4:08: The Taking of the Knee has begun in Oakland. So what if it’s the Rams, a win is a win, and this game ball goes to Bruce Gradkowski.
4:07: Two-minute warning, Raiders first-and-10 at Rams’ 40
4:05: McFad slips one tackle, almost another — 10 yds
4:05: Grad is Favre-like off his back foot, finds Murphy for 14 yds and first down at midfield. 2:46 on the clock.
4:04: McFadden stiff-arm puts Hall on the ground, but only 2 yards. Big 3rd-and-7 play coming up.
4:02: Oh my lord, this was dumber than McClain’s penalty. Fred Robbins pushes Grad after incomplete throwaway. Instead of 3rd-and-9 it’s first-and-10 Raiders at their 34.
3:58: Touchdown! It’s Oakland 16, St. Louis 14, and now we’ll see if the Raiders can close out a game. By the way, it was Tyvon Branch who got beat on the scoring play, though it’s hard to fault his coverage.
3:57: Rams are challenging call, and replay looks like Clayton got both feet in. But did he have control? If so, it’s a great catch and a touchdown, and three minutes of nervous time for Rolando McClain.
3:56: Nice-looking pass from Bradford to Clayton at flag, but ruled out of bounds.
3:55: 15 yds, Bradford to Amendola, but on next play Jackson drops short pass with Houston bearing down.
3:54: Short completion to Amendola, McClain picks him up and body slams him. Crowd boos, but a ridiculous loss of poise by the rookie.
3:53: With 4 minutes left, Rams get new life. Matt Shaughnessy in neutral zone on first snap.
3:52: Grad’s pass to Louis Murphy tipped by C.J. Ah You and then intercepted by Jerome Murphy. 21-yd return.
3:51: Veldheer false start on 3rd-and-10; now it’s 3rd-and-15 from St. Louis 37
3:50: Nice block by Daniel Loper buys time for Grad, but Miller drops his pass as he goes out of bounds.
3:50: By the way, Heyward-Bey up to 6 catches for 80 yards
3:49: There’s that misdirection toss to McFadden again. This time, 8 yards and a first down.
3:48: Play-action, Grad hits DHB, who spins away from Fletcher but slips before he can get away for huge play. First down, though.
3:46: Punt bounces off Brandon Myers’ foot, Higgins alertly jumps on it. Raiders take command at their 45-yard line with 7:02 left.
3:45: Big 3rd-and-5 play from Rams’ 18… Scott gets into Bradford’s arm to disrupt pass. Strong defensive stand.
3:44: Bradford in 2nd half: 1 of 7 for 4 yds
3:43: On 3rd-and-16, DHB can’t corral a Gradkowski pass that was a little behind him. Punting time with 8:13 left. And new guy Stevie Brown takes out Amendola on the return.
3:42: Grad hits Miller for first down, but Samson Satele called for holding.
3:41: Grad’s pass hits Brandon Myers in facemask, bringing up 3rd-and-6.
3:48: Bradford wants Robinson again, but Routt makes a Nnamdi-like play: runs with receiver, keeps inside position, looks back at last instance and catches it. Textbook. Raiders take over at St. Louis 46-yd line with 9:33 left and crowd can smell a victory.
3:47: Huff comes up to break up pass to Robinson, nearly picks it off — and gets called for pass interference.
3:47: Gradkowski goes down bench, giving a fist bump to each offensive player.
3:35: Huff waits for Gilyard at 23-yard line and plants him on kickoff. Gilyard probably can’t wait to get out of here.
3:33 pm: Janikowski nails a 22-yd field goal to put Oakland up by nine. Stop the Rams without points here, and the Raiders will be firmly in control.
