Final Score: TB 45 LV 20 [L] (3-3)
I guess you can say this is going to be my "farewell tour" for the next couple of weeks. Tom Brady and the Buccaneers come into town today and score 21 unanswered to finish off the Raiders in a 45-20 rout. This game was initially supposed to be a Sunday Night game until it was flexed out because a certain Raider failed to follow COVID-19 protocol. I will address that later.
Figures this would happen after a bye week and after a big win against the Kansas City Chiefs two weeks ago. Games after the bye week literally are the Achilles heel for this. For the most part, this game was pretty competitive at the start. The Raiders scored on their opening drive as Derek Carr connected on a 20-yard passing TD to Nelson Agholor. Agholor had a good game today leading the Raiders in receiving with 107 receiving yards and the aforementioned TD. The Raiders were within striking distance down 11 at the half. And then the game just got away from them.
Big plays and the lack of a running game ultimately doomed the Raiders today. The Bucs' leading receiver is Scotty Miller with 109 receiving yards and 1 TD. A lot of Miller's yardage came off of big plays and he caught a big 33-yard grab to help Tampa Bay extend their lead to 10 before the PAT. The Brady-Gronk reconnection is just starting to warm up. They hooked up for a score last week against Green Bay and they followed that up again today. The Bucs have a lot of weapons at their disposal. You talk about Gronk, Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, Scotty Miller, Ronald Jones II, Leonard Fournette. The secondary couldn't account for all of them and Tom Brady just did what he did in spreading the ball around.
Last week, Tampa Bay's run defense proved their legitimacy by holding the Packers' strong rushing attack to under 100 yards. Then again, Aaron Rodgers uncharacteristically threw picks the game. But, today they backed it up. The Raiders racked up a mere 76 yards on the ground and Derek Carr and Henry Ruggs were the only players that were above 5 yards per carry. It simply wasn't there, especially behind a makeshift offensive line. That O-line got thinner as soon as Gabe Jackson was hit with a "BS" unsportsmanlike penalty and ejection after the 3rd quarter drive which capped with a Carr-Waller TD. Jackson didn't even initiate that scrum after the score. But because it's the Raiders and Jackson did have that incident in 2017 when he knocked down a referee against the Broncos, of course he has a big target on his back.
The only silver lining here is that the Raiders got out with a .500 record in their toughest stretch. Going forward, the schedule gets a lot easier and there's plenty of opportunity for the Raiders to rack up some wins. The Browns are an enigma. Chargers are in rebuilding mode. Broncos have some things to work on with Drew Lock. The Jets are pathetic. The Falcons are masters in their craft in blowing leads. The schedule ahead is pretty favorable for Jon Gruden, Derek Carr, and company.
Now, I mentioned I'm calling out one Raider for failing to follow COVID-19 protocol. As if dealing with one "Brown" was enough last year, another is stirring up some trouble this year. Trent Brown, how stupid are you? The Raiders failed to follow COVID-19 protocol yet again because big Trent decided to be negligent and prompt the Raiders to send the entire offensive line home to quarantine. From what I heard, the NFL might take a draft pick away from them. The thing about Trent Brown is that he's good when he's available. But, the guy finds ways to not get on the field. It's frustrating for the Raiders and it's frustrating for Gruden and Mayock. At this pace, he is literally taking the Andrew Bynum route of getting himself out of the league. Super Bowl champion, Pro Bowl, big bucks, no more love for the game and getting injured. Those 2019 offseason additions outside of the draft continue to make a negative impact for this team. That's my rant for the day. I'll see you guys next week.
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