Gradkowski leads late comeback to give Raiders 20-17 victory over Bengals

Raiders rally past Bengals 20-17

OAKLAND, Calif. — Bruce Gradkowski provided more than a spark for the struggling Oakland Raiders. He delivered a much-needed comeback victory that the Cincinnati Bengals handed over to Oakland.

Gradkowski threw a 29-yard game-tying touchdown pass to Louis Murphy with 33 seconds left and Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 33-yard field goal after Andre Caldwell fumbled the ensuing kickoff, giving the Raiders a 20-17 victory Sunday.

The Bengals (7-3) have lost all 10 games in Oakland, including one playoff game. But this had to be one of the most painful. Cincinnati maintained its one-game lead over Pittsburgh in the AFC North after the Steelers lost in overtime at Kansas City, yet this loss could prove critical to seedings or even a playoff berth down the stretch.

Oakland (3-7) rallied from an early 14-point deficit and trailed 17-10 with 2:06 left when Gradkowski took over at the 20-yard line. Gradkowski, who took the starting job from JaMarcus Russell this week, threw a 19-yard pass to Zach Miller, then a 16-yarder to Chaz Schilens on fourth-and-10.

After a spike, Gradkowski found Murphy near the goal line. Murphy got loose from Morgan Trent and dived across the goal line for the tying score.

Just when it seemed the game was headed to overtime, Caldwell was stripped by Brandon Myers on the kickoff, giving the Raiders the ball at the 17. After three kneel-downs, Janikowski delivered the winning kick, setting off a celebration among the few fans who showed up. Nnamdi Asomugha intercepted a last-ditch pass from Carson Palmer to seal the victory.

The Bengals scored touchdowns on two of their first three drives, but managed only three more points the rest of the way. They were done in by three lost fumbles, eight penalties and a missed field goal.

The biggest fumbles were by fullback Jeremi Johnson at the Oakland 15 and poised to add on to a 17-10 lead and the one by Caldwell. Shayne Graham also missed a 37-yard field goal in the third quarter.

Palmer completed 14 of 22 passes for 207 yards and became the first Bengals quarterback to run for two touchdowns in a game since Jack Thompson in 1979. Rookie Bernard Scott ran for a season-high 119 yards in place of the injured Cedric Benson, and newcomer Larry Johnson had two carries for 5 yards.

Gradkowski replaced Russell in two of the past three games, but was unable to lead a single scoring drive. He did plenty with an entire week to prepare, giving the Raiders their first two-touchdown game since the opener.

He connected on a 10-yarder to Miller in the second quarter and then the tying TD to Murphy. He finished 17 for 34 for 183 yards, with one interception and a lost fumble, and won for the first time since his rookie year in 2006 with Tampa Bay.

Raiders defensive lineman Richard Seymour left the game in the first quarter with a lower back injury.