Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' Week 2 divisional matchup against the Broncos in Denver where the Raiders controlled most of the clock in the first three quarters. But they continued to sit on the lead. Some questionable playcalling costed them down the stretch. And eventually, they surrendered a 19-7 lead, losing 19-20.
Yup, this is a microcosm of how the season has unwinded so far. The Raiders come up with an excellent game plan. And then by the time the 2nd half hits, it becomes an absolute manure-show. I gotta admit, this was a solid game from the Raiders for about three quarters. They dominated the Broncos from the line of scrimmage. It just hasn't translated to touchdowns. Those came to bite the Raiders back. When the team has to depend on the defense to win the game, you just have the feeling that this was not gonna end well. I felt that way and that has manifested himself in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. I'll get back to that in detail.
(+)
TOP. The Raiders finished with 32 minutes in time of possession compared to the Broncos' 27 minutes. That first half, they controlled the clock and were dominating the line of scrimmage. They ran it down Denver's throats with Lynch. The O-line dominated the D-line of the Broncos. Some quick throws, misdirection, and play action helped neutralize Von Miller and that vaunted pass rush. At one point, the Raiders had 18 mins TOP while the Broncos only had 9 mins. The defense also did its job forcing Denver to some quick three and outs to give the offense time to milk the clock and control the line of scrimmage.
Amari Cooper, 10 receptions, 116 yards. I should've started Coop in my PPR league. I was appalled last week that Coop managed just 18 total yards. He's in a contract year and he put up a whopping 18 yards of total offense. I still like Coop though. And today, Chucky made sure he was more involved in the game plan. Derek Carr targeted Coop 10 times and he caught all 10 balls. He didn't drop a ball, which was encouraging. We need Coop to keep churning 100+ yards receiving to give the Raiders' passing game a shot.
Derek Carr, 29 of 32 passes, 288 yards, 1 TD. This is the Derek Carr we need. Aggressive, not afraid to throw under pressure, yet smart enough to not turn the ball. Last week, I was pretty harsh. I wanted to see 2016 DC where he had an insane amount of moxie and toughness, especially withstanding the pressure in the pocket. We saw some of that today. He took advantage of the Broncos' deconstructed "No Fly Zone" secondary and was able to withstand Denver's pressure from its D-line. Whether Derek Carr has shaken off the post-injury traumas remain to be seen. But, today was encouraging to see.
Secondary. I really can't fault the secondary for losing the game. This game should've never came down to the defense winning it for the Raiders. Some positive signs, they held Demaryius Thomas, arguably their best wide out, to just 18 total yards. They didn't surrender any TDs through the air. Rashaan Melvin picked off Case Keenum to give the ball right back to Oakland. Gareon Conley and Leon Hall just didn't give Thomas any room to make a big play. The only negative is that they let Emmanuel Sanders go off for almost 100+ yards. But other than that, they held the fort down until it was time to go "prevent D" down the stretch.
(-)
There were three key scenarios that ended up costing the Raiders game. First was the block PAT by Nugent. There's no sure guarantees in football and you can definitely that would've costed the Raiders in the long run. Bruce Irvin's roughing penalty in the third quarter. The defense had the Broncos stopped again on third down. But, a penalty negated that. Denver got new life, Royce Freeman ran it in for a TD. The fourth down where Derek Carr tried to pass it Keith Smith, but Keith Smith dropped it. That resulted in another key scoring drive from Denver. This was no shocker. The Raiders had a tendency to shoot themselves in the foot. And outside of the blocked PAT, the dumb penalty and questionable 4th down play call were two key plays that gave Denver all kinds of momentum to close this game out.
Red zone scoring. Like I said, with the way the game is flowing in favor of the Raiders, this game should've been 21-0 at the half. But, the first two scoring drives were killers to start. Jon Gruden came up with brilliant game plans to throw the Broncos' defense off their heels. But, Carr and the offense couldn't capitalize for 6. No matter if any team drives down the field into the opponent's territory, it doesn't mean anything if they just settle for field goals. And it's been a long story for the Raiders in terms of good drives: field goals instead of TDs.
I'm gonna go out on a limb about relying on the defense to win the game. I really don't like this defense, especially at its state right now, to be out there to try and win the game for the Raiders. There's not a consistent pass rush. And the secondary won't hold when they're clearly in prevent mode. Raider Nation, I'm sorry, but I gotta bring up Khalil Mack again. You see if the defense was in that scenario with Mack, it would've been a different story. Say what you wanna say with the defense being terrible even with Mack, but the guy made up for it with clutch strip sacks and pressure in key situations. Three years ago, Mack single-handedly won the Raiders the game on the road against Denver. If there was a time the Raiders needed a #52 on the field today, it was in that final seconds. And you know you could keep telling me "to get over it." "He never wanted to be a Raider." We are not going to shut up about Khalil Mack's absence because the defense, as decent as they played, they are not built to hold the fort for 60 minutes. Especially with a lack of a pass rush. Mack would've won this game for the Raiders in this scenario. It's the hard truth that some people are trying so hard to sweep under the rug since he's not on the team anymore. We are not going to shut up about Khalil Mack until this defense proves its worth.
MVP
Derek Carr, 288 passing yards, 1 TD
I still can't say that Carr justified the $100 million contract extension. But, today was a decent step forward. He just has to stop playing scared and we saw him throw under pressure and throw a TD dart to Seth Roberts.
Conclusion
We could say that the Raiders played better. They competed and dominated the Broncos. But, football is a 60 minute game and wins and losses matter. They'd fare better in hockey since hockey is only three periods. But, this team is only good for three quarters and they cap out in the fourth. That's the harsh reality. Well, onto the next one in Miami. The Raiders may have beaten the Dolphins last year, but the Dolphins have had their number especially with Ryan Tannehill under center. He's back and with the way Miami looked the first two games, it's going to be another grinder. I'll see you guys next week for that game.
No comments:
Post a Comment