Sebastian Janikowski tied an NFL record with a 63-yard field goal as Oakland beat Denver 23-20 in a meeting of AFC West rivals.
Kicker takes centre stage in Monday night win
Sebastian Janikowski tied an NFL record with a 63-yard field goal as Oakland beat Denver 23-20 on Monday night.
Janikowski's monster effort fluttered over the crossbar as time expired at the end of the first half to give the Raiders a 16-3 lead at intermission.
That tied the mark set by Tom Dempsey in 1970 and matched by Denver's Jason Elam in 1998 at the old Mile High Stadium.
"I had a dream I broke the record and it was here in Denver," Janikowski said. "The ball really carries here."
The Raiders (1-0) won in Denver for the fourth straight season in coach Hue
Jackson's NFL head coaching debut, and handed the Broncos (0-1) their first loss in a home opener since 2000.
Bronco injuries
John Fox lost his first game as Denver's new head coach, and he lost at least two of his playmakers in the process. Pass rusher Elvis Dumervil (shoulder) was relegated to situational duty for three quarters, and perennial Pro Bowl corner Champ Bailey injured his left knee making a touchdown-saving tackle of Darren McFadden, who ran 22 times for 150 yards.
The Broncos cut the deficit to 23-20 on Kyle Orton's 9-yard TD toss to Lance Ball with both Brandon Lloyd and Knowshon Moreno on the sideline, apparently with cramps, with 3:43 left.
Other than that, Orton had a tough night. He completed 24 of 46 passes for 304 yards with an interception. As he left the field, fans were chanting, "Tebow! Tebow!" for second-year quarterback Tim Tebow, who had an awful camp and is probably the No. 3 quarterback behind Brady Quinn.
The Raiders clinched the win by controlling the clock and were able to line up in victory formation after Michael Bush's 12-yard run to midfield for the first down at the 2-minute warning.
