OAKLAND, Calif. — Louis Murphy sprinted upfield and laid out a defender with a punishing block. Not satisfied, he caught up to the play again and delivered a second block that allowed Zach Miller to cruise into the end zone on an 86-yard catch-and-run.
Miller scored the only touchdown of the game, Justin Fargas helped control the clock by rushing for 87 physical yards and Oakland’s defense harassed Donovan McNabb all day in a 13-9 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
“We went out and threw a fight on somebody and said, ‘Enough. Let’s play,’ ” Raiders coach Tom Cable said. “That’s all you can say.”
It was a major turnaround from the last three weeks when the Raiders (2-4) lost by at least 20 points for the first time in franchise history, capped by a 44-7 loss to the Giants last week.
The key Sunday was the Oakland defense. Coordinator John Marshall mixed in more zone coverages and blitzes than usual to combat a high-powered Philadelphia offense that was averaging the second-most points in the league.
The Eagles abandoned the run early, only had Michael Vick on the field for two plays and were the first team in three years to fail to score a touchdown against the Raiders.
“They were able to get home and hit our quarterback,” coach Andy Reid said. “When we did have opportunities we didn’t take advantage of opportunities.”
Philadelphia’s last chance ended when McNabb underthrew DeSean Jackson on fourth-and-4 from the Oakland 44 with 2:14 remaining.
David Akers missed a pair of field goals for the Eagles, a 43-yarder wide left in the first quarter and a 47-yarder wide right in the third quarter that proved crucial down the stretch.
“I’m embarrassed by the way we came out here and played. We’re a much better football team,” McNabb said.
