Week 1: "Carr-Mariota III" - RAIDERS @ Tennessee Titans 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Football is back! This is the first half open thread and discussion for the Raiders' Week 1 matchup vs. the Titans for the third consecutive time in Nashville. Leave some comments below to share your thoughts on the game. 

Q2

OAK 13 TEN 10

Looks like we're not gonna miss Janikowski after Giorgio Tavecchio made that 52 yard field goal to end the half. Not bad for a guy who bounced around the league multiple times. Now, that the first half has ended, let's look at the two most vital sides of football. As I said in the first quarter, the offense is as good as advertised. They can drive down the field at ease and score at will. Marshawn Lynch and Jared Cook are making their presence felt. While we know what Lynch is capable of, Cook has kept the offensive playbook open. He's taking off the pressure of Coop and Crab and allowing them to eat. Crab had a couple of brilliant grabs. Coop had that strong TD to open game, he could've had a 2nd one if he grabbed one of the balls on the Raiders' 2nd drive. There's a couple of hiccups like that goal line drive on the 2nd possession and the O-line giving up 2 sacks on Carr. Interchanging Marshall Newhouse and Vadal Alexander at Right Tackle was a bad decision. Other than that, the offense is good as advertised. On the defensive end, we saw the 3rd down deficiencies on Tennessee's first drive. They had a couple of good stops on the first two downs, then they just gave up chunks on third down. They got better as the game went on, but how long the defense will hold on this bend-but-don't-break scheme is the question. Todd Downing's biggest question mark as an OC is if he can make in-game adjustments. The scoring has to pick up since Norton's defense will be bending all game long. The 2nd half open thread will open up shortly.

Q1

OAK 7 TEN 7

Well, that was not a good way to end the quarter with Amari Cooper having three chances to get into the end zone. But, the offense is as good as advertised, threatening to score on every possession. Now, how about the other side of the ball? Typical poor showing. They did well on the first two downs, but once third down hits, they fold like a chair. They could not get off the field if they can't make a stop on third down. Offense got stopped, likely settle for three. Defense has to put up a very good showing next drive.