The

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

was the franchise's 42nd season in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

and the 52nd overall. 2011 also marked the final season under the ownership of

Al Davis Allen Davis (July 4, 1929 – October 8, 2011) was an American football coach and executive. He was the principal owner and general manager of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) for 39 years, from 1972 until his death in ...

, who died on October 8, 2011. The Raiders matched their 8–8 record from

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, finishing in a three-way tie with the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

and

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

for the

AFC West The American Football Conference – Western Division or AFC West is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The division comprises the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las ...

division title, but lost tiebreakers to both teams, and missed the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season. On January 4, 2011, it was announced that head coach

Tom Cable Thomas Lee Cable Jr. (born November 26, 1964) is an American football coach who last was the offensive line coach for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the Seattle Seahawks assistant head c ...

's contract would not be extended. Cable would be replaced by

Hue Jackson Hue Jackson (born October 22, 1965) is an American football coach who is the head football coach at Grambling State University. An offensive assistant at both the collegiate and professional levels, he held coordinator positions in the Nationa ...

, the team's former offensive coordinator. The Raiders traded their first-round selection in the

2011 NFL Draft The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...

(17th overall) to the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

. With their eighth win on December 24 over the Chiefs, the Raiders secured their second consecutive non-losing season. Although TV blackouts had been a persistent issue over the years, all eight regular season home games were sold out for the first time since moving from Los Angeles to Oakland in

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

. The team set the record for being the most penalized team in NFL history, breaking the record previously held by the 1998 Kansas City Chiefs. This season also marked the first consecutive non-losing season for the Raiders since 1998–2002.

Offseason

The Raiders lost guard

Robert Gallery Robert J. Gallery (born July 26, 1980) is a former American football offensive guard who played for eight seasons in the National Football League. He played college football for the University of Iowa, and received unanimous All-American recogn ...

and tight end

Zach Miller Zach Miller may refer to: *Zach Miller (tight end, born 1984), NFL tight end for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Chicago Bears *Zach Miller (tight end, born 1985) Zachary Joseph Miller (born December 11, 1985) is a former ...

to the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

and cornerback

Nnamdi Asomugha Nnamdi Asomugha ( ; born July 6, 1981) is an American actor, producer and former football cornerback. He played college football for the University of California, Berkeley, and was drafted in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Oakland ...

to the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

Draft

The Raiders did not have a first-round selection. In September 2009, the team acquired DT

Richard Seymour Richard Vershaun Seymour (born October 6, 1979) is an American professional poker player and former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) . He played college football College footbal ...

from the

in exchange for its 2011 first-round selection (#17 overall).

Staff

Final roster

Preseason

Schedule

The Raiders' preseason schedule was announced on April 12, 2011.

Candlestick Park incident

The preseason game against the 49ers was marked by brawls in the stands and a major beating in a restroom at

Candlestick Park Candlestick Park was an outdoor stadium on the West Coast of the United States, located in San Francisco's Bayview Heights area. The stadium was originally the home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants, who played there from 1960 un ...

. The NFL officially discontinued all future preseason games between the two teams.

Regular season

Schedule

Game summaries

Week 1

The Raiders began their 2011 campaign at

Sports Authority Field at Mile High Empower Field at Mile High (previously known as Broncos Stadium at Mile High, Invesco Field at Mile High and Sports Authority Field at Mile High, and commonly known as Mile High, New Mile High or Mile High Stadium) is an American football stadium ...

, for a Week 1 AFC West duel with the

in the second game of

Monday Night Football ''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, AB ...

's doubleheader. Oakland trailed early in the first quarter as Broncos kicker

Matt Prater Matthew Phillip Prater (born August 10, 1984) is an American football placekicker for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). Regarded as one of the best long distance kickers in NFL history, he held the NFL record for lon ...

got a 28-yard field goal. The Raiders answered in the second quarter as quarterback

Jason Campbell Jason S. Campbell (born December 31, 1981) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college footbal ...

found fullback

Marcel Reece Marcel Antoine Wayne Reece (born June 23, 1985) is a former American football Fullback (American football), fullback who is the Senior vice-president, Senior Vice President, Chief of staff, Chief of Staff of the Las Vegas Raiders. He was signed b ...

on a 3-yard touchdown pass, followed by a 37-yard, a 21-yard, and an NFL record tying 63-yard field goal from kicker

Sebastian Janikowski Sebastian Paweł Janikowski (; born March 2, 1978) is a Polish former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Oakland Raiders. He played college football at Florida State ...

. Janikowski's leg helped put the Raiders up 16–3 at halftime. Denver answered in the third quarter as wide receiver

Eric Decker Eric Thomas Decker (born March 15, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football and college baseball at the University of Minnesota, and was dra ...

returned a punt 90 yards for a touchdown, followed by Prater getting a 30-yard field goal. Oakland struck back in the fourth quarter with Campbell's 1-yard touchdown. The Broncos tried to rally with quarterback

Kyle Orton Kyle Raymond Orton (born November 14, 1982) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for Purdue, where he started four straight bowl games. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Dr ...

completing a 9-yard touchdown pass to running back

Lance Ball Lance Ball (born June 19, 1985) is a former American football running back. He was signed by the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at the University of Maryland. Ball has also been a member of the Ind ...

, yet the Raiders' offense was able to run out the clock. With the win, not only did Oakland begin their season at 1–0, but they also snapped their 8-straight opening day losing streak.

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

A day after owner

died, the Raiders fought back from an early deficit and defensive back

Michael Huff Michael Wayne Huff, II (born March 6, 1983) is a former American football safety. He last played for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Texas, and was recognized as a conse ...

made a pick in the end zone in the waning seconds for an emotional victory. On that final play, the Raiders only had ten men on the field on defense, and Huff emotionally stated that he believed the team's late owner, Al Davis, "had his hand on that ball."

Week 6

Week 7

With the loss, the Raiders went into their bye week at 4–3. Also, the Raiders were shut out at home for the first time since Week 1 of the 2006 season when the team was shut out by the Chargers.

Week 9

Week 10

Trying to snap a two-game losing streak, the Raiders flew to

Qualcomm Stadium San Diego Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium on the west coast of the United States, in San Diego, California. The stadium opened in 1967 as San Diego Stadium and was known as Jack Murphy Stadium from 1981 to 1997. From 1997 to 2017, the stadiu ...

for a Week 10 AFC West duel with the

on Thursday night. Oakland trailed early in the first quarter as Chargers kicker

Nick Novak Nicholas Ryan Novak (born August 21, 1981) is a former American football placekicker. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Maryland. Novak has played for the Washington Redskins, A ...

got a 20-yard field goal, yet the Raiders answered with a 2-yard touchdown run from running back

Michael Bush Michael Warren Bush, Jr. (born June 16, 1984) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisville. In addition to the Raiders, B ...

. Oakland added onto their lead in the second quarter with a 23-yard field goal from kicker

, followed by quarterback

Carson Palmer Carson Hilton Palmer (born December 27, 1979) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals. He played college football at ...

finding rookie wide receiver

Denarius Moore Denarius Earl Moore (born December 9, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tennessee. Early years Born Darnius Earl Mo ...

on a 33-yard touchdown pass. San Diego began the third quarter with quarterback

Philip Rivers Philip Michael Rivers (born December 8, 1981) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Chargers franchise. He played college football at NC State and was sele ...

completing a 30-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Vincent Brown, yet the Raiders struck back with Palmer hooking up with Moore again on a 26-yard touchdown pass. Afterwards, the Chargers closed out the quarter with Rivers completing a 7-yard touchdown pass to fullback

Jacob Hester Jacob Troy Hester (born May 8, 1985) is a former American football fullback who played professionally in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 2008 NFL draft. He played college ...

. From there, Oakland's defense held on to preserve the victory. With the win, the Raiders improved to 5–4, and took the lead of the AFC West.

Week 11

Week 12

kicked a team-record six field goals and the Raiders took advantage of three interceptions from Chicago's

Caleb Hanie Caleb Jeffrey Hanie (born September 11, 1985) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Colorado State and was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He also played for the Denver Bronco ...

to beat the Bears 25–20 Sunday.

threw for 301 yards and

iced the game with a touchdown run in the fourth quarter to lead the Raiders (7–4) to their third straight win against a Bears team missing starting quarterback

Jay Cutler Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Van ...

Week 13

Week 14

Week 15

Week 16

Week 17

With the loss, the Raiders' season ended at 8–8 and their three-game winning streak over the Chargers was snapped. The loss also allowed the Broncos to win the

Standings

Death of owner Al Davis

On October 8, one day before the team's Week 5 game at the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

, owner

died in his

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

home at the age of 82. The Raiders won the game 25–20.

Acquisition of Carson Palmer

On October 18, 2011, the Raiders acquired quarterback

from the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

for a 2012 first round draft pick and a conditional 2013 first round pick based on incentives. The trade was made two days after Jason Campbell suffered a potential season ending collarbone injury in Week 6 against the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

Firing of Hue Jackson

On January 10, 2012, the Raiders announced that head coach Hue Jackson would be fired.

Notes and references

{{2011 NFL season by team Oakland Raiders seasons R00

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

2011 in sports in California