| Pennington's Bubble Bursts | |
Sunday, Jan. 12, 4:30 PM ET
At: Network Associates Coliseum
From the time he took over the starting QB duties from veteran Vinny Testaverde, Chad Pennington had been living a Cinderella story. He was the new kid on the block; New York's latest golden boy. But unfortunately for the Jets, the clock struck midnight on the second-year quarterback under the pressure generated by the Raiders defense.
Pennington completed just 21-of-47 passes for 183 yards and a touchdown, and he turned the ball over four times, resulting in 17 Oakland points in a 30-10 dismantling.
After trading field goals in their opening drives, the Raiders got the first big break of the day when Pennington's fumble was recovered by Travian Smith on the Jets 27-yard line, setting up a one-yard plunge by Zack Crockett early in the second quarter that gave the Raiders a 10-3 lead.
Pennington redeemed himself by leading the Jets on an 81-yard, 16-play drive that culminated in a one-yard touchdown pass to Jerald Sowell, tying the game at 10 heading into halftime. The Raiders had a chance to reclaim the lead early in the third quarter, but a 28-yard field goal attempt by Sebastian Janikowski was no good.
Two possessions later, the Jets found themselves backed up to their own 22 when Tory James intercepted a third-down Pennington pass at the Jets 45-yard line. A 16-yard pass to Tim Brown set up a 29-yard touchdown pass by Rich Gannon to Jerry Porter, making the score 17-10.
The Raiders widened their lead after the Jets failed to convert a fourth-and-three at the Raiders 35-yard line. Gannon hit Porter again, this time for 50 yards, and three plays later, completed a pass to Jerry Rice for a 9 yard touchdown.
Janikowski tacked on two fourth-quarter field goals to cap the Raiders playoff victory.
The Raiders will play host to the red-hot Tennessee Titans in Saturday's AFC Championship Game.
