OAKLAND, Calif. -- In Raiders mystique, the Black Hole suddenly has new meaning. The Raiders can't dig themselves out of the black hole of a four-game losing streak.

The scene was eerie. Three times in the fourth quarter Sunday in Networks Associates Coliseum, the 49ers took long, efficient drives toward the end zone cherished most by Raiders fans. The Niners dared to challenge the Black Hole, where Raiders fans dress in disguise and shout obscenities. It's an intimidating environment, but the Raiders defense seemed helpless in stopping Jeff Garcia.

Garcia drove 88 yards in 15 plays and hit Tai Streets for a two-yard touchdown to open a seven-point lead. The Raiders marched back in 10 plays to tie the game on a 10-yard touchdown by Charlie Garner. Then came the seemingly impossible. For 30 consecutive plays extending into overtime, the 49ers gained yards in little chunks. The Raiders were defenseless. Kicker Jose Cortez, who missed a 27-yarder at the end of regulation, got one more chance and delivered in overtime to bury the Raiders by kicking a 23-yarder into the Black Hole.

	“	If you are looking for a word to explain this, I can't give you one. It's disappointing. We still have a chance to turn it around. I know it's going to be tough. We've got to do everything we can to figure out a way to win a football game. ”
		— Trace Armstrong, Raiders defensive end

The 49ers won 23-20, and the Raiders were stunned. Their 4-0 start has withered into a 4-4 freefall to mediocrity. A defense loaded with veterans and some of the best leaders in the game has no identity. Is it a 3-4 or a 4-3? Regardless of the scheme, the supposed play-makers aren't making plays. The team with the slogan "Commitment to Excellence" isn't committed to a consistent offensive or defensive plan that exudes confidence.

On offense, there is also crisis. Everyone wants to be the go-to guy, but when the Raiders get inside an opponent's 20-yard line, they tend to go more for kicker Sebastian Janikowski than they do the end zone. After leading the AFC in touchdown percentage in the red zone last year, the Raiders are among the league's 10 worst, scoring 15 touchdowns in 30 trips.

"I know we fight hard and do everything possible to get a win," Raiders receiver Jerry Rice said. "It's very frustrating. But we've got to deal with it. We still have eight games to go."

"If you are looking for a word to explain this, I can't give you one," Raiders defensive end Trace Armstrong said. "It's disappointing. We still have a chance to turn it around. I know it's going to be tough. We've got to do everything we can to figure out a way to win a football game."

Players didn't have answers in the Raiders locker room, but the body language was scary. Wide receiver Tim Brown, limited to one measly catch for 10 yards, walked out without commenting. That's rare. Most people thought Brown, who is no longer the week-in-week-out featured receiver, would lash out. Wisely, he didn't say anything to stir controversy, but it's easy to see that he's unhappy with the lack of opportunities.

Safety Rod Woodson was talking in a voice barely audible as he sat near his locker. He was stunned. So was Armstrong. There is a crisis of confidence on this team that is getting worse. First-year coach Bill Callahan may be on the verge of losing the group, but at least the professionalism of the players is keeping their heads in the game.

Unfortunately for the Raiders, that professionalism isn't winning games. The Raiders haven't won since Oct. 6. Over the past month, the Raiders are averaging 16 points and are giving up an average of 26.5 points. And that starting statistic has everything to do with the two-fold identity crisis.

First, let's look at the offense. For weeks, critics said the Raiders can't keep throwing the ball more than 40 times a game. Al Davis won the Super Bowl with a physical running offense and a deep-throwing passing attack.

So against the Niners, the Raiders tried for balance. Charlie Garner ran more on first and second downs. Gannon, who once was on pace to break Warren Moon's single-season completion record of 404 by 85, threw only 28 passes Sunday. The overall result was 239 yards of offense. Gannon didn't seem to like it.

"I don't know, I mean, we changed gears a little bit today and we got some guys back, but we just weren't very effective on second down when we had to be," Gannon said. "We ran the ball a lot more, but we just weren't able to generate enough big plays on first and second downs like we have in the past. The output was the lowest of all season."

No wonder Brown walked out of the locker room without talking. He ended up being the fourth option. Jerry Rice, Jerry Porter and Garner caught more passes than Brown. Gannon looked particularly uncomfortable on some plays.

Late in the first half, for example, the Raiders had a third down at the 49ers' 5-yard line. Gannon rolled right and kept moving his feet waiting for Rice to shake free of two defenders, which he didn't. Tight end Roland Williams leaked into the end zone uncovered and was waving his hands. Gannon didn't see him because he was locked into looking at the left side of the end zone.

Gannon wasn't in sync the few times he did throw to Brown. Once, Gannon hit Brown in the side of the helmet when Brown wasn't expecting the ball. Another time, Brown was open on a third-and-15, but Gannon's pass was low and off the mark.

"We wanted to balance it up on offense," Callahan said. "We had Tyrone Wheatley back and we ran him a few times. We felt we were effective at certain points, but we never really got into a rhythm. This week, we went into a two-back mode where we tried to run and feature Charlie Garner and Tyrone Wheatley and really try to be more balanced. But you can see where that got us."

If anything, the coach seems to be reacting to player complaints. Two weeks ago, Brown expressed displeasure about not getting the ball as much as Rice and Garner since the 11th week of last season. Gannon forced 13 passes to Brown, including three in the first drive of last week's game. The Raiders lost. This week, Garner spoke out about wanting the ball more. He got 16 touches (receptions and running plays), but the Raiders lost their fourth in a row.

"The one thing that better not happen is having players on this team pointing fingers," linebacker Bill Romanowski said. "Those who point fingers got to remember that four of those fingers come back pointing to them."

There was no finger-pointing after this loss.

A bigger concern should be on defense. The 49ers rolled up 152 yards on an incredible 48 carries. While the average run per carry was only 3.2 yards, the 49ers got yards when they needed them. The 49ers converted 13 of 20 third downs, and including the overtime, the 49ers held the ball 23½ of the final 30 minutes, running 45 plays to the Raiders' 10.

"The Raiders like to do a lot of stunting or blitzing up front," 49ers halfback Kevan Barlow said. "So we made the adjustment to get outside, do more quarterback rolls and sweeps to the outside. We did more pitches to the outside. They worked. We probably gave teams some plays to follow for the future."

If things weren't bad enough, Garcia converted a fourth-and-1 with a handoff to fullback Fred Beasley in overtime near midfield. On that play, defensive end Tony Bryant suffered a spine injury that required him to be hospitalized. Bryant had numbness in the extremities, and Callahan said he's very concerned about his end.

There was a feeling of numbness throughout the Raiders locker room after the game. Their season of Super Bowl hopes has slipped into a Black Hole and the Raiders can't get out of it.

John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.