Raiders Avoid Trap Game vs. Bengals

Final: CIN 10 OAK 17 (6-4)

Didn't I mention last week that this would be a potential trap game? Well, this game certainly looked like it, but the Raiders pull it out to keep that wild card bid alive and most of all, this put them on the brink of the division lead provided if the Chiefs lose to the Chargers tomorrow night.

The Raiders were heavily favored to win this game by a big margin, but anything can happen on any given Sunday. Jon Gruden gave this team a pep talk before this game that upsets do happen in the NFL and the Raiders shouldn't take the Bengals lightly. The first quarter, they didn't get the memo. Their opening drive started strong, but stalled. Defense did its job on Cincy's opening drive. Maxx Crosby strip sacked Ryan Finley and Maurice Hurst recovered the fumble. On a side note, Mad Maxx had a hell of a game on defense, sacking Finley four times. He's arguably the MVP this game. What a steal in the 4th round by Gruden, Mayock and company! But going back to the slow start, Jacobs had that rookie mistake, fumbling the ball in the red zone. Defense couldn't stop the run and Mixon runs it in for the TD to put the Bengals up 7-0. At this point of the game, you'd think "uh oh."

Despite the slow start, the Raiders recovered well. The offense got going as soon as Carr made big throws to Tyrell Williams. Carr had his fingerprints on the next two scores. He tosses a TD to Foster Moreau. The following drive, he rushed for a TD. You barely see Carr scramble. When he does, you just hold your breath after what transpired at the end of 2016 with the fractured fibula. The last TD, it looked like the Bengals got him for a sack, but Carr was able to escape and run into the end zone.

For the majority of the 2nd half, it was a defensive battle throughout. The Raiders could've added another TD to put the game away. Let's talk about that. During that play, one of the Bengal D-lineman flinched and went over the line of scrimmage. Easy offsides penalty right? Well, instead they called a false start on Richie Incognito. Drive stalls after that, and the Raiders had to settle for three. Luckily, the defense came up big this game. I mentioned Maxx Crosby's 4-sack performance. Trayvon Mullen came up with the clutch pick to seal it. And the Raiders are 6-4, still in the wild card hunt and in the hunt for the AFC West. They have another winnable game next week. Again, the Raiders should never take any opponent for granted. The Jets have played a lot better than what their record shows. They've notched back-to-back wins against the Giants and Redskins. They're getting better QB play from Sam Darnold. They have to take care of business on this one before looking ahead to Kansas City. For an added bonus, let's see if the Chargers can play spoiler when they play the Chiefs tomorrow night. I'll see you guys later.