Lakers Get "Westbrook'd" vs. Thunder

*Stats from Yahoo! Sports and NBA.com*

Julius Randle was the Lakers' top performer, nearly notching his first double-double of the season with 20 points and 9 rebounds to go with 3 assists and 3 steals. But, Russell Westbrook continues to exert his terror around the league, notching another triple-double to help the Thunder beat the Lakers 96-113. D'Angelo Russell also recorded 20 points to go with 5 assists and Nick Young added 16 points to round out the starters. Jordan Clarkson lead all scorers off the bench with 12 points to go with 5 rebounds.

Final Score: @ Oklahoma City 96-113 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20161030/LALOKC#/recap

Highlights: *Highlights courtesy of Ximo Pierto*

Next Game: @ Indiana (01/01)

Raiders Overcome All Odds to Notch 5th Road Win vs. Bucs

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' thrilling matchup vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where the Raiders, with the odds against them throughout the whole game, still managed to just win baby, defeating their Super Bowl 37 nemesis 30-24 in a wild overtime finish.

*911 what's your emergency? Yes, I need some medical assistance because my Raiders are driving me nuts with all these wild game winners and penalties!* How did we win that game? I don't know. Not a lot of things went right for the Raiders which we'll further discuss in this post. But, the will to win. This what that young team displayed out there today. The will to win burns bright on this team. I'm just happy right now. I can't even think right now on what to write. But, let's get right down to business.

(+)

Derek Carr, 40-59 passes, 513 yards, 4 TDs. The CARR-diac kid does it again. The odds were stacked against the Raiders offense big time. Too many pre-snap penalties, holding calls, and all kinds of absurd penalties. How the heck does Carr keep a confident poise? This is why he's our quarterback. That winning mentality Carr has is head above shoulders. He was awesome. No interceptions too, which was pretty astonishing even though he did have that fumble in the 1st quarter. Carr weathered the storm and showed up big time in the 2nd half.

Amari Cooper, 12 receptions, 173 yards, 1 TD. Man, Coop going up against Vernon Hargreaves today took me back when I discovered his talent during the Alabama-Florida game two years. Blake Sims was just heaving it to Coop all game long because the Gators' secondary had no answer for him. Today, it was the same story. Coop got the best of Hargreaves once again. He had the critical drop though at the end of regulation which would've inched Janikowski closer, but this was great bounce back game after Jalen Ramsey kept him in check last week.

Seth Roberts, 3 receptions, 69 yards. 1 TD. That 1 TD is a big one. Big Shot Rob(erts)! He is quite a lucky charm when he scores a TD. When Seth scores a TD, the Raiders win. What a big play on a 4th down to win the game. Black Jack Del Rio rolls the dice again on 4th down and Carr finds Roberts over the middle for a walk off TD. The kid is absolute clutch.

Running game. Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington broke out big yards for big gains. Latavius Murray plowed his way in between the tackles. The running game was pretty solid today despite all the penalties. All three did their jobs to churn up some yardages to take pressure off Carr a little bit.

Khalil Mack, 7 tackles, 2 sacks. The sacks will come. That's the mantra when it comes to Khalil Mack and Mack notches his first multiple sack performance this season. Jameis Winston is a solid scrambling quarterback and Mack managed to get his hands on him as well as doing his job containing the run.

(-)

Penalties. I have a lot of NSFW today to say about the penalties, but I'm gonna try to keep a clean mouth for this post. What a *profane* fest in this category. It was already bad in the first half. The opening of the second half, I thought they had it down, but they just started to become ridiculous by the 4th quarter to overtime. The Raiders committed penalties like it was 2011 when they set the record for most penalties in the season. Today, they set another record in that category in just one game. ONE game. When I was watching on my TV, every penalty called on the Raiders, I feel like I was transforming into a diabolical sociopath. We know, we're accustomed to the refs being against us. But, this was inexcusable for the whole team, especially when they haven't traveled back after last week's win against Jacksonville. Jack Del Rio, the coaches, they have to do a better job in holding these players accountable. I haven't been this upset with the penalty plague since they actually set the single season record in 2011.

Sebastian Janikowski. Sebass has been the Raiders' most consistent player to put points on the board, but it is becoming harder to trust Sebass in game-winning situations. I had flashbacks to that Arizona Cardinals game in 2010 when Bruce Gradkowski set up the potential game-winning field goal. Then, Sebass missed it wide left from 32 yards out. He had two potential game-winning field goals this game. He missed in the 4th quarter and missed in OT which almost cost the Raiders the game. Thank goodness, the defense stepped up big time to get Winston and the Bucs' offense off the field to bail out Janikowski's misses.

MVP

Derek Carr, 40 of 59 passes, 513 passing yards, 4 TDs

"That's my quarterback." ~ Michael Crabtree. Carr refuses to let the Raiders lose their first road game of the season. Tremendous guts and poise by Carr to remain level-headed and orchestrate another beautiful game-winning drive and an awesome overall performance.




Conclusion

"Oh, Sunday Night." "Oh Sunday Night!" The Raiders had to take care of business in Tampa Bay to wrap up their Florida road trip before looking towards the Sunday Night matchup vs. Denver. Now, the stage is set for a big time AFC West matchup. Against the Bucs today, the Raiders show they can win on the road against all odds. Now, next week they have to find a way to win at home against all odds. This is a big stage for this young Raiders' squad. A national audience will be watching them. They have to prove they are for real and beat the Broncos to keep pace in this tight AFC West race. But, what a hard-fought win today. 5-0 on the road, 6-2 overall, it's just too surreal. They need a couple more because the magic number to get into the playoffs is 10 wins. The Raiders should get out of Florida and start game planning against the Broncos. Let's get that win on national TV where the millions and millions will be watching and they will know the Silver and Black are back! I'll see you guys next week for that game at a later start time on Sunday.

Week 8: Florida Road Trip 2/2 - RAIDERS @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

Here is the 2nd half open thread and discussion post of the Raiders-Bucs matchup. Leave a comment below the post on your thoughts of the game.

OT

OAK 30 TB 24

Seth Roberts...you are the man to end that game the way it did! So many ways the Raiders almost threw that game away to lose their first road game of the season. Missed field goals by Sebass. Setting the record for most penalties. But I don't know how they did it. The most stressful game of the season for sure. 5-0 on the road! I'll be back for the full recap post. I gotta take some meds or something. 

Q4

OAK 24 TB 24

Two key plays highlighted the end of that 4th quarter. The wide open dropped pass by Coop and Sebass misses the game-winning field goal. How long my heart can take this pounding? I don't know. But, man the Raiders had a pair of chances to win in regulation in what is a penalty *profane* fest. We head into OT, let's see if the Raiders can notch another W on the road.

Q3

OAK 17 TB 10

I'm happy about the fact the Raiders made the necessary adjustments and got back into this game with with 17 unanswered points. But, these penalties. Completely unacceptable when the team has the momentum in this half. Now, King shanked a punt to give the Bucs good field position and they have all the momentum to tie this up. Offense and defense has played lights out till the last few minutes of this quarter.

Week 8: Florida Road Trip 2/2 - RAIDERS @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome to the 1st half open thread and discussion for the Raiders' Week 8 road matchup vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Leave a comment below this post on your thoughts of the game.

Q2

OAK 3 TB 10

Well, you can't ask for rough start. There are a few highlights in this 2nd quarter. Jamize Olawale breaking out for a 68 yard explosive pass play. The running game giving Tampa Bay's defense all kinds of looks. But aside from all that, the Raiders managed only 3 points throughout the first half. This game is bringing out the Raiders of the last 13 years of losing. They are shooting themselves in the foot with a lot of pre-snap penalties, holding penalties, personal fouls, and unsportsmanlike conduct. It's the story of the season, but the Raiders have had more penalties this 1st half than all season long. This is a team that stayed in the state of Florida and the Buccaneers had to travel from California and they look sharper than the Raiders out there on the field for the first 30 minutes. This team has to regroup and start playing like they have on the road all season long. They have to settle down and limit the penalties. There's a lot more football left to play. The 2nd half post will open up shortly.

Q1

OAK 0 TB 3

Okay, the Buccaneers had to travel over 1,000 miles to travel back home to Tampa while the Raiders stayed in Florida. It's supposed to be the Bucs having a bad start. Quick 3 and outs by the offense is something that can't happen. Costly penalties account for that too, particularly with the unsportsmanlike conduct on Crabtree. The defense is losing a lot of key players. Sean Smith and Perry Riley, Jr. went down. The Bucs offense has an advantage and they could just use Mike Evans' size all day.

Lakers Drop 1st Road Game to Jazz; Still Remain Competitive

*Stats from Yahoo! Sports and NBA.com*

As I said before, expect a lot of growing pains from this Lakers squad, good and bad. The veterans came to play while the young guns left more to be desired out on the floor. Luol Deng was the Lakers' top performer, notching a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds, shooting 5-12 from the field, but the Lakers lose a tough one to the Jazz a few months after Kobe Bryant dropped 60 points on the team in his farewell game in a 89-96 loss. Nick Young added 13 points, despite shooting 3-7 from the field and Lou Williams came off the bench with 17 points. Meanwhile, the young core were ice cold this game. D'Angelo Russell scored 9 points, shooting 3-14 from the field, Julius Randle only notched 7 points, Jordan Clarkson notched only 4 points off the bench, and Brandon Ingram managed just 2 points off the bench before exiting the game with a knee injury.

Final Score: @ Utah 89-96 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20161028/LALUTA#/recap

Highlights: *courtesy of Ximo Pierto*

Next Game: @ Oklahoma City (10/30)

Lakers Rally to Beat Rockets in Shootout On Opening Night

Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' first game of the season vs. the Houston Rockets where the young Lakers take over the 4th quarter behind Jordan Clarkson' 25 point explosion to beat the Rockets 114-120, reeling in the first win in the post-Kobe Bryant era.

We're going all the way baby! Okay, I'll pump the brakes on that. But, what a game. Not a great game if you're a defensive-minded guy, but like I said both these teams want to run the floor. And this game was exactly just that. The Lakers, as much as they've been down the whole game, they kept that win-mentality throughout the game. It goes to show that the young players took a page out of Kobe. But, that took a lot of will to rally in a shootout like that and even if there's 81 games left now, this win is a huge confidence booster as this team develops over the season.

(+)

Jordan Clarkson, 25 points, 8-12 shooting. Whether he's starting or off the bench, we all know JC's a beast. He got off to a cold start this game, only managing 3 points on 1 field goal, but did he turn on the jets in the 2nd half. 22 points to account for the Lakers' 57 total points in that half. This guy continues to put the work in and I'm glad the Lakers brought him back.

D'Angelo Russell, 20 points, 7-16 shooting. The ice in the veins were there in the first quarter. Offensively, the Lakers could not get anything going to start the game. However, D'Lo asserted the fact that the Lakers are now his team and took over, making a couple of three pointers and drawing a 4-point play. He got cold in the 2nd half, but still made a couple of shots and key defensive plays. He had that one turnover late in the 4th that could've blow up the Lakers' victory plans, but he'll learn from in. Like I said, there'll be growing pains with D'Lo since he has control of the offense.

Timofey Mozgov, 12 points, 8 rebounds. For those criticizing the Mozgov addition, apologize right now!  Mozgov had quite a first half himself. He was shooting a near perfect percentage, before missing his last 4 shots. In addition with rebounds, Mozgov had a pretty solid outing and he's proving his worth on that $64 million deal.

Julius Randle, 18 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 9-11 shooting. We've been clamoring for Randle to go strong to the rim and pass to the open man when trapped. I don't think he committed a single turnover this game. I have to re-check the stats sheet on that. Going back to Randle, this man shows he can be a double-double machine and he stepped up his game as a facilitator tonight. This game is a step in the right direction in developing Randle into an all-around player.

(-)

Defense. Big time negative, but it can be cleaned up. Like I said, in the halftime post, if felt like the players were just jogging back and allowing the Rockets a lot of easy shots. We all know, James Harden will have his way, but most of the Laker players were either sleeping  or clamped down defensively this game. But, it was expected when facing a high-scoring team like the Rockets. The Lakers have emphasized on the defensive end all off-season and they have to make the necessary adjustments to communicate better and display more energy on that side of the floor.

Nick Young, 8 points, 3-12 shooting. I was impressed with Nick Young's valiant efforts on defense. I'll give him that. Offensively though, he stunk up the joint. I think this is some foreshadowing that Young is going to be a little inconsistent with his shot. Sometimes, he will live up to the Swaggy P nickname and sometimes he won't. Young had a poor shooting night and I wouldn't be surprised if we see a lot of these cold shooting nights.

MVP

Jordan Clarkson, 25 points, 8-12 shooting

Clarkson came off the bench and provided a much-needed spark to out-shoot the Rockets when it mattered the most. He's continuing to go out there and improve from his previous two years and we're glad he's back with the team.

Conclusion

Now we look at the big picture, there are now 81 games left. The Lakers get that 1st win and now it's just a matter of building up from that win. They're young and there'll be times where they won't perform up to standards. But, like I said before, the team took a big step tonight getting this victory. They needed this win to cast out the shadow of Kobe Bryant and make a name for themselves. There are a lot of things to clean up and it's important for this team to take it one game at a time. Continue to develop, build the confidence, and build that chemistry. But, as always, a win is a plus, going 1-0 is a bigger plus. The Lakers won't be home until November 4 when they take on the Warriors. They open up a 4-game road trip after this game and they open up against Utah on Friday. Just to remind everyone I won't be providing open threads and full recaps for all 82 games of the Lakers, I will only do that when the game is nationally televised. But, I will continue to provide quick recaps on who's the top performer, who's in double figures, who recorded double/triple-doubles, etc. Stay tuned for those. Other than that, I'll see you guys in November for the much-anticipated Warriors matchup.

10/25: Opening Night - LAKERS vs. Houston Rockets 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

The 2nd half of the Lakers-Rockets opening night matchup. As usual, leave a comment below the post to share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

HOU 114 LAL 120

How about we open up the post-Kobe era with a W? The young guns have made major strides tonight! What a rally in an offensive shootout. The Lakers trailed the majority of the game, but Jordan Clarkson got hot at the right time and was a key cog in that run. Defense was not great, but they did just enough to disrupt the Rockets' push to get the lead back. But, I'm happy for this team. I'm happy for Luke Walton. A great way to usher in the new Laker era. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

HOU 96 LAL 90

I would say, there's some improvement defensively in the 3rd quarter, but there's still a lot of work to do. That was great on Luke's part to put MWP in to provide a spark defensively, but Harden is still killing it out there. As I said in the 1st half post, Nick Young and Jordan Clarkson have to step up. One of them is and Clarkson is answering the bell. Nick Young hit a three early, but he's still struggling. Luckily, the Lakers are down 6 points. They have to do more on both sides of the floor to rally and close this game out.

10/25: Opening Night - LAKERS vs. Houston Rockets 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome in to the inaugural open thread and discussion of the NBA season for the Los Angeles Lakers on the blog as the Lakers take on the Houston Rockets on opening night. This will be separated into two posts with the respective posts the first half and second half. Leave some comments below this posts to share your thoughts on the game as it progresses. 

Q2

HOU 71 LAL 63

134 combined points from these teams. Well as expected from teams that like to run the floor. But, there is no question the Lakers have to do a much better job defensively. I'm going to quote Stephen A. Smith from what I just saw in the first half defensively: it was "HARRIBLE (horrible)!" The Lakers look like they're just jogging back on D. There's absolutely no energy on the defensive side of the ball. That's the only thing I could point out about this first half. Let's look at some positives then. We all need to write letters of apology to Timofey Mozgov. He's showing that he's worth the $64 million contract. 12 points, 6-8 shooting, 5 rebounds, the big man should continue to keep it up. D'Angelo Russell is starting to assert himself as the new face for the Lakers. He was on fire in the 1st quarter, hitting a couple of threes and nailing a 4-point play. So far, 12 points in the game for Russell. Randle looked good with 12 points and Ingram looked good in his first regular season action with 7 points off the bench. Some other negatives to point besides defense: Nick Young has to step up his game and so does Clarkson. Young especially is struggling with his shot and jacked up a couple of threes. Overall, the Lakers are good offensively, could be a lot better, but Luke Walton has to address something about that defense in the first half. Hopefully, there's some adjustments in the 2nd half. The 2nd half post will open up shortly.

Q1

HOU 38 LAL 38

Nice finish for the quarter with a three by Sweet Lou! My only gripe about this quarter is where is the energy on defense?  The Lakers got off to a slow start, but offensively they picked it up and D'Angelo Russell had one heck of a first quarter. I liked that. But, there's no defense being played by this team. They are giving up way to many shots for the Rockets and James Harden already has a double-double from what I heard. Offense is there, but the Lakers have to pick it up on where they've emphasize the most on this offseason, on defense!

2016-17 Los Angeles Lakers Preview: The New Era

Time for some purple and gold seasoning again on this blog. Welcome in to the regular season preview post for the Lakers' 2016-17 regular season campaign. Like I do with the regular season preview post for the Raiders, I divide some potential headlines into sections, discuss the schedule, and provide my prediction. Always keep in mind, this is opinionated and I'll provide my take on all of them.

It's D'Angelo's Team

Before I type anything down, let me ask this question: how many of you are still calling D'Angelo Russell a snitch? Because I don't. I've completely moved on from that and I'm sure he and Nick Young have gotten over that stuff too. Now back on topic. For two decades, we Laker fans have grown accustomed to Kobe Bryant donning the purple and gold. It's like whenever you think of the Lakers, you think of Kobe Bryant and it just resonates easily. Now, he's gone after a brilliant farewell game last season, dropping 60 against the Utah Jazz. We now have to try and resonate the Lakers with D'Angelo Russell. In most of Luke Walton's interviews, he has implied that this team is going to revolve around D'Lo. After all, point guards are the "quarterback" of a basketball franchise, so it makes total sense to hand over the reins to Russell. We have to realize that it's going to take a lot of growing pains for D'Lo to develop into the star we expect him to be. Obviously, he was held up by Byron Scott and Kobe's goodbye tour retirement in his rookie year and now, Luke Walton is giving him the freedom in this free flow, motion offense he brought over from Golden State. Looking at his stats this preseason, the turnovers and the points-to-assists disparity stand out. Keep in mind, I only saw the October 4 game vs. the Kings and Wednesday's preseason game vs. the Warriors. Obviously, D'Lo has to clean up the turnovers and have a balance to score and facilitate. His only best all-around game this preseason was against the Kings on October 13 where he posted up 31 points, 11 assists, and committed just 2 turnovers. Unequivocally, his defense has to improve because Westbrook, Lillard, Paul, and Curry will give him all kinds of fits. What I'm saying is that D'Lo, even in his sophomore year, will go through his ups and downs. He has control of the offense and he's going to make some mistakes. He has a lot to prove to us, but speaking as a true Lakers fan, I will back D'Lo 100%. Yes, it's a little early and he'll have games where he'll drive us nuts. The same thing was said for Kobe, but hey we still had his back. Whether we accept it or not, D'Angelo Russell is now the face of the Lakers franchise and this is the season is the opportunity for D'Lo to put his stamp on the bright lights of L.A.

Brandon Ingram's Development

For the 2nd straight year with the #2 pick, the Lakers select Brandon Ingram out of Duke. Many are calling him the next Kevin Durant because of his length, wingspan, and ability to shoot. Ingram was an obvious pick for the Lakers after the 76ers took Ben Simmons. Luke Walton is going to play it safe and make Ingram off the bench. With the Lakers signing Luol Deng in free agency, I think it is a wise decision on Luke's part to have Ingram learn from a player like Deng. I've seen Ingram in the Summer League and in early preseason action and like Russell last year, there will be growing pains with Ingram. We have to understand, these kids are coming out of just their freshman year in college and it takes a couple of years till they reach that All-Star ceiling. Although in Wednesday's game against Golden State, Ingram flashed his potential and it looks like he's getting more comfortable playing with the team. And for those judging on his skinny appearance, it's about Brandon Ingram being bigger. It's about him being stronger and able to handle small forwards like Durant, LeBron, etc. Ingram's development is going to be something to look at as the season progresses. If he develops faster than expected, I wouldn't be surprised if he snatches the starting small forward position away from Deng by midseason.

What about Randle, Clarkson, and Nance? Zubac?

With this whole talk to Lakers season centering on D'Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram, it seems like everybody forgets about Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, and Larry Nance Jr. The Lakers brought back Jordan Clarkson this offseason and locked him to a $50 million contract for four more years. It's a good move on the Lakers part to retain this young core and see how they grow. Clarkson has worked his tail off to get where he's at. It's pretty interesting that Walton is going to have Clarkson come off the bench. Perhaps to provide scoring once D'Lo subs out. Nance has proven to be a high-IQ sparkplug coming off the bench. He has to compete in the dunk contest like his dad before him. Julius Randle and Ivica Zubac are going to be two players I will be monitoring closely. I've heard Randle is developing a mid-range and 3-point game. We've been highly critical of Randle with the way he plays out of control, especially when he takes the ball coast to coast, resulting in a turnover or wild shot. But, last season was technically his rookie season and he's shown he can put up double-doubles night in and night out. The ceiling is high for Randle and I hope he gives us more patience as he continues to develop.

Ivica Zubac... When the Lakers took him in the 2nd round, I've heard that many teams were eyeing this guy from Croatia as late first-round prospect. I wasn't too hype on Zubac, but he did fill a need at center. However, when I saw him in Summer League, he flashed some potential. The kid has it all: rim protection, low post game, a midrange jump shot. I haven't looked too much into how he translated in the preseason, but I hope he flashed some impressions. He's quickly becoming a fan favorite in L.A. People are chanting "ZUUUUUUUU" and nicknaming him "Zublocka." I see a lot of Marc Gasol potential in him. Granted, he's going to compete for playing time with Mozgov starting and Tarik Black being the primary backup center. It'll be interesting to see how Luke Walton handles the situation because he has two players that could shine if given some minutes playing behind Mozgov.

The Overpaid Veterans

During this offseason, the Lakers signed some quality veterans in Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng. But, they signed Mozgov to a...wait for it...$64 million deal and they signed Deng to a...wait for it...$72 million deal. Still to this day, those kinds contracts have bamboozled the casual basketball fan who knows nothing about the business side of the sport. We have to remember a couple of things or rather one thing, the NBA's salary cap jumped due to the TV revenue. Hence, every NBA team overpaid a lot for some free agents and signed some of their own free agents to ridiculous contracts in order to keep them (ex: Grizzlies re-signing Mike Conley to a $153 million MAX contract, ridiculous). I said it back in my free agency outlook post, top-tier players would rather play for a contending team rather than a rebuilding team. The Lakers are no exception to this rule of thumb. These veterans are brought in to show the younger players the ropes. Mozgov is an NBA champion. Honestly, even though he didn't play at all this year, we forget he had decent games in the 2015 Finals. Deng is a former All-Star and a class act, which is beneficial for the team. I didn't see how Deng played this preseason, but I saw a lot of Mozgov on Wednesday's game vs. Golden State and I thought he looked good. He had a couple of good blocks, particularly on that alley-oop attempt from Durant that set up a Nick Young three. He's looking way better than Hibbert last season.

Schedule Breakdown

There is one particular highlight about this schedule this season for the Lakers: they face the Warriors three times in November. Two home games, one road game. What a way to gauge a team's growth by having them face arguably the best team in the NBA three times in a month. Overall, as expected it is going to be a difficult schedule to start for the Lakers. They open up at home against the Rockets, although the Rockets are vulnerable with Dwight Howard gone and Mike D'Antoni coaching the team. Then, they go on a 4-game road trip before returning home against Golden State. Obviously, the Western conference is a very tough conference that the Lakers play in. There's proven teams like the Warriors and Spurs. Grizzlies and Clippers are going to be tough with all their players healthy. Westbrook is due for a big season in OKC. The Timberwolves are a team on the rise with their young talent. The Lakers are going to have their hands full once more.

Conclusion

I say we're going to go all the way and win the championship. Okay, I'm going to put down the Kool Aid. Overall, I'm more concentrated on how this team develops over the season than them pushing for a possible 8th seed in the playoffs. Like I said, the West is loaded and it's going to take awhile for the Lakers to climb back to the upper echelon of teams like the glory days. I'm going to be happy if the Lakers reach around the tier of 25-30 wins this season. It would mark improvement over last year's woeful season. But, like I said, it's a matter of this young team gelling and growing together and buying into what Luke Walton is bringing into this team. No more of Byron Scott's dictatorship. No more of the purple and gold universe centering around Kobe Bryant. I know, as a Laker fan, it is going to be weird watching the Lakers without a #24 sighting on the floor this season. But, I'm really looking forward to D'Angelo Russell, Brandon Ingram, Jordan Clarkson, and Julius Randle usher in a new era of Lakers basketball under Luke Walton. The future is here. GO LAKERS!


*Due to the new changes I made on the blog with Raider games, Laker games televised on ESPN, TNT, or ABC are also going to be open thread discussions separated into the 1st half and 2nd half posts. Every other game that's not nationally televised will be quick recapped. I'll see you guys Wednesday night vs. the Houston Rockets.*

Raiders Pummel Hapless Jags to Open Up Florida Road Trip

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' Week 7 road matchup vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars where the Raiders remain perfect away from Oakland, soundly beating the Jaguars 33-16 to open up the two-game Florida road trip.

I know a win against the Jaguars does not gauge the barometer around this team after a loss against the Chiefs last week. But, like I said in the 2nd quarter, this was exactly how the Raiders should handle the Jaguars. The Jaguars are a weak team and the Raiders should be expected to beat them. And plus, we were expecting a game where the Raiders would put up a complete performance and not give us heart attacks. We got that wish here this game. The Raiders did a give up a touchdown when the game was out of reach, but advanced statistics show that the Raiders destroyed the Jags big time.

(+)

Defense. The defense still needs to do a little more maintenance check in terms of giving up big runs and big plays. There's no denying that. But I'd say this was more of their better games this season. They came out to play. There's absolutely no way that they should surrender over 400+ yards against a team with a weak O-line, no running game, and a quarterback who's known to turn the ball over. David Amerson and Reggie Nelson both had INTs. Khalil Mack had his 3rd sack of the season, could've had his 4th sack if Bortles didn't choose to shuffle pass the ball at the last minute. Still a lot of room to work with, but the defense played a lot better than the last 6 weeks. 

Latavius Murray, 18 carries, 59 yards, 2 TDs. I said it last week, we should all write to Tay Train and apologize because his presence was definitely missed in the running game the last two games. In this game, you could see the difference on the performance of the running game this week. On the Raiders' first touchdown drive, Carr barely threw the ball. They just ran it down the throat of the Jaguars' defense. Tay Train's return definitely gave the running game a boost.

Marquette King, 5 punts, 59.6 avg, 1 carry, 27 yards. I keep forgetting to put Marquette King on the positive list all season. His leg is such a luxury weapon. On the stats sheet, he pinned the Jaguars inside the 20 yard line 4 times. Of course you have the punt where the Jaguars' returner fumbled the ball to give the Raiders some good field position off the turnover. Blake Bortles and the Jags were getting bad field position to start because of King's leg. And yes, his 27 yard run off a botched snap was the best highlight of a 4th quarter penalty fest. He is a weapon.

Derek Carr, 22-36 passes, 190 yards, 1 TD. A solid bounceback game for Carr after a nightmarish game against Kansas City. Obviously, this game was tabbed as Carr vs. Bortles. Bortles may have dominated the stat sheet, but Carr got the win and managed the game well. He didn't have to be great. He made the necessary passes when needed. His long bomb to Michael Crabtree before the end of the 2nd quarter broke the backs of the Jaguars' defense. Accuracy, turnover-free, exactly the game Carr needed.

Michael Crabtree, 8 receptions, 96 yards, 1 TD. Jalen Ramsey was containing Coop all game long, leaving a lot of opportunities to Crab. What can I say at this point? Yes, he had a bad game last week, but he's the constant among this receiving corps. I've ran out of words on what to say about King Crab, he's terrific.

(-)

Big plays. Penalties are also a negative, but the refs felt like they needed more air time on T.V. This was the only legit negative that the Raiders had this game. Big run by Chris Ivory. Big catch and run by Marquise Lee. The defense still has some things that they need to clean up. They almost played like they did the last 6 weeks when they gave up such big plays to an atrocious Jaguars offense coordinated by Mr. Vanilla, run-up-the-middle Greg Olson. 

MVP

Marquette King, 5 punts, 59.6 avg., 1 rush, 27 yards

What a weapon to have on special teams! He pinned the Jags 4 times inside the 20 and is one of the major reasons why the Jags couldn't get much on offense. Really, we forget about his athleticism too. Just another day in the office.

Conclusion

Overall, much-needed bounceback game for the Raiders. And this is a game where they've proven they could beat a team that they should beat. And, I'd say this was a sound victory from the Oakland Raiders. They destroyed the Jaguars in literally every category and in all three phases of the ball: offense, defense, and special teams, especially on special teams. I'll admit I couldn't stop laughing that the Jaguars were getting awful field position. The Jaguars' returners were slipping out NSFW language when King was pinning them deep. It was great. And this was a great team win. Hopefully, this Florida retreat pays dividends to the chemistry and unity of this team. They get another favorable matchup against the Bucs in Tampa and the Bucs have to travel considering they're playing the Niners here in my hometown of Santa Clara. Perfect opportunity. The Raiders need to take care of the Bucs first before looking ahead to the Sunday Night game of epic proportions vs. the Denver Broncos. I'll see you guys next week for the Tampa Bay game.

*On another note: I will be posting my regular season preview for the Lakers' 2016-17 season as the NBA approaches. Stay tuned for that tonight.*

Week 7: Florida Road Trip - RAIDERS @ Jacksonville Jaguars 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

This the 2nd half open thread and discussion of the Raiders-Jags matchup. As usual, comment below the post on your thoughts on the game.

Q4

OAK 33 JAX 16

The end to a quarter that seemed like it lasted forever. You can thank the penalties for that. The run by Marquette King in this quarter, what a call. That could've spelled disaster, but King's athleticism is seriously underrated. The Raiders took the "take no prisoners" mentality to heart and decided to run up the score to make seem like this game is close as indicated on the scoreboard. But, we finally get that decisive win where all three phases dominated this game and definitely a great bounce-back win after a terrible loss to the Chiefs last week. More to come in the full recap.

Q3

OAK 23 JAX 9

To quote the late Dennis Green in a spin off quote: "the Jags are who we thought they were." They don't have a running game and the O-line is not great. The defense is doing a good job making Bortles one-dimensional. Like the Raiders' offense, pre-snap penalties, holding penalties, and dropped balls derail the Jags' offense. And this is leading to offensive coordinator Greg Olson to call conservative plays much to the dismay of the Jaguar fans. Oh, I feel their pain.

Week 7: Florida Road Trip - RAIDERS @ Jacksonville Jaguars 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome in to the first half open thread and discussion of the Raiders' Week 7 road matchup vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars. Comment below this blog post to share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

OAK 20 JAX 6

This is exactly how the Raiders should play against a beatable team on the road. The defense, despite giving up a big run by Chris Ivory and a big play by Marquise Lee (smh D.J. Hayden) has contained Bortles and the Jags' offense. The return of Latavius Murray has boosted the running game big time. On the Raiders' first touchdown, Derek Carr barely threw the ball! They mixed it up with Washington, Murray, and Olawale and it worked to perfection. This game should've been 28 to 6, but the first two Raiders drives were stalled, leading to a pair of field goals by Janikowski. Amari Cooper has not been mentioned. Credit to Jalen Ramsey. He's showing some shut down potential this game. The Jaguars have no answer and this is the time that the Raiders need put together a complete game. Blake Bortles does not show up until the game is pretty much out of reach and the Raiders need to take advantage of that heading into the 2nd half. There's still a lot of game left, so there's no reason to play conservative football. This is the time for the Raiders to show some killer instinct to gas out this Jaguars defense and make Bortles a turnover machine by applying pressure and solid coverage on pass plays. The 2nd half open thread will open up shortly.

Q1

OAK 3 JAX 0 

Talk about a slow start on both teams. But as of that quarter, the Raiders had the edge on that. 1st drive was definitely lackluster, but they've picked it up as the game went on. Blake Bortles and the Jags are a team known to turn the ball over a lot. Two turnovers so far, both from the defense with the INT in the end zone by Amerson and a muffed punt from Marquette King to put the Raiders in good field position. They gotta cash in and put this team on their heels early. 

Chiefs Remain a Thorn on the Side for Raiders, Carr, Del Rio

Welcome in to the full postgame recap of the Raiders' divisional matchup vs. the Kansas City Chiefs where the Raiders had a chance to increase the gap between them and the Broncos for the AFC West. But, the Chiefs squander that chance as the Raiders lose 26-10, extending Andy Reid's near-perfect record of wins after the bye week.

We've learn a lot of things about the Raiders after this game. The offense is mortal, Jack Del Rio's gambles on 4th down can be costly, and the defense still has its same old problems. This was a gut check game and like how I titled this game, this was "the test." If the Raiders pass this and get a W against the Chiefs, they have every right to be considered contenders for the AFC West. And the Raiders, I'd say, they get a D on this exam and we have to pump the brakes on playoff contention, division title. They started strong, Coop had a good game, but it wasn't enough. 

(+)

Amari Cooper, 10 receptions, 129 yards. I think this was the only positive of the game. Coop did work against the secondary and one thing that's different is that he finally knows how to drag his toe to stay inbounds. Carr found Coop open a lot on the first drive. Aside from the Jalen Richard's 50 yard kickoff return, Coop was instrumental in helping the Raiders' offense drive down the field for a quick 7.

(-)

Defense. Are we not surprised? Run defense is bad. Defensive backs are giving receivers a 10 yard cushion for easy gainers. This game alone summed up the entire defensive unit during the season. Okay, Khalil Mack had his 2nd sack of the season. But, everything else, not a single positive thing to take out of this display by the defense. This thing is starting to be routine and Ken Norton, Jr. continues to test some our patience with the scheme and playcalling.

Running game. 65 total rushing yards from the running game against a 29th ranked run defense. I think we all need to owe Latavius Murray an apology. We're asking too much from DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard to do something and the rookies both combined for just 57 yards. Lee Smith done for the year, the revolving door at the right tackle position is definitely hurting the Raiders' ability to run the ball. But the void of missing Tay Train's ability to run between the tackles and in goal line situations showed here.

Right tackle. We're going to need as many bodies on that position as much as possible. I looked at the injury report before this game. Vadal Alexander out. Menelik Watson out. Matt McCants out. Austin Howard was the only active right tackle and he didn't have that great of a game. The right tackle position is going to derail the O-line from being elite if this revolving door continues to happen.

Derek Carr, 1 INT, 1 Fumble lost. Carr still threw for over 200+ yards, but like I said, he's going to check under his bed for the Chiefs' defense before he goes to sleep. We can pinpoint to the weather, but I think trying to exorcise some demons against the Chiefs' defense got to him a little bit and there's no denying that they have his number. We can consider this to be one of Carr's worst games so far of the season.

MVP

Amari Cooper, 10 receptions, 129 receiving yards

Okay, I'm having trouble putting the text next to Coop's pic. Other than that, Coop's game was the only positive. He was a one man show against the Chiefs' secondary and he finally masters the toe drag this game.

Conclusion

Well, the good news is the Raiders are still tied with the Broncos for 1st place in the AFC West, but this game was a missed opportunity to widen the gap. But 4 straight losses to Andy Reid, Alex Smith, and the Chiefs. We can't consider to be division contenders until the Raiders find a way to crack the Chiefs' code. Their blowout loss two weeks ago against Pittsburgh showed that game was fools' gold and like I said, Andy Reid is a mastermind when it comes to gameplanning after the bye week. The next two games in Florida for the Raiders should allow them to regroup after this tough loss. Jacksonville is beatable even they've won their last two games since starting 0-3 this season. Tampa Bay has a promising QB-WR tandem in Jameis Winston and Mike Evans, but they are beatable. The focus right now should be forget about today's game, board the plane to Florida, and go 2-0 in those weeks. They'll be staying there, which saves a lot of travel hassle. It's important to get those games before the big time Sunday night showdown vs. the Broncos in November that could place implications in the AFC West race. I'll see you guys next week for the game against the Jaguars.

Week 6: The Test - RAIDERS vs. Kansas City Chiefs 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome to the 2nd half open thread and discussion of the Raiders-Chiefs matchup. As usual, leave a comment below the post on your thoughts of the game.

Q4

KC 26 OAK 10

The Chiefs still haunt Derek Carr and the Raiders offense. Despite the big game by Coop and the TD by Holmes, the offense was pretty much held in check by a Chiefs defense without their star pass rusher in Justin Houston. Like I said in a comment, Andy Reid is a mastermind when it comes to gameplanning after the bye week. Alex Smith, we can call him "Mr. Check Down" if we want to, but it's hard to generate any turnovers from him and that plays a factor in his winning record against the Raiders. Fact check game here for the Raiders. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

KC 23 OAK 10

Almost didn't realize the quarter right there. But not much action went on this quarter. The defense is bending, but not breaking. They managed to create a few key stops against the Chiefs' offense, but Derek Carr and the Raiders' offense, they couldn't anything going this 2nd half. There's a whole lot of conservative playcalling on Bill Musgrave's part and it ate up some precious time during that 3rd quarter to get the Raiders something to jump start the home crowd.

Week 6: The Test - RAIDERS vs. Kansas City Chiefs 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome to the first half open thread and discussion for Week 6 of the Raiders' divisional matchup vs. the Kansas City Chiefs. Leave a comment below the post about your thoughts on the game.

Q2

KC 13 OAK 10

Amari Cooper has been the highlight of this game so far. One thing so positive about him is that he works hard and continues to polish his skills as a receiver. We've been screaming on him to drag that last toe as the college rule are still implanted on his head that all you need is one foot in to be inbounds. But, he's been putting in work to drag that toe and he has destroyed the Chiefs' secondary so far. Jano was able to hit the field goal at the end of the quarter to cut the lead into 3. You gotta love rainy football weather, especially in the Oakland Coliseum given how slippery the field is. Despite the low scoring affair, the defense did a good job on stopping Alex Smith and the Chiefs offense on the first drive, but they allowed a pair of TDs during that half. Part of it was that the Chiefs had good field position to start. An early missed field goal by Jano and Del Rio's failed gamble on 4th down basically gift wrapped Alex Smith some solid field position to start. Despite the rainy weather, the Raiders have to find a way to execute better and specifically, the defense needs to communicate. Five weeks they've been a liability. I like the turnovers. The sacks are getting there, but they have to find a way to contain the big play and unlock Alex Smith's "Mr. Check Down" persona. The 2nd half open thread will open shortly.

Q1

KC 7 OAK 7

I'd say that first quarter was a deadlock between those teams. The Raiders started with some fireworks with a Jalen Richard 50 yard return. AC/DC did work. Carr found Cooper a lot of times for the majority of the first drive, then capped it off with a TD to Holmes. Defense held Alex Smith and the Chiefs' offense in check. Mack got his 2nd sack, he's gonna need more of that. The Marcus Peters INT was deflating to say the least. The Chiefs answered right back to tie it up. The offense is driving. Hopefully, the Raiders get another score.

Raiders Rally Past Chargers to Move to 4-1

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' week 5 divisional matchup vs. the San Diego Chargers where the Raiders take advantage of the Chargers' 4th quarter woes and pull it out 31-34 for their first home win this season in "The Town," Oaktown.

Who wants to start a Raiders chant? I feel like starting a Raiders chant right now. RRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAIIIIIIDERRRRRRRSSSSSSSSS! Big win today and the fact that the Broncos lost today too makes this divisional win a lot sweeter (also makes the loss to the Falcons even less painful). Also, this year marks the 5 year death anniversary of Al Davis and this team did what they did: just win baby. I didn't like the slow start from the Raiders early on. I thought they overlooked the Chargers a little bit, but a win is a win and the Raiders are 4-1 for the first time since 2002. How about the Chargers blowing yet another 4th quarter? That and injuries have been the story of their season so far.

(+)

Turnovers. Thank goodness for the turnovers or the outcome would've been different. Perry Riley, Jr. had some good first impressions forcing the fumble of Antonio Gates in the first quarter. Sean Smith and Karl Joseph had interceptions. The critical fumble by Melvin Gordon III, allowing Joseph to recover that fumble. Though the defense did surrender 31 points, the turnovers pretty much saved their performance.

Derek Carr, 25-40 passes, 317 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT. Carr's 2nd INT of the season was a result of great pressure from the Chargers' defense. He got sack a couple of times, but you can't deny this fact that quarterbacks find ways to will their team to a victory. I wouldn't say Carr had a great game, but he did enough, especially in the 2nd half to rally the Raiders from a 17-9 deficit and later 24-19. "Carr-diac kid." That should be D.C.'s nickname.

Amari Cooper, 6 receptions, 138 yards, 1 TD. For any Fantasy owner that drafted Coop in the 3rd round on their Fantasy teams (I know I did), it was well worth the patience. This was the perfect game for Coop to break out. The Chargers lost their Pro Bowl corner in Jason Verrett. They don't have Brandon Flowers. Coop would've had a couple more TDs if he had his other foot inbounds. I think if there's one thing that Coop needs to work on, it's dragging the other toe inbounds or keeping the other foot inbounds. But this game, he showed his big play capability. 64 yard touchdown from Coop. That was much needed to give the Raiders offense a spark.

Michael Crabtree, 3 receptions, 47 yards, 1 TD. Crabtree dropping balls is something you don't see every game. He had one pass that bounced off his helmet and dropped an easy dime on a 3rd down play. But why is he on the positive? Because he comes up big in the clutch. Talk about another gutsy 4th down call by Coach "Black Jack" Del Rio. When the game is on the line and you need the lead, just throw it to Crab and he'll do the rest. "King Clutch!"

(-)

O-line. If there was big negative this game, it was the offensive line. They allowed all kinds of pressure. They allowed a sack on Carr three times. If I remember, Donald Penn, Kelechi Osemele, and Rodney Hudson, three key cogs on that O-line each had a pre-snap penalty. To make matters worse, the right tackle continues to be the Achilles heel of the O-line. Vadal Alexander and Austin Howard interchanged on the line and Joey Bosa beat both of them to sack Carr twice. The O-line just didn't have a great game today, keeping Carr clean and communicating on the LOS (line of scrimmage).

Reggie Nelson. I think we should try considering putting Nelson in the box at strong safety or that could make matters worse. I don't know. Even though he's been around the game for a while, he looked out of position the whole game. As a result of that, the Chargers were able to execute a lot of explosive plays over the middle. I'm hoping he gets it together and figures out the coverage schemes in Ken Norton, Jr.'s defense. Luckily Reggie [McKenzie] signed him to a 2-year deal and he can always be cut if he becomes a liability.


MVP

Amari Cooper, 6 receptions, 138 receiving yards, 1 TD

Coooooooop! We were waiting for Amari to break out and score and it happened today. Like I said, he could've had more TDs if he knew how to keep his other foot inbounds, but we'll take a 64 yard touchdown and a 2-point conversion score from him.



Conclusion

Raider Nation, this is exactly the best scenario we can think of: Broncos losing and getting this division win. The Raiders are now tied with Denver for 1st place in the AFC West. However, since they own the tiebreaker by getting this divisional win against the Chargers, by virtue they should be in 1st place. The Broncos do have the Chargers on Thursday Night and they could immediately take it back. But, the Raiders have the Chiefs coming into Oakland and they could up the stakes by going 2-0 in the division. This is exciting. We are seeing meaningful football being played early from the Silver and Black. The Chiefs will be a tough test. We've seen it last year, after the bye week, they start to play hot and Andy Reid and Alex Smith have the Raiders' number. We also get to see how Marcus Peters fares against a healthy Amari Cooper. That should be a fun matchup to watch. But, 4-1. Time for some celebration. I'll see you guys next week for the game against the Chiefs.

*Your tears are delicious Charger fans!*

Week 5: Divisional Game #1 - RAIDERS vs. San Diego Chargers 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

The 2nd half of the Raiders-Chargers divisional home matchup. As usual, leave comments about the game below this post.

Q4

SD 31 OAK 34

What a big time win! It didn't go right in the first half of the game, but great adjustments in the 2nd half. Another 4th down call by "Black Jack" Del Rio was the deciding factor of the game to give the Raiders the lead. Crabtree "King Clutch" once again. Coop got his first TD of the season. And once again, the 4th quarter was unforgiving for the Chargers. More to come in the full recap.

Q3

SD 24 OAK 27

This is what we wanted in the 2nd half! Shake off the rust and play better! You couldn't have drawn it any better. AC/DC with their first TD connection of the season provided a spark plug to give the Raiders a little momentum. The Chargers quickly scored to get some of it back. Black Jack Del Rio. I'm lovin' that nickname. He decides to go for it on 4th and 2 and then a strike to Crabtree to get the lead. But, before that. Defense makes a huge turnover to set that up and all of a sudden, the momentum is back on the Raiders' side. Finish this game!

Week 5: Divisional Game #1 - RAIDERS vs. San Diego Chargers 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome to the first half open thread discussion of the Raiders' Week 5 divisional matchup vs. the San Diego Chargers. Leave comments below the post during the game.


Q2

SD 10 OAK 9

Well that's one way to end the half on a positive note. Still, there's a lot of points left out there on the field that the Raiders couldn't capitalize on. This is the one knack I have on this team and this dates back to last season. When the offense is hot, the defense is cold. But when the defense is hot, the offense is cold. This Raiders team is taking bipolarity to a whole another level and it's frustrating to watch. The defense was a positive that first half. Aside from allowing that one TD from Rivers to Williams, the Raiders are holding their own and they managed to create three turnovers during the half. Perry Riley with the forced fumble on Antonio Gates, Sean Smith with an acrobatic INT, and Karl Joseph, playing center field, got his first INT of his young NFL career. The Raiders are gonna need more of those to try and get this offense to click. Which brings to my next point. No Jason Verrett, no Manti Te'o, no Denzel Perryman, and yet the Raiders offense are struggling to get points in the red zone. Credit where credit is due, the Chargers' defense are bringing all kinds of pressure and exotic looks on Derek Carr. Joey Bosa is showing some flashes for the Chargers and he's showing why he's the number 3 pick in this draft. However, remember the three things I said that stalls the Raiders' offense? O-line is having all sorts of pre-snap penalties, Crabtree is uncharacteristically dropping balls, and Coop just can't drag that last toe in the end zone. This offense was so good last week, they're dropping the ball here so far in this critical division game. Overall, the execution has to be better. I know Tay Train is out, Lee Smith is lost for the year, right tackle is definitely hurting again. It's critical for the offense to wake up in the 2nd half. The 2nd half post will be up shortly.

Q1

SD 0 OAK 3

How to describe this quarter? That was nauseating to say the least. The offense is having a lot of jitters out there. The O-line is not communicating, leading to a couple of pre-snap penalties. Carr, in that 1st quarter alone, got picked off and sacked. Even though this Chargers team is banged up, the Raiders should never underestimate them as long as Rivers is their QB. However, defense is doing its job forcing a fumble and an INT, but the Chargers are currently putting together a solid drive to start.

Raiders Edge Ravens to Start 3-1

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' Week 4 matchup vs. the Baltimore Ravens where the Raiders tough out a grueling 28-27 win in Baltimore to notch a 3-1 start for the first time since forever.

What's better than two? Three! What a game, but still a lot of things to clean up. I didn't like a few sequences in that 4th quarter where the offense stalled, the Ravens come back with a quick score, DeAndre Washington fumbled to give the Ravens the lead. A lot of things to clean up. But, as the old saying goes: "a win is a win and a loss is a loss." The fact of the matter is the Raiders are 3-1. We haven't had this start in a long time Raider Nation. It feels great.

(+)

Michael Crabtree, 7 receptions, 88 yards, 3 TDs. I said it last week and I'll say it again, how lucky are to have King Crab on the Raiders? You see Niner fans, this is what happens when you surround him with a legit quarterback who is accurate and can throw. This man, is too damn clutch! Call him what you want King Crab, King "Grab," "Grabtree." From now on, he is "King Clutch" in my book. Two critical touchdown grabs to spark this Raiders offense. The offense didn't play that well, but Crabtree showed up big time and balled out. What a performance!

Derek Carr, 25-35 passes, 199 yards, 4 TDs. How rare is it for a quarterback to throw under 200 yards and still toss out 4 touchdown passes? His detractors may not be impressed with the stats today, but Carr did his job. He could've been well over 200 passing yards if it weren't for a couple of dropped balls and some O-line penalties. However, he did his job, playing efficiently and putting the ball on the money, especially to Crabtree.

Cory James, 15 tackles, 12 solo tackles. Two games in and Cory James continues to impress. He doesn't have a lot of experience at Middle Linebacker, but the guy is everywhere. The 15 tackles he had today speak for itself. Cory James was everywhere and I don't think he hasn't reached his ceiling yet. He will continue to get better from here.

Khalil Mack, 6 tackles, 4 solo tackles, 1 sack. "Return of the Mack. Return of the Mack. Return of the Mack. You know that I'll be back." A lot of people were panicking about Mack early on. But, we kept the confidence that he'll get it going eventually. You can't ask for more from our best defensive player when everybody is game planning for him. He may not show up in the sack department, but he's still creating havoc in the pocket. This game was exhibit A where Mack showed his dominance and finally, he got a sack! He was getting to Flacco and rattling him all game long. The Ravens' O-line had no answer for him. And every time they looked like they contain, out comes the flag. I'll give the refs a little credit for getting the calls on the Ravens and making sure they don't get away with a hold. Now, that J.J. Watt is done for the year, I think Mack has an opportunity to go for that Defensive Player of the Year award and this is a game that could jump start the Mack Attack.

(-)

Running game. The total yards of the running game today: 64 yards on a total of 15 carries. I'll give credit to the Ravens' run defense. They've always been tough since the days of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, it is literally impossible to run over them at will. But, this was not a good game for the running game. Latavius Murray held under 19 yards. Jalen Richard under 15 yards. DeAndre Washington had a couple of good rungs, but he got stuffed as well and of course, you got the fumble late in the game that almost proved costly for the Raiders.

Vadal Alexander. The right tackle roulette on the Raiders' O-line is just brutal to watch. Granted, Alexander is a rookie, getting his first start and against a very good Ravens pass rush on the road. You'll get those kinds of games from a rookie and yes he was pretty bad today.

Amari Cooper, 5 receptions, 48 yards. I'll be honest, Coop has disappointed me so far this season. Aside, from his 137 yard performance against the Saints, he had left out a lot of stats on the field this season. You talk about the negated touchdown Week 2 when he came back for the catch after being out of bounds, drops in Week 3. He was pretty much held in check this game. And I've noticed this since last season, Coop is at his worst when there's safety help for the cornerback defending him. I love Coop since his junior year in Alabama. I believe he'll be a top wideout at the end of the season, but there's a lot things about his game he needs to polish up.

MVP

Michael Crabtree, 88 receiving yards, 3 TDs

To be honest, I could've gone either way by naming Carr, Mack, or Crabtree as the MVP of this game. But once again, Crabtree shows us how valuable he is to the team, especially in the clutch. He went King Crab to King Clutch.





Conclusion

Back in the day, the Raiders couldn't win squat on the East Coast. Now, they're 3-0 on the road. This team is having us believe that the Raiders can compete and win anytime and anywhere. The East Coast jinx is no more! Now, they need to take this "grind it out" approach at home. Because the next two weeks are divisional home games against the Chargers and the Chiefs. They need to take it to the next step in order to prove they are for real by getting these critical divisional wins. They need to prove that they belong in contention to win the AFC West! Erase all doubt and win by any means against both the Chargers and the Chiefs! Just win baby! I'll see you guys next week for the matchup vs. the Chargers.

Week 4: RAIDERS @ Baltimore Ravens 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

The 2nd half of the Raiders-Ravens Week 4 matchup.


Q4

OAK 28 BAL 27

Just win baby! Just win baby! I don't know how many 2nd half games like this I can take anymore. I'll give props to the Ravens though for playing a hell of a game. John Harbaugh, that defense, there's a reason why they are such a good football team and you never count them out. But, the Raiders found a way to hang in there and just win. I'm just elated right now. More to come in the full recap.

Q3

OAK 14 BAL 12

It's as if the Raiders' coaching staff don't make any halftime adjustments. Last week, they allowed the Titans to get back into the game to cut it to just one touchdown. This week, they're allowing the Ravens to hang around and make this a closely contested game. Quick 3 and outs by the offense and I said this last week, there are three things that kill the Raiders offense 1) presnap penalties 2) holding 3) dropped balls. Clive Walford on the first drive dropped a wide open pass to move the chains. The Ravens are keeping the defense honest running the football better. Now, they're driving again and they have that momentum.

Week 4: RAIDERS @ Baltimore Ravens 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome to the first half open thread post of the Raiders' Week 4 road matchup vs. the Baltimore Ravens.


Q2

OAK 14 BAL 6

Slow to start the game, but I definitely liked how both sides of the ball gradually found their groove as the game progressed. The defense has kept Joe Flacco and the Ravens' offense in check. Mack and Irvin, the sacks are not there, but they are bringing the heat on Flacco and disrupting the rhythm of the offense. Special teams played a key factor too, setting up the Ravens deep into their own territory. The offense did its thing as well, cashing in on a great return from Jalen Richard for a score and running a bit of the no huddle offense for another score.

To the casual fans, sack numbers are the only thing to judge a defensive player's impact. But real football fans know that don't mean a lot. Mack is finding ways to make an impact this game. He's disrupting the timing of the offense and created some hard shots on Flacco to keep him rattled. The Ravens offensive tackles have no answer on how to contain him. Cory James is another standout on the defense, he's just everywhere on the field making the tackles. On offense, Derek Carr was efficient out there. I remember at some point in this game he was 13/16 in his passes. He's not putting up greater stats, but he's doing his job managing the game and giving receivers a chance to score when in position. Roberts and Crabtree got the benefit on Carr's two passing TDs. On special teams, Marquette King's leg is a beast. It's just another day in the office for King pinning opposing offenses deep into their own territory. When he did the Ray Lewis dance to show up the Baltimore crowd, I thought that was great. For sure, the Ravens are going to find ways to make adjustments and the Raiders have had a hard time adjusting to the 2nd half so far this season. They just gotta keep attacking and not settle on this lead like the last game against Tennessee. The defense has to keep bringing Flacco down and the offense has to keep fielding solid, efficient drives. Let's see what happens. The 2nd half will be brought up shortly.

Q1

OAK 7 BAL 0

An end to what looked like a long 1st quarter. The Raiders and the Ravens, they were in a deadlock for pretty much the first half of the quarter. Special teams is playing a key role for both teams. Marquette King was doing his job, pinning the Ravens deep and I really liked how he did the Ray Lewis dance. That's classic. A partially blocked punt was difference maker. Richard was able to capitalize on it by having a big return to set up a Seth Roberts TD to put Oakland up early. But, Devin Hester. Don't kick to him. Now, the Ravens are in good field position.