Raiders Win Bay Battle

Tim Brown let his catches speak for themselves.

Without any of the grandstanding expected in the Battle of the Bay, Brown caught two touchdown passes, including a 31-yarder in overtime, as Oakland beat San Francisco 34-28 on Sunday.

"It was a beautiful throw," Brown said. "Just perfect."

The game could have been called the Blunder of the Bay, marked by turnovers, miscues and missed opportunities.

"It was a crazy game, but it was a victory," Raiders receiver Andre Rison said. "That's what counts the most."

The Raiders (4-1) won soon after Anthony Dorsett blocked Wade Richey's 29-yard field-goal attempt.

Tyrone Wheatley scored on a 1-yard run, Rich Gannon had a 13-yard keeper, and Janikowski did hit from 23 and 35 yards.

Janikowski missed a 41-yarder with less than five minutes to go that would have broken the tie. Then he missed 35-yarder in overtime, a questionable attempt that came on second-and 2. The kick went wide right.

For San Francisco (2-4), Terrell Owens scored on 31- and 4-yard passes from Jeff Garcia, and finished with 176 yards on 12 receptions. Jerry Rice added a 5-yard TD catch, and Charlie Garner had a 9-yard scoring catch.

In an unusually lighthearted moment, Owens' 4-yard touchdown catch midway through the second quarter put the 49ers p 7-6. He started to run for the middle of the field like he had two weeks ago against Dallas then he abruptly stopped and shook his head no. The crowd roared.

It was Owen's first game back since a weeklong suspension for his two flamboyant touchdown celebrations against the Cowboys, when he ran to the midfield star logo at Texas Stadium and taunted the fans. Owens sat out the 49ers' victory over Arizona.

"I wasn't going to let everything that happened to me get me down," he said.

On the first series of the game, the Raiders recovered Garner's fumble on the 49ers' 26. But the 49ers stalled on the 5, and Janikowski kicked a 23-yard field goal.

The Raiders missed an opportunity on their next possession. On first-and-10 at their own 29, Napoleon Kaufman was completely alone on the left side. But the speedy running back couldn't hold onto Gannon's pass.

Later in the first quarter, with the Raiders at first-and-goal on the 9, Kaufman fumbled and the ball was picked up by 49ers tackle Bryant Young.

Oakland linebacker Bobbie Brooks blocked Chad Stanley's punt and the Raiders got as close as the 17, but Gannon didn't see Zack Crockett wide open in the end zone on third down and the Raiders settled for Janikowski's 35-yard field goal.

After Owens' touchdown put the 49ers up 7-6, Garcia found Rice with a 5-yard scoring pass before halftime. The scoring drive was marked by Garcia's 33-yard pass to Tai Streets.

Wheatley's 1-yard scoring run and Gannon's scamper on the 2-point conversion it at 14 midway through the third quarter.

The 49ers were threatening on the next series, but Garner again fumbled the ball and Grady Jackson recovered on the Oakland 20. On the same series, Gannon hit Rison with a 35-yard pass, and then hit Brown with the 30-yard TD pass.

Gannon, who had a similar second-half against Indianapolis earlier this season, opened the final quarter with a 13-yard touchdown run.

Gannon connected on 21-of-43 passes for 310 yards. His speed impressed 49ers coach Steve Mariucci.

"There were times when we had a spy, a defensive lineman, a looking for him, but we couldn't run him down," Mariucci said. "He's a fast guy."

Owens kept his celebration in check again on the 31-yard catch-and-run play in the final quarter, as the 49ers mounted their comeback. Then, after Pierson Prioleau's interception, Garner caught a 9-yard pass from Garcia to tie it at 28.

With less than five minutes to go, Janikowski missed a 41-yard field goal that went wide left.

Garcia finished 28-of-41 for 336 yards. The 49ers have scored 20-or-more points in 11 consecutive games dating to last season.

San Francisco hadn't played the Raiders in the regular season since 1994, a memorable Monday night matchup that featured Rice's 127th touchdown reception to top Jim Brown's NFL record.

Notes