The Oakland Raiders had a good second quarter and lead the Denver Broncos 16-3 on Monday Night Football while the penalty flags continue to fly. The two teams have committed a combined 16 penalties through only 30 minutes of football. The Raiders, who were held scoreless in the first quarter, scored all 16 points in the second quarter and held the Broncos to zero points.
Quarterback Jason Campbell connected with Marcel Reese on a three-yard pass less than two minutes into the period to put the Raiders up 7-3. Oakland got the ball back soon after when Knowshon Moreno fumbled on the very first play of Denver's following drive. The Raiders got the ball at Denver's 23-yard line but were unable to advance much further, settling for a field goal to extend their lead to 10-3.
The Broncos had a chance to score on a 56-yard field goal attempt by Matt Prater with under five minutes to go in the half, but Prater missed wide right and gave the ball back to Oakland.
The Raiders punched in a 21-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski with less than two minutes left in the half to extend their lead to 13-3. A Broncos drive in the closing minutes of the half ended with a pick by Matt Giordano. The interception led to a 63-yard field goal by Janikowski, which ties the NFL record for longest field goal.
Oakland has relied heavily on its ground game so far. Campbell has only 33 passing yards and one touchdown passing while Darren McFadden has 70 yards on 13 carries. No Raiders wide receiver has more than ten yards.
The Raiders will receive the kickoff to start the third quarter. Let's hope for a relatively penalty-free half.