RAIDERS @ Browns Halftime Post

Score: OAK 3 CLE 9

Alright welcome in to the halftime post of the Raiders-Browns game where the Browns lead a field goal at the half.

The Positives

Mack & Moore. Khalil Mack, 3 tackles. Sio Moore, 4 tackles. This is our linebacker corps of the future and if only they had a defensive line to help them, they would've wrecked even more havoc on the edges. They don't have a sack yet though, but the duo has done a great job keeping the Browns' running game in check. I said in my Q-by-Q post that the Browns' running game are awful when in fact they are the 3rd best rushing team in the league. Whoops, but nonetheless, both Mack and Moore have kept Ben Tate in check and the Browns' running game as a whole.

Justin Ellis. He may not have anything in the stat line, but Ellis is showing why the Raiders selected him in the 4th round as a space eater Nose Tackle. There was one play when the Browns were in the red zone that he just blew by the Browns' offensive line and almost got a handful on Brian Hoyer. Aside from Mack, Carr, Jackson, and Carrie, Ellis is also trying to make his mark for this 2014 draft class starting in that defensive tackle spot in place of Pat Sims.

The Negatives

Maurice Jones-Drew, 5 carries, 7 yards. MJD looked really old out there so far. He couldn't get on the edge like he used to or make tacklers miss due to his small size. Our 1-2 punch of McFadden and Jones-Drew has gotten off to a slow start and it reflects why the Raiders are last in the running game.

Offensive play calling. Honestly, how did we go from throwing bombs against a good Chargers to become more conservative? I don't see Carr being put on shotgun formation to launch the ball deep, they've totally regressed going back to a vanilla-style play calling and Greg Olson plays a big part in that despite Sparano taking over the reins.

Bottom Line

Well, it's only 3 points at least. The defense has to continue to keep the Browns' offense in check and the Raiders' offense has to get going. This half is critical if the Raiders really want to get on that win column and end a long losing streak dating back to last season.

Raiders Fall to NFC West-Leading Cardinals

Alright welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders-Cardinals game where the Raiders' struggles continue and couldn't find a way to upset the Cardinals as former Raiders, Carson Palmer, Jared Veldheer, and Tommy Kelly come back in a Cardinal uniform and beat the Raiders 24-13.

0-6, the Jaguars got their first win of the season today, 0-11 against NFC opponents, you can't ask for an even more embarrassing start as the Raiders become the only winless team this season. I wasn't into this game at all. The only bright spots, Woodson's interception and Derek Carr's throw to Brice Butler to put the Raiders in the red zone woke me up, but I couldn't find any way to get into this game after those highlights.

The Positives

Charles Woodson, 7 tackles, 1 INT. Charles Woodson is like fine wine, he gets better when he ages. He had a injury scare during the early 2nd half when he made tried to make a play against Arizona's run play, but other than that, as bad as the defense has been this season, Woodson has been one of the constants this season on the defensive side. It's sad to see him that he's one of the only Raiders on defense making plays, especially when his great career is winding down to an end.

Khalil Mack, 11 tackles. Mack still has yet to get a sack in his rookie career, but this was his best game yet as the Raiders' 5th overall pick. Mack was disciplined and to quote Madden in an old Madden game, Mack "stayed at home and wait for the runner to come at him." The Cardinals tried to pull off an misdirection play on an end-around to a receiver and Mack didn't bite and manage to tackle the receiver for a loss. Mack played a great all-around game, he even got his cleat tangled to Carson Palmer's cleat, I got a slight chuckle out of that. Like I said with Woodson, as bad as the defense was, Mack is also a bright spot on that side of the ball and that's what you expect out of the 5th overall pick.

The Negatives 

The offense. 4 TDs against a good Chargers team, but this game, they only managed a whopping 1 TD and they couldn't gain any momentum after putting together a solid drive that resulted in a Darren McFadden TD. Derek Carr was getting pressured, the running game was being stuffed, and receivers were dropping passes. You don't like it when the offense follows up with a dud after a spectacular showing last game.

Penalties. We're partying like it's 2011 when the Raiders lead the league in penalties and actually broke the record as the most penalized team in the history of the NFL. Don't get me wrong, there were a couple of penalties that were questionable, there were a lot of questionable PI and illegal contact calls. I was especially livid on that roughing the passer call on Sio Moore, I thought that shouldn't have been a penalty and it costed the Raiders a solid 3 & out on defense, Penalties definitely killed us, but the offense's lackluster showing ultimately put the game away for the Raiders.

Conclusion

So, the Raiders can't beat the Jets, they're 1-6, can't beat the Texans, can't beat the Patriots, can't beat the Dolphins, despite the fact they went to London early, can't beat the Chargers, they just loss to the Chiefs today, now they didn't beat the Cardinals? It is frustrating because looking at the rest of the schedule, you don't know what teams can the Raiders beat. Next week, the Raiders take on the Browns in Cleveland, they lost to the Jaguars, but the Browns are still a tough team, especially when they're playing at home. It's no longer of getting that first win, it's a matter of what team can the Raiders beat as the schedule gets rougher. Any given Sunday, but as a Raider fan, it feels like that phrase doesn't apply to us because even we can make the bad teams look good. We'll see what happens next week, I'll see you guys for that game.

Week 7: NFC West Showdown 1 RAIDERS vs. Arizona Cardinals Q-by-Q Reaction

Q4:

Score: ARZ 24 OAK 13

There were a couple of questionable penalties this 2nd half against the Raiders, but can't do anything about it. So many injuries continue to pile up on the defensive side of the ball. Carson Palmer, Matt Shaughnessy (didn't play), Jared Veldheer, and Tommy Kelly served the Raiders some justice in Oakland this game after being released by Reggie McKenzie in a 3 year span. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3:

Score: ARZ 21 OAK 13

After the first TD, the Raiders continue to miss out on tying the game and perhaps taking the lead. It's a good game so far, but as a Raider fan, the team has had a lackluster performance. That last Cardinal TD definitely hurts.

Q2:

Score: ARZ 14 OAK 10

T.J. Carrie got a lucky break on that punt. The Raiders fought back after being down 14-0. A rough start for Derek Carr and the offense early on, but they managed to put together a good drive to cut deficit and half and with an interception by Woodson, the offense had a chance to tie it up, but got 3 instead from Jano. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

Score: ARZ 7 OAK 0

The Raiders offense got off to a slow start, we gotta give credit to the Cardinals' stout defense for not allowing a big play from Derek Carr because Carr tried launching one deep ball to James Jones and they covered it well. The defense, aside from the 2nd drive TD, they did decent this quarter, stopping the offense on a 4th and 3.

RAIDERS vs. Cardinals Halftime Post

Score: ARZ 14 OAK 10

Alright welcome in to the halftime post of the Raiders' non-conference showdown against the Arizona Cardinals where the Cardinals lead the Raiders 14-10 going into the half

The Positives

The offense. The offense was anemic to start and credit where credit is due, the Cardinals defense played a big part in that, but they kept hanging in there and waited for that one big play to come. That big play came in when Carr through a 55 yard bomb to Brice Butler and that set up a Darren McFadden rushing TD.

Charles Woodson, 2 tackles, 1 INT, 22 yard return. The Raiders couldn't capitalize on his key interception, but that play that Woodson was huge to bring up some momentum back to the Raiders side. Who knows? Carson Palmer might respond back with an offensive drive that would've put the Cardinals up 21 to 7 and that interception allowed the Raiders to cut the deficit to a 4 point lead.

The Negatives

Andre Holmes. I have full faith that Holmes will get it going in the 2nd half. You can thank Patrick Peterson for Holmes lack of impact because the Cardinals' best corner has done a good job covering him.

Offensive line. Another rarity in the negatives because the O-line has done so well trying to protect Carr. Here in this game so far, they're letting Carr be under pressure and they allowed a sack and that's the impact of the Cardinals' stout front seven.

James Jones, 1 reception, 6 yards. They're paying attention to Andre Holmes specifically, but Jones just couldn't ways to make them pay for not accounting for him. He's been the reliable receiver to throw to for Derek Carr and so far, he's been non-existent and with the exception of Brice Butler, it's hurting the receiving corps.

Bottom Line

The Cardinals get the ball back in the 2nd half, I think the Raiders are doing a good job defensively, though they allowed two big time touchdowns. They're not letting Carson Palmer get what he wants. If there's a good time for the offense to get it going, it's gotta be in the 2nd half. We'll see what happens.

Raiders Squander Upset vs. Divisional Rival Chargers

Alright, welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders’ divisional game vs. the San Diego Chargers where the Raiders gave the #1 power ranked Chargers all they can handle, but it wasn’t enough as a Derek Carr INT late in the 4^th put the game away for the Chargers, sneaking out with a 31-28 victory.

Damn! So freakin’ close. I’m having mixed feelings about this game because the Raiders kept this game competitive, putting up their best performance at home for the season. However this loss was against a division rival. It’s always gut wrenching to lose to a division rival, especially since the Chargers are one of the best teams in the division, behind the Broncos of course and they were riding a 4 game winning streak too. Talk about an opportunity squandered to shock the NFL world and the Raiders had a long history of competing toe to toe with the best teams and then foiling late. 

The Positives

Derek Carr, 18 of 34 passes, 282 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT. That INT in the final minute of the 4^th definitely shows that Carr will still create rookie mistakes, but he did keep this game alive and kept the game competitive. For the offensive playcalling, I’ll give it a pass. Olson added more vertical passing plays and Carr had the best game of his young NFL career, despite playing with an ankle injury. For those crucifying Carr for a 0-5 start and crying for McGloin, just stop. I’m not taking sides; we have a very capable franchise quarterback for the future and we have a very capable backup in the long run, so enough is enough with the Carr-McGloin comparisons. It took a significant change for Carr to turn loose and he turned loose this game.

Andre Holmes, 4 receptions, 121 yards, 2 TD. Nobody expected Holmes to explode this game, but he stepped up big time. This is the potential the Raiders see in Holmes is that he can be a big, strong receiver, like a poor man’s Calvin Johnson/Dez Bryant/Anquan Boldin. Holmes played a great game today and for sure Tony Sparano is going to challenge him to be consistent in putting up those kinds of statistics. 

Running game. Darren McFadden had 14 carries for 80 yards, Maurice Jones-Drew, 4 carries for 30 yards, and the Raiders combined had 114 rushing yards. As piss poor as the running game was early in the season, it definitely improved. Again, you can see the impact with Sparano at the helm, the running game is going to get an extreme makeover and this game, the running game showed huge improvement. The Chargers have been good in stopping the run because they’re physical and the Raiders countered with physical, smash mouth ball in the running game.

The Negatives

Defense. Dennis Allen may be gone, but the bend but don’t break philosophy is still there. The Raiders only managed one sack on Rivers, the C.J. Wilson sack and then after that, they couldn’t generate any pressure on him. He had a lot of time to throw in the pocket on 3^rd downs, it was frustrating to watch. Jason Tarver has to be on the chopping block as well, there were some good stops here and there, but the Chargers kept responding when the Raiders scored touchdown after touchdown. True, the Chargers had more TOP (time of possession), leaving the defense gassed at times, but they need to help themselves too by making critical 3^rd down stops to get themselves off the field.

Conclusion

Don’t get me wrong it was a close game, but I am absolutely sick and tired of these moral victories. The Raiders have to put up a W in the column, that’s the only end result that matters. Now the experts are going to start chirping away again about how Chargers are one of the best teams in the NFL and how the Raiders will go top 5 again in the draft. You have to prove these experts wrong by putting up a W. The Raiders start their series against the NFC West against the Cardinals. So much former Raiders returning for that game in a Cardinals uniform: Carson Palmer, Jared Veldheer, Matt Shaughnessy, Tommy Kelly. I’m sure they’ve been waiting for that game all season long. The Cardinals got a scare today against Washington, but it’s going to be a good test, especially since rumors are swirling in that if the Raiders move to LA, they might move to the NFC West. If the game sells out, I’ll see you guys for that game.

Week 6: DIVISION GAME #1 RAIDERS vs. San Diego Chargers Q-by-Q Reaction

Q4:

Score: SD 31 OAK 28

Heart breaking loss. Derek Carr played well, but yes that INT in crunch time definitely marred his great game as a rookie. The defense definitely also has some explaining to do for yet another pathetic showing. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3:

Score: SD 21 OAK 21

I was questioning why the Chargers were fake punting it on 4th and 30 or something like that, but the Raiders did a good job making them pay for that with a Carr TD to Butler. Defense is still frustrating to watch. They left Usama Young 1 on 1 on Gates and it costed dearly.

Q2:

Score: SD 14 OAK 14

They're hanging in there. That's all that I'm getting out of this quarter. So far in the 1st half, the Raiders have become competitive, they're not letting this hot Chargers team intimidate them. And thank goodness this is not going into the locker room with the Raiders down big, that's a plus. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

Score: SD 7 OAK 7

Greg Olson needs to stop teasing us. The first drive, he made a hell of a play call with Carr throwing down field for Holmes for the TD and then the rest is all conservative. Defense is again letting us down. No surprise there.

RAIDERS vs. Chargers Halftime Post

Score: SD 14 OAK 14

Alright welcome into the halftime post of the Raiders' first divisional showdown of the season vs. the Chargers where both teams are locked up at 14 a piece in this critical division game.

The Positives

Derek Carr 11 of 21 passes, 187 yards, 2 TDs. Ankle injury, what ankle injury? I'm still skeptical about Greg Olson's play calling, but the offensive play calling is turning D.C. loose out there despite his ankle injury. A 77 yard bomb to Andre Holmes and then Carr put together a great, long TD drive to James Jones. Carr is playing great out there despite not being 100%.

Andre Holmes, 3 receptions, 115 receiving yards, 1 TD. He's struggling with a couple of drops, but this is the Andre Holmes that we know and love. Hidden potential, if you put him down the field, he'll grab the ball like a rebound since he was also a standout basketball player. By opening up the playbook more down field, Holmes is getting more looks and he's having the game of his life here against a solid Chargers defense.

The Negatives

Dropped passes. The Raiders dropped over 7-8 passes and most of those drops would've critical for a big gain. Carr is making the plays with the wide receivers, but the tight ends down the middle need to step up, especially Mychal Rivera. Rivera has dropped 2 critical passes down the middle for a big gainer.






Penalties. The Raiders committed 6 penalties for 40 yards and particularly in that last drive to put Sebass to kick a FG to put the Raiders up 3, there was a holding call on Watson, an offensive PI by James Jones. Those penalties hurt and the end result, Sebass missed a field goal he usually makes.

Bottom Line

The Raiders are playing inspired out there. However, I believe in fools gold and the Chargers could turn it up a notch just at a snap of a finger. No more vanilla playcalling, the coaches have to stay aggressive and with Sparano as the HC, he's making sure Olson and Tarver are calling aggressive plays.