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The Raiders dedicated Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals to former special-teams player Marquis Cooper, who was lost at sea during a boating accident in February.

Cooper and three other men were in Cooper's boat when it capsized in the Gulf of Mexico in the midst of a fishing trip. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued one of the four men. The three others were never found.

"Before the game, his 4-year-old daughter said she was excited to watch the game," Raiders linebacker Sam Williams said. "She said, 'I get to see my daddy play!' Man! I just spread the word, and everybody felt the emotions of that. It was special."

Cooper's daughter, Delaney, wife, Rebekah, and mother, Donna, attended the game. On Saturday, Williams gave Rebekah Cooper a tour of the locker room, where the Raiders keep Marquis Cooper's locker intact.

"It was one of those things to give her an opportunity to see where his locker was," said Williams, one of Cooper's closest friends during his eight games with the Raiders last season. "This was the only place she had that opportunity. I gave her a chance so she could have her little moment. That was really special."

Fittingly, the Raiders won the game as a result of a special-teams play. Rookie Brandon Myers forced and recovered a fumble at the Bengals 17-yard line with 33 seconds left, and Sebastian Janikowski kicked a game-deciding field goal four plays later in the 20-17 victory.

"The most important

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thing is, the game ball that went out goes to Marquis Cooper's family," Raiders coach Tom Cable said. "This was a day we planned to honor him as a football team and, certainly, it turned out the way you would write it up."

  • Defensive lineman Richard Seymour left the game with lower back strain on Cincinnati's first possession. Defensive tackle Tommy Kelly departed on the third drive, early in the second quarter. Kelly returned three plays later.

    Special-teams player Isaiah Ekejiuba was helped from the field midway through the second quarter with a left knee injury.

    Cable said Seymour's injury doesn't appear to be too serious. Ekejiuba's injury, however, "does look to have some seriousness to it," Cable said.

  • Raiders fans accustomed to booing quarterback JaMarcus Russell turned their venom toward rookie wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey.

    Heyward-Bey clanked a short pass from Bruce Gradkowski on a play that would have resulted in a Raiders first down. Instead, they were forced to punt when the ball hit off Heyward-Bey's hands and then his chest before hitting the ground.

    Heyward-Bey turned those jeers to cheers by hauling in a pass early in the third quarter for a 7-yard gain and a Raiders first down. He surpassed the 100-yard mark on the season with the catch.

  • The Bengals dropped to 0-10 all time at the Coliseum, including a playoff loss. They entered the game as one of only four teams without a road loss this season. The three other undefeated road teams won.

  • Janikowski missed a field-goal attempt for the second straight game after making every attempt in his first eight games. He got a pass, however, because the attempt that sailed wide left came from 57 yards. Janikowski drilled a 52-yarder in the third quarter and a game-deciding 33-yarder with 15 seconds left.

  • Bengals outspoken wide receiver Chad Ochocinco promised Raiders fans a show and delivered despite facing Raiders All-Pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha most of the game. Ochocinco caught a pass for 30 yards and added a 10-yarder to the Raiders 1-yard line on the first drive. He tacked on a 15-yarder against Asomugha on the second drive en route to a four-catch, 67-yard afternoon.

  • The Raiders placed linebacker Ricky Brown on the injured-reserve list because of a right ankle injury that hasn't healed as well as expected. Brown was hurt against the New York Giants on Oct. 11 and hadn't played since that game. The Raiders signed rookie linebacker David Nixon from their practice squad to take Brown's place on the 53-man roster. Oakland signed Nixon as an undrafted free agent out of Brigham Young.