Week 1: at Tennessee Titans The Raiders began their season at
LP Field against the
Tennessee Titans. In the first quarter, Oakland got the opening strike as kicker
Sebastian Janikowski made a 34-yard field goal. The Titans would answer as quarterback
Vince Young completed a 56-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Nate Washington, followed by a 43-yard field goal from kicker
Rob Bironas. Tennessee would add onto their lead in the second quarter as running back
Javon Ringer 15-yard touchdown run, followed by running back
Chris Johnson getting a 76-yard touchdown run. The Raiders would close out the half with Janikowski's 30-yard field goal. Oakland's deficit would increase in the third quarter as Johnson got a 4-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. The Titans would close out their dominating day in the fourth quarter as Young hooked up with tight end
Bo Scaife on a 1-yard touchdown pass. The Raiders would close out the game with quarterback
Jason Campbell's 7-yard touchdown pass to running back
Darren McFadden. With the loss, Oakland began its season at 0–1.
Week 2: vs. St. Louis Rams Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Titans the Raiders played on home ground for an interconference duel with the Rams. In the 2nd quarter the Raiders trailed early with QB
Sam Bradford making a 7-yard TD pass to WR
Mark Clayton. Then the Raiders replied with kicker
Sebastian Janikowski nailing a 38-yard field goal; then he booted a 41-yard field goal in the third quarter. Then the Raiders fought back and took the lead when QB
Bruce Gradkowski made a 4-yard TD pass to WR Louis Murphy, followed in the fourth quarter by Janikowski nailing a 22-yard field goal. The Rams cut the lead to 2 when Bradford found WR
Mark Clayton on a 17-yard TD pass, but the Raiders' defense prevented any more scoring. With the win, the Raiders improved to 1–1.
Week 3: at Arizona Cardinals Bruce Gradkowski came into the game as Oakland's starter at Quarterback, trying to cap on his gamewinning performance last week vs. St. Louis Arizona started the game with a 102-yard kickoff return from
LaRod Stephens-Howling. The Raiders answered quickly though when Gradkowski completed a 22-yard pass to tight-end
Zach Miller. This was followed by three field goals, two for Oakland, one for Arizona, and Oakland led 13–10 at the end of the first quarter. Both Gradkowski and
Derek Anderson then traded touchdowns and the Raiders led 20–17 at the half. Anderson helped Arizona take the lead late in the third quarter with an 8-yard touchdown pass to
Larry Fitzgerald. Arizona led 24–20 at the end of the third quarter.
Sebastian Janikowski made the lead 24–23 with another field goal in the fourth quarter. Arizona held on for the win after Janikowski missed a 32-yard field goal as time expired. Both the Raiders and Cardinals committed numerous mistakes, including two muffed punts by Arizona. Oakland committed 11 penalties for 123 yards, Arizona seven for 104. The Raiders fell to 1–2 with the loss.
Week 4: vs. Houston Texans The Raiders' fourth game was an AFC duel with the Texans at home ground. The Raiders trailed early in the 1st quarter as RB
Derrick Ward got a 33-yard TD run. The Raiders replied with RB
Michael Bush making a 2-yard TD run. The Raiders fell behind again when QB
Matt Schaub completed an 11-yard TD pass to TE
Joel Dreessen. The Raiders responded in the 2nd quarter with QB
Bruce Gradkowski getting a 13-yard TD pass to FB
Marcel Reece. In the 3rd quarter the Texans started to rally with RB
Arian Foster making a 74-yard TD run, followed by kicker
Neil Rackers getting a 35-yard field goal, then in the 4th quarter Schaub threw a 10-yard TD pass to RB
Arian Foster. The Raiders tried to fight back when Gradkowski found TE
Zach Miller on a 14-yard TD pass, and then kicker
Sebastian Janikowski nailed a 39-yard field goal, but the Texans' defense prevented any more chances. With the loss, the Raiders fell to 1–3.
Week 5: vs. San Diego Chargers The Raiders started the game with 12 unanswered points off of two blocked punts and a field goal. But San Diego quickly responded with a touchdown pass by
Philip Rivers and a rush by
Mike Tolbert. After the Raiders and Chargers traded field goals, the Chargers led, 17–15, after the first half.
Bruce Gradkowski was injured in the first half and after briefly starting the second half, he left the game.
Jason Campbell relieved Gradkowski at the quarterback position for the rest of the game. In the third quarter, The Chargers and Raiders traded touchdowns and heading into the fourth quarter the Raiders trailed, 24–22. In the 4th,
Nate Kaeding kicked a field goal early and extended the Chargers' lead to five, 27–22. The Raiders then capped off a 14-play, 73-yard drive with a rushing touchdown by
Michael Bush, who took back the lead. After a failed two- point attempt by Oakland, they led, 28–27, with 3:24 remaining in the ballgame. The Chargers than began to drive trying to get themselves into field goal position to win the game. The Chargers eventually made it to the Raiders 23-yard line, but after a 10-yard holding penalty by the Chargers, San Diego faced a 2nd and 20 on Oakland's 33-yard line. Looking to pass, Rivers was stripped by
Michael Huff and
Tyvon Branch returned the fumble 64 yards for a touchdown, sealing the win for the Raiders, 35–27. Though the Chargers outgained the Raiders, 506–279, their special teams were ultimately the deciding factor, giving up two blocked punts for a safety and touchdown. With the win the Raiders not only improved to 2–3, but also snapped a 13-game losing streak to the Chargers, with the first win over the Chargers since September 28, 2003.
Week 6: at San Francisco 49ers Coming off their win over the Chargers the Raiders crossed the
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge to
Candlestick Park where they played their
San Francisco Bay rival, the
49ers. In the first quarter, the Raiders took the lead as kicker
Sebastian Janikowski got a 27-yard field goal. Then he made a 24-yard field goal in the 2nd quarter. The 49ers replied with kicker
Joe Nedney making a 25-yard field goal. The Raiders fell behind in the third quarter with QB
Alex Smith making a 32-yard TD pass to WR
Michael Crabtree. The Raiders cut the lead with Janikowski making a 40-yard field goal. The 49ers pulled away after Smith found TE
Vernon Davis on a 17-yard TD pass. With the loss, Oakland fell to 2–4.
Week 7: at Denver Broncos The Raiders traveled to Denver for a week 7 AFC matchup for the ages. The game began with a 42-yard touchdown pass by
Jason Campbell to tight-end
Zach Miller to put the Raiders ahead 7–0 with 10:44 remaining in the first quarter. But only 8 seconds later, on the Broncos' first play from scrimmage,
Kyle Orton threw an interception to cornerback
Chris Johnson which was returned 30 yards for a touchdown. The Raiders now led 14–0 with 10:36 remaining. But then on the Broncos' next possession, Denver fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Oakland. The Raiders capitalized on the turnover with a 4-yard rushing touchdown by
Darren McFadden. But the Raiders were not yet done, forcing the Broncos to a 4th down situation on their next drive and eventually making them turn the ball over on downs, adding a field goal to the score later in the quarter for the Raiders. At the end of the first quarter, Oakland led 24–0. Oakland began the second quarter with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Jason Campbell to Darren McFadden to make the Raiders lead 31–0. Later in the quarter, McFadden again rushed for another touchdown, making the Raiders lead over the Broncos 38–0. But the Broncos would not give up, scoring a touchdown in the dying minutes of the first half when Kyle Orton hooked up with
Knowshon Moreno in the end zone. At the end of the half, Oakland led 38–7. Early in the second half, the Broncos again scored a touchdown and brought Oakland's lead down to just 38–14. But the Raiders weren't done scoring yet, scoring 21 unanswered points, including a 57-yard touchdown run by Darren McFadden. At the end of the third quarter, the Raiders led 59–14. No scoring happened in the fourth quarter as the Raiders
benched their starters. The Raiders defeated Denver 59–14. With the win, not only the Raiders improve to 3–4, but they set a new team record with 59 points scored and beat the Broncos for the third straight year in Denver. The record would not be beaten until 2023, when the Raiders scored 63 points against the
Los Angeles Chargers.
Week 8: vs. Seattle Seahawks Coming off their win over the Broncos the Raiders played on home ground where they played their former division rival, the
Seattle Seahawks in their first matchup in Oakland since 2002. The Raiders took command with kicker
Sebastian Janikowski nailing a 31-yard field goal. This was followed in the second quarter by QB
Jason Campbell's 30-yard TD pass to FB
Marcel Reece. Then in the third quarter Janikowski made a 36-yard field goal. Then he made a 22-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to put the Raiders up 16–0. The rally continued with Campbell getting a 69-yard TD pass to WR
Darrius Heyward-Bey. The Seahawks would make their only score of the game with kicker
Olindo Mare hitting a 47-yard field goal. However, the Raiders kept their momentum up as Janikowski made a 49-yard field goal, followed by RB
Michael Bush making a 4-yard TD run. With the win, Oakland improve to 4–4.
Week 9: vs. Kansas City Chiefs At home, in front of a sellout crowd for the first time since their 2009 Home Opener, the Oakland Raiders battled the Kansas City Chiefs for control of the AFC West. The first score of the game came from the Chiefs as
Matt Cassel threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to
Verran Tucker to take a lead over the Raiders, 7–0. After a
Ryan Succop field goal, the Chiefs led the Raiders 10–0 at the half. The Raiders started the second half strong, as
Jacoby Ford returned the opening kickoff 94 yards for a score and cut the Chiefs' lead to 10–7. After Succop kicked yet another field goal for the Chiefs, Oakland took the lead when
Jason Campbell threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to
Khalif Barnes. Going into the 4th Quarter, the Raiders led 14–13. A fourth quarter
Sebastian Janikowski field goal increased the Raiders' lead to 17–13. While the Raiders forced the Chiefs to punt on their next possession, punt-returner
Nick Miller was charged with a controversial fumbling call. The play could not be challenged, as coach Tom Cable had used both of the Raiders' call challenges earlier in the game. On the Chiefs' ensuing drive, Cassel hooked up with
Dwayne Bowe in the endzone to give the Chiefs a late 20–17 lead. In the dying seconds, the Raiders found themselves trailing until Campbell hooked up with Ford for a huge 41 yard reception setting Janikowski up for the game-tying field goal. The score tied the game at 20–20, sending it into overtime. In overtime, the Raiders quickly forced the Chiefs to punt. On the Raiders' ensuing drive, Jason Campbell again hooked up with Jacoby Ford for a 47-yard pass completion. Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 31-yard field goal to give the Raiders an overtime win. With the win, Oakland went into their bye week at 5–4 and snapped a seven-game home losing streak to the Chiefs. The Raiders' win also gave them their first three-game winning streak since 2002, as well as their first winning record, at any time during a season, since 2004.
Week 10: BYE Week 11: at Pittsburgh Steelers Coming off their bye week, the Raiders flew to
Heinz Field for a Week 11 duel with the
Pittsburgh Steelers. Oakland delivered the game's opening punch in the first quarter with a 41-yard field goal from kicker
Sebastian Janikowski. The Steelers answered with running back
Rashard Mendenhall getting a 5-yard touchdown run, followed by quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger getting a 16-yard touchdown run, followed by his 22-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Emmanuel Sanders. After a scoreless third quarter, the Raiders' deficit increased in the fourth quarter as Roethlisberger completed a 52-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Mike Wallace, followed by running back
Isaac Redman getting a 16-yard touchdown pass. There were several fights during the game, mentioned by the commentators as "reminiscent of the seventies" (the Raiders and Steelers were bitter rivals in the 1970s). The first incident came before the kickoff. Defensive tackle
Richard Seymour was ejected from the game after punching Roethlisberger in the face through the facemask late in the first half. With the loss, Oakland fell to 5–5.
Week 12: vs. Miami Dolphins Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Steelers the Raiders played on home ground for an AFC duel with the Dolphins. The Raiders took the early advantage as
Jacoby Ford returned a kick-off 101 yards for a touchdown. However, they soon trailed with kicker
Dan Carpenter nailing a 49-yard field goal, followed by QB
Chad Henne completing a 29-yard TD pass to RB
Patrick Cobbs. The Raiders replied as QB
Bruce Gradkowski made a 44-yard TD pass to Ford. They fell behind as Carpenter got a 23-yard field goal, followed by Henne getting a 57-yard TD pass to WR
Marlon Moore, and with Carpenter nailing a 44-yard field goal. The Raiders tried to cut the lead when kicker
Sebastian Janikowski hit a 30-yard field goal, but the Dolphins pulled away with Carpenter getting a 25-yard field goal, and with RB
Ricky Williams getting a 45-yard TD run. With the loss, Oakland fell to 5–6.
Week 13: at San Diego Chargers After losing two straight games, the Raiders looked to rebound at Qualcomm Stadium, facing a Chargers team coming off a big win at Indianapolis. The game started well for the Raiders; thanks to a muffed punt by
Darren Sproles that was recovered by
Hiram Eugene at the San Diego 18 yard line, and set up a 9-yard rushing touchdown by
Jason Campbell. Scoring continued in the first quarter with a 4-yard pass from Campbell to
Jacoby Ford; and gave the Raiders an early 14–0 lead over the Chargers. The second quarter started with a 9-play, 48 yard drive that ended on a 39-yard field goal by
Nate Kaeding, giving San Diego its first points of the game. Oakland answered with a rushing touchdown by
Michael Bush, extending the lead to 21–3. The first half closed on a missed field goal by Kaeding. The second half started with a quite calm third quarter, who saw both teams playing good defense and a Raiders team suffering with penalties. The third quarter closed with another field goal by Kaeding, nearing the Chargers on the scoreboard 21–6. The fourth quarter saw the Chargers trying to mount a comeback with a 4-yard TD pass from
Philip Rivers to
Antonio Gates; but it was promptly closed by a 7-play, 62 yard drive that ended with a
Darren McFadden 7 yard rushing TD. With the win, both Raiders and Chargers reached a 6–6 record, and still stayed behind the
Chiefs by 2 games for the division lead. The Raiders also swept the season series from the Chargers for the first time since
2001, and snapped a seven-game losing streak at Qualcomm Stadium. The Raiders were favored by an impeding Chargers offense who struggled to control the game clock and establish a ground game; while the Raiders struggled with penalties and defensive miscues, mostly on the secondary.
Week 14: at Jacksonville Jaguars Coming off their win over the Chargers the Raiders flew to
EverBank Field for an AFC duel with the Jaguars. In the first quarter the Raiders took the lead as QB
Jason Campbell completed a 67-yard TD pass to RB
Darren McFadden. The Jaguars replied in the second quarter with QB
David Garrard making a 1-yard TD pass to TE
Marcedes Lewis. They increased their lead as kicker
Sebastian Janikowski nailed a 26-yard field goal, followed by Campbell throwing an 8-yard TD pass to WR
Louis Murphy. The lead was narrowed as Garrard made a 48-yard TD pass to WR
Jason Hill. But the Raiders replied as McFadden ran 51 yards for a touchdown. They fell behind for the first time with RB
Rashad Jennings getting a 74-yard TD run, followed by Garrard getting a 10-yard TD pass to WR
Mike Sims-Walker, followed by Scobee nailing a 19-yard field goal. Oakland tied the game as McFadden got a 36-yard TD run, but the Jaguars pulled out the win with RB
Maurice Jones-Drew getting a 30-yard TD run. With the loss, Oakland fell to 6–7.
Week 15: vs. Denver Broncos Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Jaguars the Raiders played in home ground for an AFC West rivalry rematch against the Broncos. The Raiders took the lead with
Jacoby Ford running 71 yards for a touchdown. The Broncos replied as
Tim Tebow scrambled 40 yards for a touchdown. The Raiders trailed as Tebow made a 33-yard TD pass to WR
Brandon Lloyd. They soon responded by RB
Michael Bush got a 1-yard TD run. The Broncos lead again with kicker
Steven Hauschka making a 46-yard field goal, but the Raiders pulled ahead as kicker
Sebastian Janikowski nailed a 49 and a 35-yard field goal. The Broncos re-tied the game after Hauschka made a 35-yard field goal, but the Raiders got the lead back with Janikowski nailing a 47-yard field goal, followed by QB
Jason Campbell completing a 73-yard TD pass to FB
Marcel Reece. The lead was narrowed when Hauschka nailed a 45-yard field goal, but the Raiders pulled away with OLB
Quentin Groves tackling RB
Correll Buckhalter in the endzone for a safety, followed by Bush getting a 1-yard TD run. With the win, Oakland improved to 7–7.
Week 16: vs. Indianapolis Colts The Raiders' fifteenth game was an AFC duel with the Colts at home. The Raiders struck immediately after a 99-yard kickoff return was made by
Jacoby Ford. They soon trailed with RB
Joseph Addai getting a 6-yard TD run, followed by kicker
Adam Vinatieri getting a 30-yard field goal. They took the lead again after kicker
Sebastian Janikowski hit a 59 and a 38-yard field goal, but trailed for the second time with QB
Peyton Manning completing an 18-yard TD pass to TE
Jacob Tamme. The Raiders tried to cut the lead with Janikowski nailing a 51-yard field goal, but fell further behind with Manning getting a 4-yard TD pass to WR
Blair White. The Raiders tried to keep up with Janikowski making a 45-yard field goal, but the Colts kept going with Manning completing a 7-yard TD pass to WR
Pierre Garçon. The Raiders tried to come back after QB
Jason Campbell threw a 6-yard TD pass to TE
Zach Miller, but the Colts defense prevented any more chances, giving them the loss. With the loss, the Raiders fell to 7–8, and were officially eliminated from postseason contention for the eighth straight year.
Week 17: at Kansas City Chiefs The Raiders' final game was an AFC West rivalry rematch against the Chiefs. They trailed early as kicker
Ryan Succop nailed a 30-yard field goal, but overcame the deficit with QB
Jason Campbell completing a 5-yard TD pass to WR
Chaz Schilens, followed by kicker
Sebastian Janikowski hitting a 38-yard field goal. The Chiefs tied the game with RB
Jamaal Charles getting a 5-yard TD run, but the Raiders got the lead back with RB
Michael Bush getting a 26-yard TD run, followed by
Jacoby Ford getting a 10-yard TD run, then with CB
Stanford Routt returning an interception 22 yards for a touchdown. With the win, the Raiders finished the season with an 8–8 record, but this was not good enough to retain Tom Cable as head coach. Not long after the regular season ended, the Raiders chose not to exercise their option to retain Cable, thus he was released from the Raider organization. This season, the Raiders set the dubious record as the first (and to date, the only) NFL team ever to post a perfect record in divisional games (going 6-0 against AFC West opponents) and yet not win the division; the Raiders, in fact, did not even qualify for the post-season. ==TV blackouts==