Raiders Commit Four Turnovers in Loss to Bills

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' Week 8 recap vs. the Buffalo Bills where the Raiders tried to build momentum off of last week's win over Kansas City. But, they couldn't maintain it as the Raiders fall to the Bills 14-34, committing four costly turnovers.

Well, just when we thought the Raiders regained their swagger back after a dramatic win last Thursday night, the problems with this team from their last four losses manifested itself yet again. They started off on the right foot with a nice opening drive. But after that, nothing much. As I was mentioning throughout the whole game, Buffalo's weather might've played a huge factor with some rain and a little bit of wind. Derek Carr couldn't put a lot of air on his throws. Players were slipping and sliding and were having a tough time securing the ball. Those lead to the turnovers and a lot of stalled drives from the Raiders today. Then again, football is played in almost all of the elements.

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Jamize Olawale, 2 carries, 3 yards, 1 TD. Olawale exiting the game was a swift kick in the groin in the Raiders' short-yardage game plan. For the time he had there, he reminded us how an effective short yardage back he is, getting the tough run on 4th down and the TD on 2nd down. Again, he could've had a quality return if it weren't for a holding penalty on Shalom Luani.

DeAndre Washington, 6 carries, 26 yards, 8 receptions, 62 yards, 1 TD. Yes, Washington's fumble before the end of the first half hurt. Before that, I made a note that D-Wash was outplaying Jalen Richard with Lynch suspended. The fumble was a big blemish, but Washington was effective most of the way, especially in the passing game.

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Stalled Drives. After marching down the field in the opening drive, the Raiders couldn't get anything going. The running game, you knew it would be a non-factor with Lynch suspended. The Raiders went pass heavy in the opening drive. But the rainy weather got worse, which affected the plan in the passing game down the stretch.

Turnovers. 2 INTs from Carr. A fumble by DeAndre Washington returned for the TD. Jalen Richard with a fumble on special teams. Three of those four turnovers resulted in 13 points for the Bills. The Raiders were lucky that the defense held its own to force 6 points. Again, the weather played a factor in the majority of those turnovers. Richard and Washington couldn't secure the wet ball, especially with Richard slipping on a return. Carr struggled throwing the wet ball. The turnovers were a big factor in this loss today. And on a side note, it looked like the Raiders were unprepared to play in the elements.

Khalil Mack, 2 tackles. What was a homecoming for Khalil Mack after four years playing collegiate play with the University of Buffalo, he was a non-factor today. During the third quarter, Mack was questionably on the sidelines when the Raiders were on defense. He did get stood up by the physical play of the Bills' O-line and chased LeSean McCoy and Tyrod Taylor all game long. I'm assuming the coaching staff wanted to give him a breather. Mack did create pressure on Taylor at times, so he wasn't completely M.I.A. But, the Bills did a tremendous job in neutralizing Mack today.

MVP

DeAndre Washington, 6 carries, 26 yards, 8 receptions, 62 yards, 1 TD

Nobody deserved MVP in this game. But, Washington's selection was based on him stuffing the stat sheet. Outside of the fumble, I thought Washington was more effective running with the football than Jalen Richard. He was also effective in check down and screen passes with those receiving numbers.

Conclusion

The hole gets bigger and the margin of error gets smaller for the Raiders. Again, this dates back to the Week 3 against the Washington Redskins on Sunday Night Football. It might've been the anthem protests, but something on that night has changed the chemistry and unity of this team. Despite the win against the Chiefs, the tension was still apparent within this team. This schedule is going to get more difficult down the stretch if the Raiders continue play like this. At some point, someone has to take charge. Whether it's Carr, whether it's Mack, whether it's Del Rio, someone needs to adjust the sails on this sinking ship before it's too late. The Raiders will be camping out in Florida for next week for their Sunday Night game against the Miami Dolphins. They have to use that trip to look themselves in the mirror and straighten out all the negative vibes that is surrounding this team. Right now, division title is out of the picture. Super Bowl contention is completely out of the picture. They have to scratch and claw if they want to return to the playoffs because there's no margin of error at this point in the season. Going back to the Dolphins game, they've had the Raiders' number in the last few meetings. They're a team that's soul-searching too, but somehow they're at their very best when they play for the Raiders for some reason. For now, the Raiders just have to focus on Miami, then they have the bye week to fully straighten things out and possibly run the table. I'll see you guys next Sunday night for the game.

Raiders Rally and Pull Away vs. Bills to go to 10-2

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' Week 13 matchup vs. the Buffalo Bills. The Raiders get to that magic double-digit number to keep pace for a playoff spot, beating the Bills 24-38 while scoring 21 unanswered points in the 2nd half.

We have to start getting used to this feeling. The way Buffalo came out of the 2nd half, things just looked bleak. It's like "welp, we gotta just forget about this game and move on to Kansas City." We're just used to the feeling that because the Raiders are down by too much, we can already sense a loss coming in. This team, they just won't be denied. No matter what the score is, no matter the situation, they will continue to fight until the end. And as a result, Carr took this game over for the offense. Mack took this game over for the defense. The legend of the 2014 draft continues to unfold before our very eyes.

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Khalil Mack, 7 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery. You can't stop him, but you can only hope to contain him. If it weren't for a couple of blatant holds that the refs missed, Mack would've blown up the stats sheet more. There is absolutely no question Mack is a DPOY candidate. The Bills may have fooled him on a couple of plays, but you don't want to piss this guy off. Mack taking on the Bills' O-line and absolutely wrecking them. He forces the ball out of Tyrod Taylor's hands, setting up Nate Allen's free INT and when the Bills were driving, Mack once again strikes with a strip sack and fumble recovery to seal the deal. What a beast!

AC/DC/MC. Triple threat! Derek Carr, 19 of 35 passes, 260 yards, 2 TDs. Amari Cooper, 2 reception, 59 yards, and 1 TD. Michael Crabtree 7 receptions, 74 yards, and 1 TD. But, mostly Carr has played a big part here. Shotgun formation all day long. The offense went off to a slow start, but he still willed the Raiders to yet another offensive rally. Crabtree had a key drop for a game tying TD in the 1st half, but he made up for it with a TD to get the rally going. Coop was quiet all game long until he shakes off a defender for the go-ahead score for the lead. Coop and Crab keep showing why they are one heck of a tandem and it helps when they have a ball-slinging quarterback like Carr.

Perry Riley Jr., 10 tackles. Perry Riley is proving to be yet another waiver-wire steal away from the Redskins. The Raiders definitely missed him last week against Carolina. LeSean McCoy is a elusive runner to stop and Riley stopped them in his tracks when needed.

Running game. The Bills had a majority of control on the run game, but once the 2nd half hit, Murray and Richard hit it to another level. Murray finished with 20 carries on 82 yards and 2 TDs. Jalen Richard racked up 53 yards on 9 carries. Tay Train has proven enough he is a goal line threat with his size. But how about Richard? I thought he ran hard out there and found some really good holes and running lanes to help out the run game. Overall, the 2nd half was where the run game found its groove and Murray and Richard are building up that reputation as "Thunder and Lightning."

Mychal Rivera, 3 receptions, 57 yards. It's a crime that I didn't put Clive Walford on the positives last week because he stepped up. This week, it was Rivera who picked up the slack. I'm telling you if this Tight End position gets going, the Raiders are going to be invincible offensively. Walford had a quiet game today, but Rivera stepped up to be Carr's security blanket when Crabtree, Cooper, and Roberts were being covered.

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The slow start and the start of the 2nd half were pretty much the only negatives this game. It's a testament to way this played and how they rallied to win this game. Not a lot of negatives.

MVP

Khalil Mack, 7 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery

Encore Mack! Encore! Every day we're reminded how lucky we are that Mack fell to the Raiders at the #5 pick in the 2014 draft. When it's his time to take over games, he just goes full on beast mode regardless what the stats say.



Conclusion

10-2! Back at the 1st place spot in the AFC! If I told anybody 4 years ago the Raiders would've started a season 10-2, I would've gotten laughed at and people would say I was delusional. But, this year it's definitely real. As I said before, regardless of the outcome, this team just won't throw in the towel. It's what Jack Del Rio said in the beginning of the season: last year, they knew how to compete. This year, they know how to win. The will to win is undeniable on this team. But, not a lot of time to celebrate as the Raiders have a date with destiny with the Chiefs on Thursday Night. It would've safe to assume that the Raiders would look ahead and the Bills would take advantage of that, but they just take it one game at a time. Now definitely, they can put the Chiefs on the bulletin. Despite this magical start, the critics are saying it all the time: "the Raiders can't the beat the Chiefs." "The Chiefs will jump the Raiders and steal the AFC West from them." Chiefs this. Chiefs that. We are tired of this Chiefs talk. Yes, Arrowhead Stadium is always a tough place to play at. But look, the Raiders handled the crowd noise at the Superdome in New Orleans. They've handled a lot of noise on the road and they are 5-0 on the road. The Chiefs had two weeks to prepare in the first matchup. This time around, it's a level playing field with each team coming off short weeks. The bad news though, I will not be covering this game, which totally sucks. I still have one more week into the semester and I always have a night class on Thursday. But I will find a way to keep track of this game because this is huge and could decide the AFC West. I won't see you guys on the blog, but let's go Raiders! Go into Arrowhead, shut up all the Chiefs talk, and just win!

Week 13: RAIDERS vs. Buffalo Bills 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

The 2nd half of the Raiders-Bills Week 13 matchup. As usual, leave a comment below to post your thoughts on the game during the half.

Q4

BUF 24 OAK 38

That was a long 18 seconds. The comeback kids. Better yet, the "Carr-diac" kids do it again and Mack showed why he's a force in the league. We should be proud of this team. It doesn't matter what the deficit is. They just won't give up and now the Raiders have willed themselves to 6 straight wins and piling onto this magical season at now 10-2. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

BUF 24 OAK 23

This has been the narrative of the Raiders this season. Never count them out! The Bills came out of the gate scoring 14 unanswered points. I'll admit that was pretty frustrating to see the defense let up on those two scores. But, here come the Carr-diac kids again. Carr finds a pass to Michael Crabtree to cut the lead to eight. Jalen Richard had a good return and a couple of good runs to set up the Tay Train for a TD. All of a sudden it wen from 24-9 to 24-23. Do not count these Raiders out! Let's see if this team has another magical 4th quarter comeback in place.

Week 13: RAIDERS @ Buffalo Bills 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome to the 1st half Open Thread and Discussion of the Raiders' Week 13 matchup vs. the Buffalo Bills. Leave a comment below and post your thoughts on the first half.

Q2

BUF 10 OAK 9

Old, reliable Janikowski with all 9 points for the Raiders. It is a much-needed field goal to cut the deficit to 1 point. The offense had some strides here and there, but they've been hampered by a pair of penalties and a couple of dropped passes. Carr did a good job using the hard count to draw the Bills defense off sides to extend the play more. Despite being limited with the shotgun formation due to Carr's injured pinky, they've put together some methodical drives, just couldn't get it into the end zone. Crabtree's drop on the Raiders' 2nd to last drive hurt. Roberts had a drop before that too. The execution is there. But like I said, penalties are nullifying big plays and of course the drops. The defense is playing really short-handed, but they're doing as much as they could preventing Tyrod Taylor and LeSean McCoy from fully taking off. Despite the goal line touchdown, the defense is not breaking. Excessive shotgun formations are definitely hurting the run game. Latavius Murray and Jalen Richard have found some holes, but the Bills' front has been stout for a majority of the game. The Bills get the ball back. Defense needs to force a quick 3 and out. The offense is slowly, but surely finding its groove and should get going in the 2nd half. The 2nd half open thread will open up shortly.

Q1

BUF 3 OAK 3

Early defensive battle in this game so far. The Raiders had a couple of big play opportunities, but as usual, penalties are nullifying those big plays. Amari Cooper had a big play, illegal formation. Jalen Richard had a big run, holding. Meanwhile the defense is bending, but not breaking, holding the Bills to just 3 points on their first drive. Nice job by Bruce Irvin on not giving up on the play after being pancaked by Mike Gillislee. But, the Bills are threatening again to score. Let's see if the defense can hold them to a field goal again.