up by the Raiders a week later to
complement receiver Tim Brown.
Rison is going to be getting more work as he grows more
comfortable with the system, Gruden said.
"It looks like it (was) a good idea, doesn't it?" he said.
Game notes
Chargers offensive line coach Joe Bugel was the Raiders'
head coach in 1997. ... The Raiders are 12-3 in league openers at
home. The Raiders are 5-0 when they play the Chargers in the
opener. ... With a game opening 13-yard pass to Jon Ritchie, Gannon
surpassed 15,000 yards passing for his career. He needed two yards
to reach the milestone. ... Sunday was Chargers guard Kevin Gogan's
200th career regular season game. ... San Diego defensive end Al
Fontenot was helped off the field at the half with what appeared to
be a sprained left ankle. The Chargers have already lost DE Raylee
Johnson for the season with a knee injury. ... Brown needs one
touchdown catch to tie Hall of Famer Fred Bilketnikoff atop the
Raiders' career scoring receptions list with 76.
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
San Diego Clubhouse
Oakland Clubhouse
Week 1 wrap-ups
Week 1 infirmary report
TJ's Take on Week 1
Week 1 stats leaders
Prime Time Players
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