2008 Oakland Raiders season
| 2008 Oakland Raiders season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach |
Lane Kiffin (fired) Tom Cable (interim) |
| General manager | Al Davis |
| Owner | Al Davis |
| Home field | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum |
| Results | |
| Record | 5–11 |
| Division place | 3rd AFC West |
| Playoff finish | did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers |
Nnamdi Asomugha, CB Shane Lechler, P |
The 2008 Oakland Raiders season was the team's forty-ninth season. The Raiders improved upon their 4–12 record from 2007. This was also the first time in four seasons that the team did not play both contestants from the previous Super Bowl, playing the New England Patriots, but not the New York Giants. This was also the first time in five seasons the club did not finish 4th in their division, but stood alone at third instead (they shared the spot with the Kansas City Chiefs the previous season).
All times are Pacific.
The Raiders began their 2008 campaign at home against their AFC West rival, the Denver Broncos, in the second game of Monday Night Football's doubleheader. In the first quarter, Oakland trailed early as Broncos QB Jay Cutler completed a 26-yard TD pass to WR Eddie Royal. In the second quarter, the Raiders continued to trail as kicker Matt Prater got a 26-yard field goal, while FB Michael Pittman got a 3-yard TD run. In the third quarter, Oakland got even more black and blue as Cutler completed a 48-yard TD pass to WR Darrell Jackson, while Prater nailed a 43-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Raiders finally got on the board as QB JaMarcus Russell completed an 8-yard TD pass to WR Ashley Lelie. Denver ended its rout with RB Selvin Young's 5-yard TD run and Pittman's 1-yard TD run. Oakland would close the game with Russell's 4-yard TD pass to WR Ronald Curry.
With the dismal loss, the Raiders began their season at 0–1 for the sixth straight year.
Hoping to rebound from their horrendous home loss to the Broncos, the Raiders flew to Arrowhead Stadium for a Week 2 AFC West showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs. In the first quarter, Oakland came out punching as kicker Sebastian Janikowski nailed a 56-yard and a 25-yard field goal. After a scoreless second quarter, rookie RB Darren McFadden picked up his first-ever career touchdown in the third quarter on a 19-yard TD run. In the fourth quarter, the Raiders increased its lead with Janikowski getting a 40-yard field goal. The Chiefs would respond with their only score of the game as QB Tyler Thigpen completed a 2-yard TD pass to TE Tony Gonzalez (along with a two-point conversion pass to fullback Mike Cox). Oakland would close out the game with rookie RB Michael Bush getting a 32-yard TD run.
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