Raiders Pound Broncos on Monday Night

Final: DEN 16 OAK 24 (1-0)

Welcome in guys. Just providing my quick thoughts here on the game. You won't see a lot of open thread and full recap posts moving forward. Those days are over. Onto this game, it has been awhile. It has been awhile since the Raiders won on opening night, let alone at home in Oakland. These last 10-13 years on home openers, they have not been good times in the Black Hole. Most of those openers were blowout losses, close losses off stupid mistakes. It's a breath of fresh air.

The Raiders needed this game tonight to wipe out all the Antonio Brown mayhem that has transpired in the last 48 hours or so. Forget about the one possession score, the Raiders dominated the Broncos from start to finish. A lot of credit goes to Jon Gruden and Greg Olson for putting a solid game plan together to neutralize Vic Fangio's defense. A lot mixing and matching involved on run plays, quick screens and slants. Fangio looked dumbfounded in the 2nd half. Tyrell Williams had a pretty solid game against this Broncos secondary. He was key in allowing this offense to open up the playbook. Josh Jacobs, I know it's just one game, I think he may break the running back curse for Alabama. 100 yards from scrimmage, 2 TD rushing TDs, first rookie RB to put up those numbers since LaDainian Tomlinson. The most impressive thing about it is, this was without the Raiders two best interior linemen in Gabe Jackson and Richie Incognito. This is a respectable Denver front seven and Jacobs was able to gash them at no problem.

The defense did its job tonight. They completely shut down Denver's running game. This was supposed to be an improved Denver running game now that they've shored up they're offensive line and healthy Royce Freeman and Phillip Lindsay. The front seven kept that in check. Paul Guenther's defensive unit looks like it's coming together. Benson Mayowa, 2nd stint and all, lead the team in sacks. But we gotta give overall credit on the coverage and blitz packages PG dialed up to generate pressure on Flacco. The Broncos offense got the benefit of a doubt with some fluke plays and questionable penalties to get back into this. As I mentioned, the score can be a bit misleading. Johnathan Abram showed definitely stood out on defense, flying all over the field. Tonight, he proved to be as advertised as a hard hitting Safety. But, he might want to control it a bit on where he hits. We don't want him to be marked man for walking 15-yard penalties. They already have Vontaze Burfict for that. But all jokes aside, defense did well.

It's good to be 1-0. However, the Raiders have to start looking ahead against a very tough task vs. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs next week. However, Kansas City will be missing some key weapons that makes this offense dangerous. Most of that is centered on Tyreek Hill. He'll be out for a bit with a collarbone injury. But they still have Kelce. They Damien Williams. They just signed LeSean McCoy. Sammy Watkins has stepped up in Hill's place. This offense is still potent. The Chiefs' defense though will be a juicy matchup for the Raiders, particularly in the running game as displayed tonight. Last year, the Chiefs run defense could not stop a wet paper bag last year. Their unit is much improved, but probably not much. It'll be interesting to see how well the Raiders matchup this year as opposed to last year with a younger, more athletic roster. I'll see you guys next week after that game.

The Silver and Black Shitshow: Chapter 9 - "Ode to Oakland" (FINAL CHAPTER)

*Readers' Discretion is advised*

In this final chapter of the Silver and Black Shitshow,
A farewell to Oakland against a familiar foe.
As the City that once housed them files a lawsuit,
The Raiders' stay in Oakland becomes more moot.

By all accounts, this means Oakland and the Raiders are done,
Now, the Raiders start temporary home-searching from San Francisco to London.
As the Vegas stadium isn't opened until 2020,
The team's search for a temporary home remains steady.

True, the City of Oakland had ample time to get the ball rolling,
But the fact that Mark Davis didn't even speak to the City one bit, had us all groaning.
When you have two incompetent parties working together,
Raider Nation, on both sides of the spectrum, voice their displeasure.

However, to talk about relocation isn't the time,
The fact that the Raiders played their last game at the Oakland Coliseum is a crime.
The Coliseum may be a dump,
But it is a place where you, as a Raider fan, can get pumped.

Lighting the Al Davis torch in the Coliseum for the last time was Oakland's own Marshawn Lynch.
Everybody in that Coliseum was in a pinch.
The final opponent for the Raiders in the Coliseum: the Denver Broncos.
For the Oakland fans, put one last curbstomp on them Donkos.

The most frequent matchup on Monday Night Football, on the Eve of Christmas Day,
Started off with a Dwayne Harris 99-yard punt return big play.
A quick 0-7 lead against the Ponies.
C'mon Raiders, keep your foot on the gas against those Denver Phonies!

Throughout most of the game, Derek Carr and the Raiders kept their foot on the gas.
They stomped a mudhole on the Broncos' ass.
It got worse for Denver as Doug Martin scored a 24-yard rushing touchdown.
It was just like the Sunday Night game in 2016, wear out Denver's defense with the "ground and pound."

The Broncos tried to rally in the 2nd half,
But it's clear as day, that they want Vance Joseph to get the ax.
You can see the look on disgust from John Elway, as he salivates on getting Vance Joseph fired.
Let's hope he causes more pain on Broncos fans by getting another idiot head coach hired.

Case Keenum made one last effort to make things click,
But instead, all he threw was a series of picks.
One last time for Oakland, the Raiders just won baby.
The entire Black Hole in the Coliseum went crazy.

The first year in Tank Commander Jon Gruden's return was a disaster.
This season couldn't end any faster.
When the Shitshow traded Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper,
You can say that this year was a pooper.

But this one game was all that mattered,
An Ode to Oakland, leaving the Broncos battered.
As the Raiders prepare to wander out of "The Town" by season's end,
The Raiders in any location other than Oakland, will never blend.

Signing off, I proudly shout "fuck Mark Davis,"
For the move to Las Vegas.
Leaving Oakland and all of Cali after 2019 is a huge blow,
Courtesy of the Silver and Black Shitshow.

Raiders Score Just Enough to Hold Off Broncos

Welcome in to the full recap of the of the Raiders' Week 12 divisional matchup vs. the Broncos. The Raiders jump to a 21-0 start and hold on to win the game 14-21, keeping their playoff and division title hopes alive after the Chiefs lost to the Bills earlier today.

First off, belated Happy Thanksgiving Raider Nation. I hoped all of you enjoyed this Thanksgiving weekend, enjoyed time with your family and enjoyed some good food and leftovers. Now, let's get back to this game. A win is a win no matter what. But, this is a type of win that's overshadowed with some skepticism. The Broncos elected to go with Paxton Lynch this game and the Raiders were expected to come out and dominate against a team whose quarterback was making his first start. Then Lynch goes down, Trevor Siemian takes over. The defense went back to its old ways. But like I said, the 21-0 start that Carr and the offense generated was huge down the stretch, especially since they were missing Cooper and Crabtree. They ran the ball down the Broncos' throats with Beast Mode and Carr made some critical passes to Holton and Patterson to put Denver on ice.

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Marshawn Lynch, 26 carries, 67 yards, 1 TD, 3 receptions 44 yards. This was another strong game by Beast Mode, just keep feeding him the ball. He got off to a slow start because the Broncos' defense knew that run plays were going to him. But, he picked it up in the 2nd quarter. Same with the run blocking from the O-line. He was also effective as a pass catcher with a key catch and run in the 4th quarter, which proved to be in vain after Tavecchio missed a field goal. As I said, last season, the Raiders beat the Broncos last season because they rammed it down the Broncos' throats. Today, they did it again and it started with Beast Mode.

Derek Carr, 18 of 24 passes, 253 yards, 2 TDs. The first drive was not a good start from Carr as he overthrew his first two passes. He then committed a fumble before the end of the 1st quarter. But, today we saw the Derek Carr of old as the game progressed. He was rolling out of the pocket and taking shots deep. Not to mention, he put up the aforementioned stats after Crabtree got ejected in the 1st quarter and Cooper had to be taken out for possible concussion symptoms in the 2nd quarter.

Cordarrelle Patterson, 3 receptions, 72 yards. A big chunk of that yardage came off his big catch and run to seal the deal against Denver. Like I said, if that 3rd down pass didn't work, we'd have a lot of hands rolling, but Patterson had good concentration on Carr's pass to make that grab.

Johnny Holton, 2 receptions, 53 yards. Holton is developing into a nice deep threat. He burned the Broncos' secondary again to set up Carr's pass TD to Jalen Richard.

(-)

Defense.  Shut out by the defense in the first half was fools' gold today. The party was over when Trevor Siemian came in relief for Paxton Lynch. Even though, the D-line generated 5 sacks and they forced an INT, most of those came against Paxton Lynch. He's not used to the NFL speed, so we expected them to dominate. The problems with this unit late in this game was still apparent going up against Siemian who's far more familiar with the terminology of the Broncos' offense.

Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree's status. Derek Carr is going to need one of them for next week. As mentioned, Coop took a big shot from Darian Stewart. His status is up in the air. And of course, Crabtree fighting Talib ignited a huge brawl early on in this game. And you know, when it comes to Raider players, the NFL pulls no punches in implementing the harshest penalty possible on players donning the Silver and Black. Most likely, we're expecting Crabtree to be suspended for next week's game against the Giants. Cooper is a 50-50 shot. Carr is going to need one of them back.

MVP

Marshawn Lynch, 26 carries, 67 yards, 1 TD, 3 receptions 44 yards

Keep feeding this guy the damn ball! Not much more to be said. Beast Mode's starting to come on down the stretch, which bodes well for the Raiders in running the table.




Conclusion

It's never easy with this current Raiders team. But, they got the W. They're going to need all the wins they can get down the stretch here. They took advantage of Denver's quarterback carousel today. Next week, they're going up against the Giants who are struggling just as much as the Raiders are. With the injuries and the struggles of Eli Manning, this team should take advantage of that. Then again, considering this game and how the Raiders almost blew a 21-0 lead, expect no easy gimmies. Outside of the Chargers, the Giants have been successful against AFC West teams this year. Raiders need to be alert and continue to play with desperation. I'll see you guys next week for that game.

Week 12: RAIDERS vs. Broncos 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the second half open thread of the Raiders-Broncos Week 12 divisional matchup. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

DEN 14 OAK 21

Like I said, it was gonna get interesting with Trevor Siemian taking over. The final score made the game more competitive than expected. Cordarrelle Patterson came up with the biggest catch in the game. If that didn't work, we'd be screaming on the TV about the play call. They tried to do that previously with a pass to Jared Cook that lead to a missed field goal by Tavecchio. But, the Raiders are happy to get out with a win with no Cooper and no Crabtree and no Gabe Jackson. They tie with the Chargers for 2nd place in the AFC West. Stay tuned for the full recap. 

Q3

DEN 0 OAK 21

The Raiders keep churning away with this one. Carr finds Holton off a deep pass against the Broncos' secondary again and it caps off with Jalen Richard's passing TD. They are doing what is expected with the Broncos' quarterback carousel. It's unfortunate that Paxton Lynch got hurt. Trevor Siemian luckily didn't start the last few weeks. I'm seeing Denver's quarterbacks woes for the first time and yes, it is really bad as many said. It's a dumpster fire.

Week 12: RAIDERS vs. Denver Broncos 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Must-win game today. This is the first half open thread of the Raiders' Week 12 divisional matchup vs. the Broncos. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

DEN 0 OAK 14

Well, from the looks of that shot, it looks like the Broncos are going to be turning back to Trevor Siemian in the 2nd half. It should make this game a lot interesting and luckily, the Raiders will be up by two TDs. So, the Raiders lose a couple of key cogs in the offense. Crabtree got ejected. Gabe Jackson got ejected. Amari Cooper took quite a hit by Darian Stewart and is questionable to return. They are absolutely fortunate to build a 14-0 lead. They've rekindled a formula they established when they beat the Broncos last season, pound the football. Lynch, Washington, and Richard each got touches and churned up some good gains against the Broncos' d-line. Even though going up against Paxton Lynch, the defense is the one that standing out. First game under John Pagano and they've finally get that elusive first INT from Bowman with an assist from Reggie Nelson off a series of tips. Bruce Irvin managed to get a sack. The D-line was getting some pretty good pressure up against Paxton Lynch. But, then again, it's Paxton Lynch. It's the guys first game and the defense was expected to feast on him. Now, if Siemian starts based on him putting on the helmet at the end of the first half, it will present a more interesting test for the defense in Pagano's first game as DC. With the Raiders' primary receivers out, they have to keep running the football on this thin Denver D-line and get Jared Cook involved as a primary go-to-guy. The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

DEN 0 OAK 0

Derek Carr fumbling the football with 47 seconds left is not a good way to end the quarter. Both teams were struggling to get something going and they just gift wrapped the Broncos good field position to score. Overall, this was a mundane quarter. The big highlight of this was the massive brawl early on in this quarter that was ignited by Crabtree and Talib. We definitely haven't forgotten about that chain snatching incident last year I hope to avoid an explanation of this personal rivalry. Both players ejected was expected. I didn't understand why Gabe Jackson got ejected and I saw replay that he pushed the official. Definitely not okay and the ejection was justified.

Raiders Alone in 1st Place in the AFC West in Big Prime Time Win over Broncos

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' Sunday Night showdown with the Broncos. What's on the line here? 1st place in the AFC West! The Raiders have shown all of America that they are back, beating the Super Bowl champions 20-30 in Oakland.

"The Raiders are not going to run over us," they said. "They won't score against our defense," they said. "The No Fly Zone will shut down your receivers," they said. Well, what happened? Man, this was a great win. I mean every time the Raiders play the Broncos, I get a little more amped up than I should because they are the AFC West team I despise the most. I wasn't there last season to cover Khalil Mack's 5 sack game because I had some finals to study for, but I still made an effort to get my bragging rights on. Here, I'm going full force! Broncos fans have been talking a lot of trash lately before this game on how the Raiders are not going to do this. Not going to do that. But, news flash! They did what they did and punched the Broncos right in the kisser! It was great and satisfying and I'm looking forward to how many excuses some "Dinko-Donko" fans will bring up. But, Raider Nation, do we care? NOPE!

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The running game. I think we can all universally agree that this was the key to beating the Broncos. If the Raiders are able to run the ball, they'll be able to keep the Denver defense honest. Of course, the attention is going to be Latvius Murray's big game. And it was big game for him. 20 carries, 114 yards, 3 one-yard TDs. That's his game. Give him the ball in short yardage situations and he'll do the rest. Although this Tay Train's game, we won't discount the two other rookie running backs. Jalen Richard had 6 carries on 82 yards, he broke off a couple of big runs against the defense. DeAndre Washington had 10 carries for 35 yards, but he had some solid gainers. No need for Carr to risk slinging the ball against the No Fly Zone secondary. The ground game turned it up a notch tonight.

Kelechi Osemele. K.O. You win! He is worth every penny when the Raiders signed him in the offseason! Not only did he bring another big body upfront, but he brings a physicality to this Raiders O-line. Back in 2013 when the Ravens played the Broncos, K.O. just threw down Von Miller like a rag doll. This game, he was absolutely bullying the Broncos' front 4. He makes the left side great and the Raiders were able to exploit that, playing power run football to the left and K.O. was blocking with tenacity and violence. What a beast!

Penalties. Wait, penalties are a positive? What? Well, luckily the Raiders didn't break another record. 23 penalties last week compared to just 8 this week. The Broncos were the ones committing all the penalties and the Raiders did everything to draw those peanlties. They made the Broncos defense, particularly the No Fly Zone so undisciplined.

Special teams. Poor Broncos cannot buy good field position early on. Marquette King was pinning Trevor Siemian and the Broncos' offense deep. It wasn't all just Marquette King. Sebass was booting out. Taiwan Jones, Brynden Trawick, everybody on special teams was making tackles inside the Broncos' 20 yard line and they couldn't get anything as the defense was forcing a lot of quick 3 and outs.

Khalil Mack, 3 tackles, 2 sacks. Round 1 of the 2016 NFL Season between Khalil Mack and Von Miller. Miller might have won the first few rounds, but Mack rallied and won the fight. Mack with one more sack than Miller, but he had more hurries, pressures, and a few disruptions that doesn't show up on the stats sheet. Mack continues to stay hot and I can't imagine what Hell he's going to bring when Mario Edwards and Aldon Smith come back hopefully after the bye. 

(-)

Should've been a complete blowout. Okay, this is not a real negative, but I wanted to see the Raiders make the Broncos throw in the towel early. The Broncos had a couple of lucky breaks. Siemian heaves a lucky throw to Demaryius Thomas when Reggie Nelson was in his grill. And of course, you got that screen to Bibbs in the mid 4th quarter. I'm just asking what in the world? But, oh well, the Raiders still got the win. But, this should've been a beatdown in Oaktown.

MVP

Latavius Murray, 20 carries, 114 rushing yards, 3 rushing TDs, 1 reception, 13 receiving yards

All aboard the Tay Train! He looked like the Latavius Murray of old when he rushed for over 100 yards and 2 TDs in the Thursday Night game against the Chiefs two years ago. Continue to doubt him, but you can't deny his work ethic to get better.

Conclusion

No more calling the Raiders the laughing stock of the NFL. It's time to bury that title. R.I.P. 2003-2015. However, we're not quite out of the tunnel yet. There's still a few more games to go before we talk playoffs and possibly division champions. There's still the Kansas City Chiefs whom the Raiders have yet to beat and like last season, they are hot after the bye week. But, no question this win against the Super Bowl champions in front of a world wide audience leaves no doubt that the Raiders are for real! Now, it's a matter of finishing the season strong. They have the bye week next week to rest up and hopefully, we see the return of Mario Edwards Jr. and Aldon Smith to bolster the defense. So, help is on the way in the final stretch of the season. Let's hope the cards play out. But, it's celebration time Raider Nation! First place in the AFC West! The return to greatness is only beginning. I'll see you guys in two weeks when the Raiders go to Mexico to face the Texans in a Monday Night game. 

Week 9: Sunday Night - RAIDERS vs. Broncos 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

The 2nd half post of the Raiders-Broncos matchup on Sunday Night Football! As usual, leave a comment on your thoughts on the 2nd half of the game below this post.

Q4

DEN 20 OAK 30

First place in the AFC West baby! But, overall an impressive wire-to-wire win for this young Raiders squad  against the Super Bowl champions in their first Sunday Night game. This team has come so far. I don't know what else. You've seen it here America. The Silver and Black are back! Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

DEN 10 OAK 20 

Well, not much action here, but the offense, despite not putting up points on the board, managed to run out some clock this quarter. Once again, the defense is holding its own out there, forcing Siemian on quick 3 and outs. But, Denver asked for P.I. on a great acting job by Demaryius Thomas on D.J. Hayden to extend the drive. However, that doesn't matter because the defense still held them to another 3 and out. 4th quarter is going to be critical. The Raiders have to put the defending Super Bowl champs away.

Week 9: Sunday Night - RAIDERS vs. Broncos 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome to the 1st half open thread and discussion of Week 9's primetime main event of the Raiders' critical divisional matchup vs. the Denver Broncos on Sunday Night Football on NBC! Leave a comment on your thoughts on the 1st half below this post.

Q2

DEN 10 OAK 20

That was quite a scare at the final seconds. If Emmanuel Sanders made that catch, it would've been a whole different narrative. But, so far no jitters for this young Raiders team in their first nationally televised prime time game. Yes, there's a lot of points the offense left out there out on the field, but so far they've managed to keep this Denver defense on their heels for the majority of the game. The key here was the running game. Jalen Richard broke out big chunks of yardages to get within Denver territory. Latavius Murray broke out a huge chunk before the 2nd quarter came to an end and he managed to get two 1-yard TD runs. The defense kept Trevor Siemian and Broncos' offense in check. They were getting a lot of quick 3 and outs. But, they did allow a touchdown. I don't know how Siemian was able to get that pass to Demaryius Thomas when Reggie Nelson was in his grill and that set up the Broncos' only touchdown of the game by Jordan Norwood. Other than that, stats sheets go in favor of the Raiders this first half. Offense is displaying some good balance in both the run and the pass. Not a lot of negative this half, but of course, the penalties came back up again during the 2nd quarter. Another negative, I don't know if it's me, but what is going on with Janikowski? Raiders could've been up 10-23, but Sebass missed a 48-yard field goal. Last game, he missed both game-winning field goals with the wind in his face, but here, he missed without any wind. He has to get it together. The Raiders should approach the 2nd half with the same formula: use the O-line to play smash mouth football on the run and continue to lock up when the Broncos take the field on offense. The 2nd half open thread will open up shortly.

Q1

DEN 0 OAK 6

Wow, just looking at the score alone, the narrative is that the game is going to be a defensive battle. But, so far, the Raiders have dominated this quarter in terms of field position and being in good position to put points on the board. They could've had a TD, but Seth Roberts slipped on the first drive for the Raiders' offense. Special teams and defense are being difference makers. Trevor Siemian and the Broncos' offense could not get anything going. Raiders offense is currently driving. Let's see if they cap it off with a TD.