Week 5: RAIDERS vs. Baltimore Ravens 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Open thread and discussion is back! This is the 1st half of the Raiders-Ravens matchup. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

BAL 24 OAK 10

How can I start recapping the first half? The Raiders' last scoring drive where EJ Manuel connected with Crabtree for the TD was the biggest highlight of this half. Manuel used his legs to escape in what could've been a sack for the Ravens. Ravens' CB, Brandon Carr took his eye off of Crabtree and Crabtree kept running and EJ found him for a TD to give the Raiders a little bit of a pulse. But outside of that, it was a really bad first half for the Raiders. The defense is playing with a very thin secondary and of course, Sean Smith is getting burnt like toast going up against a speedster like Mike Wallace. Jared Cook had the fumble on the Raiders' first drive. Then again, EJ Manuel threw the football too high, Cook couldn't adjust the football to a secured position. The last thing the Raiders want without Derek Carr is to be in a deficit like this. But, anything can happen. Again, the last Raider scoring drive built some momentum. The bend-but-don't-break defense is coming together at the end of the half. The Raiders have to open up with a very methodical drive like they did in their 2nd possession in the 1st half.  I know history hasn't been kind for the Raiders when they get the ball first in the 2nd half. But, opening up with a solid, smart drive is what the Raiders need from EJ Manuel and the offense to creep back into this game. The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

BAL 14 OAK 3

Who knew this would be the score to end the first quarter? Well, obviously not the majority of us considering we're used to seeing this kind of start the last 14 years. The defense had a terrible opening sequence when Mike Wallace blew past Sean Smith for a big gain. The Ravens got a couple of big runs in the red zone to cap off the TD. 1st opening drive for the Raiders, Jared Cook fumbles, Ravens take it to the house. Terrible and pathetic are really overused adjectives to describe this quarter. The Raiders had a promising 2nd drive in running the ball, but a couple of terrible pass play calls stalled it and they had to settle for a Tavecchio field goal. The funk continues so far.