The

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

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 was the 50th season for the original

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...

team, and its 40th in the NFL. On September 6, 2009, The Raiders traded a 2011 draft pick 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 ...

for ×5

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

Defensive Lineman

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 for the Georgia ...

. With their loss to

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

on November 26, 2009, The Raiders sealed their seventh consecutive losing season. After beating the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

on December 6, 2009, the Raiders moved to 4–0 when playing Pittsburgh the year they won the Super Bowl, or are the defending Champions, winning in 1974, 1980, 2006, and now 2009.

Off Season

Draft

Local TV Blackouts

In 2009, once again the Raiders struggled to sell tickets, resulting in 7 of their 8 home games being blacked out on local television. The Raiders were able to sell out their season opener, on Monday Night Football against the Chargers, thanks to a deadline extension from the NFL. But, the remainder of their home games were not shown on local television, because the games didn't sell out. The Raiders finished the season tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars for most TV blackouts in 2009. But, blackouts are nothing new to Oakland fans, as the Raiders have sold out only 25 of 88 regular season games, since returning to Oakland. The Raiders had 3 games with attendances under 40,000, with their lowest attendance coming in week 11 against the Bengals when they drew only 34,112.

Final roster

Schedule

Preseason

Regular season

Notes: Division games are in bold text. † These four games were among the 16 that the NFL designated as "AFL Legacy Games", in honor of the 50th anniversary of the AFL. The Raiders wore their throwback uniforms during those four games, as did the Chargers, Jets, Chiefs and Cowboys.

Standings

Regular season results

Week 1: vs. San Diego Chargers

The Raiders began their season with a Week 1 AFL Legacy duel against their AFC West rival, the

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 ...

, in the second game of an MNF doubleheader. In the first quarter, Oakland got off to a surprising good start. While the defense (led by newly acquired defensive lineman

) kept the Chargers offense in control, the Raiders offense struck first with 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 ...

getting a 4-yard touchdown run. San Diego would respond in the second quarter as running back

LaDainian Tomlinson LaDainian Tarshane Tomlinson (born June 23, 1979) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. After a successful college career with the TCU Horned Frogs, the San Diego Chargers se ...

got a 1-yard touchdown run. Oakland would answer with what looked like a 19-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver

Louis Murphy Louis Morris Murphy Jr. (born May 11, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football for the University of Florida, where he was a member of two BCS National Championship teams. The Oakland Raiders drafted him i ...

, but was overturned as he was unable to get full control of the ball. The Raiders would have to settle with 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 ...

making a 37-yard field goal, while the Chargers closed out the half with kicker

Nate Kaeding Nathaniel James Kaeding (born March 26, 1982) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He played the majority of his career with the San Diego Chargers and ...

getting a 47-yard field goal. After a scoreless third quarter, Oakland regained the lead as Janikowski nailed a 35-yard field goal, but San Diego answered 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 15-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver

Vincent Jackson Vincent Terrell Jackson (January 14, 1983 – February 15, 2021) was an American professional football player who played as a wide receiver for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Northern Colorad ...

. Afterwards, the Raiders got the lead again as quarterback

JaMarcus Russell JaMarcus Trenell Russell (born August 9, 1985) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons with the Oakland Raiders. Highly successful at LSU, where he was MVP of the 2007 Sugar ...

completed a 57-yard touchdown pass to Murphy on 4th & long. However, the Chargers came right back as running back

Darren Sproles Darren Lee Sproles (born June 20, 1983) is an American football executive and former running back and return specialist who is a personnel consultant for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football ...

got a 5-yard touchdown run. Oakland tried to rally, but an interception ended all hopes of a comeback. With the tough loss, the Raiders began their season at 0–1.

Week 2: at Kansas City Chiefs

Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Chargers, the Raiders flew to Arrowhead Stadium for a Week 2 AFC West duel with the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

. Oakland would trail in the first quarter as Chiefs kicker

Ryan Succop Ryan Barrow Succop ( "suck-up"; born September 19, 1986) is an American football placekicker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). Succop played college football at South Carolina and was the 2009 Mr. Irrelevant by ...

got a 23-yard field goal. The Raiders would tie the game in the second quarter as kicker

got a 48-yard field goal. In the third quarter, Oakland took the lead as Janikowski nailed a 54-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, Kansas City took the lead as quarterback

Matt Cassel Matthew Brennan Cassel (born May 17, 1982) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. A member of seven NFL teams, Cassel's most notable stints were with the New England Patriots ...

completed a 29-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver

Dwayne Bowe Dwayne Lorenzo Bowe (born September 21, 1984) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Louisiana State University, and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played ...

. Afterwards, Oakland claimed victory as running back

Darren McFadden Darren McFadden (born August 27, 1987) is a former American football running back. He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the first round with the fourth overall pick of the 2008 NFL Dra ...

got the game-winning 5-yard touchdown run. With the win, the Raiders improved to 1–1.

Week 3: vs. Denver Broncos

Coming off their divisional road win over the Chiefs, the Raiders went home for a Week 3 AFC West duel 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 ...

. Oakland would trail in the first quarter as Broncos 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 ...

completed a 2-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver

Brandon Marshall Brandon Tyrone Marshall (born March 23, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCF Knights, and was drafted by ...

, followed by 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 ...

's 48-yard field goal. The Raiders would get on the board in the second quarter as kicker

made a 48-yard field goal, yet Denver answered with Prater's 21-yard field goal. From here on out, the Broncos were in control as running back

Knowshon Moreno Knowshon Rockwell Moreno (born July 16, 1987) is a former American football running back. He played college football at the University of Georgia and was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. He also pl ...

got a 7-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and Prater nailed a 24-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. With the loss, Oakland fell to 1–2.

Week 4: at Houston Texans

Hoping to rebound from their divisional home loss to the Broncos, the Raiders flew to

Reliant Stadium NRG Stadium, formerly Reliant Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. Construction was completed in 2002, at a cost of $352 million and has a seating capacity of 72,220. It was the first NFL facility to have a retrac ...

for a Week 4 duel with 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 ...

. Following a 26-yard field goal from Texans kicker

Kris Brown Kristopher Clayton Brown (born December 23, 1976) is a former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons in the late 1990s and 2000s. He played college football for the University of Neb ...

, Oakland would answer with kicker

's 46-yard field goal. However, Houston would take control in the second quarter. Following Brown's 34-yard field goal, running back

Steve Slaton Steve Slaton (born January 4, 1986) is a former American football running back. He played college football for West Virginia University, and earned consensus All-American honors. He was chosen by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 200 ...

would get a 32-yard touchdown run and catch quarterback

Matt Schaub Matthew Schaub (born June 25, 1981) is a former American football quarterback who played for 17 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Virginia Cavaliers, and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the th ...

's 18-yard touchdown pass. The Raiders would close out the half with Janikowski's 33-yard field goal. In the third quarter, the Texans would put Oakland out of their misery with linebacker

Brian Cushing Brian Patrick Cushing (born January 24, 1987) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at USC, and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft and played his entire 9-year career for the ...

tackling running back

Justin Fargas Justin Alejandro Fargas (born January 25, 1980) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Michigan and Southern California and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft. Colleg ...

in his own end zone for a safety. Afterwards, Houston closed out the game's scoring with wide receiver

Jacoby Jones Jacoby Rashi'd Jones (born July 11, 1984) is a former American football wide receiver and return specialist. He played college football at Lane College, and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played ...

returning the immediate kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. With the loss, Oakland fell to 1–3.

Week 5: at New York Giants

Hoping to end a two-game losing streak, the Raiders flew to

Giants Stadium Giants Stadium (sometimes referred to as Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands or The Swamp) was a stadium located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. The venue was open from 1976 to 2010, and it primarily hosted sp ...

for a Week 5 interconference duel with the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

. Oakland immediately trailed in the opening period as Giants running back

Ahmad Bradshaw Ahmad Bradshaw (born March 19, 1986) is a former American football running back. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. He played college football at Marshall. He is a two-time Super Bowl champio ...

got a 1-yard and a 19-yard touchdown run. Things continued to get worse for the Raiders in the second quarter as quarterback

Eli Manning Elisha Nelson Manning (born January 3, 1981) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons with the New York Giants. A member of the Manning football dynasty, he is the youngest son o ...

completed a 30-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mario Manningham and hooked up with wide receiver

Hakeem Nicks Hakeem Amir Nicks (born January 14, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at North Carolina, and was drafted by the New York Giants in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. Nicks has also played for t ...

. Oakland would answer with a 5-yard touchdown run from running back

, yet New York closed out the half with a 25-yard field goal by kicker

Lawrence Tynes Lawrence James Henry Tynes (born May 3, 1978) is a Scottish-born former American football placekicker. After playing soccer for Milton High School a coach suggested he try out for the football team as a kicker. He played college football at Troy ...

. For the second half, the Giants would stay in control as quarterback David Carr got a 12-yard touchdown run and Tynes would boot a 33-yard and a 37-yard field goal. With the loss, the Raiders fell to 1–4.

Week 6: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Trying to snap a three-game losing streak, the Raiders went home for a Week 6 interconference duel with 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 ...

. In the first quarter, Philadelphia delivered the opening hit as kicker

David Akers David Roy Akers (; born December 9, 1974) is an American former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. He began his career in 1998 with the Washington Redski ...

made a 45-yard field goal. The Raiders would answer with quarterback

's 86-yard touchdown pass to 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 ...

. In the second quarter, both teams swapped field goals as Oakland's

got a 29-yard field goal while Akers gave the Eagles a 43-yard field goal. After a scoreless third quarter, the Raiders turned to Janikowski again in the fourth quarter as he booted a 46-yard field goal. Philadelphia tried to make a comeback, but Oakland would only allow a 45-yard field goal from Akers. With the win, the Raiders improved to 2–4.

Week 7: vs. New York Jets

Coming off their upset win over the Eagles, the Raiders stayed at home, donned their throwbacks, and played a Week 7 AFL Legacy game with the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

. Oakland would trail early in the first quarter as early turnovers led to a 1-yard touchdown run Thomas Jones, followed by a 3-yard touchdown run by quarterback

Mark Sanchez Mark Travis John Sanchez (born November 11, 1986) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football at the University of Southern California (USC) and was draft ...

. The Raiders' season-long woes continued in the second quarter as New York running back

Shonn Greene Shonn Greene (born August 21, 1985) is a former American football running back. He played college football for the University of Iowa, where in 2008, he was recognized as a unanimous All-American and also won the Doak Walker Award and the Jim ...

got an 8-yard touchdown run, followed by kicker

Jay Feely Thomas James "Jay" Feely (born May 23, 1976) is a former American football placekicker and current sportscaster. He started his career with the Florida Bobcats in the Arena Football League as a street free agent in 1999 before playing for seve ...

booting a 39-yard field goal. Afterwards, the Jets would pull away as Sanchez completed a 35-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver

David Clowney David Cortez Clowney IV (born July 8, 1985) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia Tech. Clowney spent the bulk of ...

in the third quarter, followed by Greene's 33-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. With the shutout loss, Oakland fell to 2–5.

Week 8: at San Diego Chargers

Hoping to rebound from their shutout home loss to the Jets, 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 8 AFC West rematch with the

. Oakland would trail in the first quarter as Chargers running back

got a 6-yard touchdown run. The Raiders answered in the second quarter as running back

got a 5-yard touchdown run, but San Diego replied with quarterback

' 8-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver

and Tomlinson's 10-yard touchdown run. Afterwards, Oakland would close out the half as kicker

got a 48-yard field goal. In the second quarter, the Raiders tried to rally as Janikowski nailed a 41-yard field goal in the third quarter and a 28-yard field goal in the fourth, but the Chargers pulled away with a 28-yard field goal from kicker

. With the loss, Oakland fell to 2–6 entering their bye week.

Week 10: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Coming off their bye week, the Raiders went home, donned their throwbacks, and played a Week 10 AFL Legacy game with the

. In the first quarter, Oakland struck first with a 1-yard touchdown run from running back

. The Chiefs would get on the boards via a 50-yard field goal from kicker

, yet the Raiders came right back with their own 50-yard field goal from kicker

. However, Kansas City would take the lead in the second quarter with running back

Jamaal Charles Jamaal RaShaad Jones Charles (born December 27, 1986) is a former American football running back. He played college football for the University of Texas, where he won the 2006 Rose Bowl, and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third ro ...

getting a 44-yard touchdown run and Succop booting a 25-yard field goal. After a scoreless third quarter, the Chiefs would pull away as Succop nailed a 31-yard field goal. With the loss, Oakland fell to 2–7.

Week 11: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Trying to snap a three-game losing streak, the Raiders stayed at home for a Week 11 duel with 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 ...

. Due to quarterback

's ineffectiveness, quarterback

Bruce Gradkowski Bruce Raymond Gradkowski (born January 27, 1983) is a former American football quarterback and current offensive coordinator for the St. Louis BattleHawks. He played college football at Toledo. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the ...

would get the start. Oakland would trail in the first quarter as Bengals 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 ...

got a 1-yard touchdown run. Cincinnati's lead would increase as Palmer got another 1-yard touchdown run, yet the Raiders would close out the half with Gradkowski completing a 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end

. In the third quarter, Oakland continued to rally as kicker

got a 52-yard field goal. The Bengals would answer with kicker

Shayne Graham Michael Shayne Graham (born December 9, 1977) is an American football coach and former placekicker. Graham played 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Virginia Tech. He made his professional debut in Ma ...

nailing a 25-yard field goal. The Raiders would tie the game in the fourth quarter as Gradkowski found rookie wide receiver

on a 29-yard touchdown pass. Afterwards, after recovering a special team fumble from Cincinnati wide receiver

Andre Caldwell Andre Jerome "Bubba" Caldwell (born April 15, 1985), is a former professional American football player who was a wide receiver and kickoff returner in the National Football League (NFL). Caldwell played college football for the Florida Gator ...

, Oakland took advantage as Janikowski booted the game-winning 33-yard field goal. With the win, the Raiders improved to 3–7.

Week 12: at Dallas Cowboys

With the loss, the Raiders dropped to 3–8.

Week 13: at Pittsburgh Steelers

With the win, the Raiders improved to 4–8.

Week 14: vs. Washington Redskins

With the loss, the Raiders dropped to 4–9 securing them their 6th straight losing season.

Week 15: at Denver Broncos

With the win, the Raiders improved to 5–9.

Week 16: at Cleveland Browns

With the loss, the Raiders dropped to 5–10.

Week 17: vs. Baltimore Ravens

Statistically speaking, the Ravens' victory over the Raiders also allowed the dethroning of the defending world champion

, who would not see any playoff contention. Whatever the case, the Raiders ended their dismal season at 5–11.

References

External links

2009 Oakland Raiders season at Pro Football Reference2009 Oakland Raiders season at ESPN
{{DEFAULTSORT:2009 Oakland Raiders Season Oakland Raiders seasons

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 ...

Raiders