Raiders Playoff Hopes Dashed on Sunday Night in Loss vs. Cowboys

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' Week 15 matchup vs. the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football where the playoff hopes of the Raiders may have just been broken as the Raiders lose to the Cowboys 20-17.

This game is probably going to be added in Raiders' infamy. There was the "Immaculate Reception." The "Tuck Game." And now, this game will be known as the "Index Card" game. The 4th and 1 where the Cowboys elected to go for it truly decided the outcome of the game. If Dallas gets it, they get to chew more clock. If they don't, Oakland has the ball and set up a possible game-winning drive. Referees couldn't determine the measurement, so they used a index card. From the point of the refs, it looked like the tip of the ball went over the border of the index card. I'm looking at another angle that someone posted on the Raider Nation forum, it looked like there was separation between the tip of the football and the index card and likely Dak would've been stopped short. That was one story of the game. The other story was Derek Carr's fatal mistake. He played relatively well. It's just that he tried to go for the home run TD run when he could've just stepped out of bounds after getting the first down. They have one more timeout and have enough time to take a shot in the end zone, but Carr fumbles in the end zone and that was a gut-wrenching finish and it summed up the Raiders' 2017 in a nutshell.

(+)

Derek Carr, 21 of 38 passes, 171 yards, 2 TDs, 4 carries, 47 yards. The fumble that resulted in a touchback is a smear in his game. Probably got a little too greedy to play hero. But, we finally get to see Carr escape out of the pocket this game. We haven't seen that kind of mobility since last season before the broken fibula. That's what was missing this whole season was Carr's ability to scramble out of the pocket and use his legs to make plays. He had a big gainer in the third quarter, which set up the Raiders' first TD of the night. His numbers passing-wise were pedestrian, but his TD passes to Crabtree were on the money.

Michael Crabtree, 7 receptions, 39 yards, 2 TDs. Crabtree didn't have a big of a game with those 7 receptions on 17 targets, but with Coop out, obviously he's going to draw all the attention of the Cowboys' defense. Despite all that, he still hauled in 2 TDs and drew a big time PI penalty to keep the Raiders alive in the final minute of the game.

Khalil Mack, 6 tackles, 2 sacks. The Cowboys' elite offensive line was Mack's biggest test as a pass rusher. Not to mention, Mario Edwards Jr. was inactive this game so all the attention was drawn towards Mack and Irvin. But, Mack still delivered and was still able to wreak havoc in the pocket to get to Prescott.

(-)

Special teams. This unit was the biggest turkey of the game. Outside of Marquette King's punting and Coradarrelle Patterson's returns, Giorgio Tavecchio missed a 30 yard field goal at the end of the 2nd quarter, which quietly costed the Raiders because they'd be talking a potential game-winning field goal at the end. Allowing the punter, Chris Jones to run free on a 4th and 11 fake punt in the 3rd quarter was absolutely inexcusable, although the Cowboys did execute the right blocks for that to happen. And of course, the penalties piled up mostly on the Special Teams unit. The Raiders can never catch a break on special teams penalties. It seems that every time the Raiders bust out a big return, flags are on the field and 100% of the time, it's either holding or illegal block in the back on the Raiders.

MVP
Derek Carr, 21 of 38 passes, 171 yards, 2 TDs, 4 carries, 47 yards

It's simple, if Carr runs it in with the ball secured, he's going to be praised for single-handedly winning the game for the Raiders. But it is what it is. The small, but solid performance from Carr tonight was what we were longing for since last season: escaping out of the pocket and taking shots down field in crunch time to potentially win the game. Obviously, it's too little too late for that this season. Hopefully, it translates next year and that swagger and poise from the 2016 season returns to form.

Conclusion

The crazy part about this is that the Raiders are not mathematically eliminated from the playoff hunt, but it's gonna take hundreds of scenarios for that to happen. So with that, it's time to officially pull the plug on a playoff appearance this season. The Raiders dug themselves into a ditch this season, and the hole was too deep for the Raiders to get out. These next two games, the team just has to play for pride and get to 8-8. It'll be a tough one in Philly next week. There is no way that the Eagles will hand over home field advantage in the NFC to the Minnesota Vikings that easily. Last time the Eagles played the Raiders with Nick Foles under center, Foles set an NFL record with 7 TDs. A lot has changed since then. I'll see you guys next week for a crazy Christmas Day on the blog.

Week 15: RAIDERS vs. Cowboys 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the 2nd half open thread of the Raiders-Cowboys Week 15 battle on Sunday Night. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

DAL 20 OAK 17

That final drive...

It's over. It's been over since last week, but this was the final nail in the coffin on the Raiders' playoff hopes. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

DAL 17 OAK 10

Just for the Cowboys converting on the fake punt, Brad Seely, Special Teams Coordinator for the Raiders, YOU deserve the boot too. The defense managed to make a good stop on Dak Prescott and company. Then, the fake punt on 4th and 11 happens. Chris Jones had a lot of green in front of him to make a very critical first down which set up the TD from Prescott. How in the world do you not account for that? Well, it's almost impossible because it's unexpected. But, the Raiders were riding the momentum and that fake punt absolutely brought momentum back to the Cowboys. They were pulling out all the stops during that quarter to catch the Raiders off guard. It shows which team is playing with more desperation.

Week 15: Sunday Night Marquee Matchup - RAIDERS vs. Dallas Cowboys 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Raiders-Cowboys, playoff implications on the line in prime time. This is the first half open thread and discussion of what was the fantasy Super Bowl matchup last season between these two teams after a 12-4 and 13-3 season respectively. Now, they're fighting to sneak in the wild card at 6-7 and 7-6 respectively. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

DAL 10 OAK 0

Watching this game be like...

Honestly, everything is going wrong with the Raiders as it has been all season. Yes, my reaction is like Tiger Woods' mug shot. Absolutely mundane first half for the Silver and Black. Despite the 10-0 lead, Dak and the Cowboys are dominating the Time of Possession behind the offensive line. First quarter alone, the Cowboys offense was on the field for 8 minutes compared to 2 minutes for the Raiders offense. The defense is on the field for too long. The secondary woes can't be masked for a long time. The passing game is struggling. The running game is way too predictable when you have Marshawn Lynch running in Singleback formation most of the time! It also doesn't help that the penalties are piling up, which I think some of them were bogus calls. The Raiders are playing the game of their playoff lives and like the Chiefs game, they are wetting the bed, especially at home!  Nothing more needs to be said about the Raiders, other than show some fight and play like you give a *NSFW language*! The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

DAL 3 OAK 0

This quarter was just too sad to watch. But, it's the story of the Raiders' 2017 season. Dallas pretty much set the tone in this quarter with the elite O-line and running game they have.  8 minutes to 2 minutes on Time of Possession tells the story in this quarter. Cowboys dominated that and is leaving the Raiders gasping for air. It doesn't help that the Raiders' passing game is struggling and the fact that they've abandoned the run after a good gain from Lynch on the first possession says it all.

Raiders Keep Playoff Hopes Alive with Win Over Dolphins

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' Week 9 matchup at the Miami Dolphins in a Sunday Night game. The Raiders stay alive in the playoff hunt as they hang on to beat the 'Phins 27-24.

In a game that was filled with penalties and a near crazy ending, the Raiders endured and walk out of here with a big win. Okay, a win against the Dolphins is not impressive to some football analysts. But, the Raiders' backs were against the wall after the beatdown they received in Buffalo. They needed to string together some wins from here on out and what better way to do it against a team they haven't beaten in like forever. The Dolphins have had the Raiders' number, especially when the matchup is in Miami. And this team ended that jinx and the Raiders finally "squished the fish."

(+)

Marshawn Lynch, 14 carries, 57 yards, 2 TDs. Whether this game signifies the return of Beast Mode remains to be seen. But there's no question, he was missed last week in Buffalo. If this game tells us something, this is how the Raiders should've used Lynch. Here's the disparity of carries between Lynch, Richard, and Washington: Lynch as mentioned had 14 carries. D-Wash had 4 carries. Richard has 5 carries. They needed to let Lynch loose and give as many carries as possible. Lynch got off to a slow start, but Lynch picked it up in the 2nd half. Credit the O-line as well for picking up on their run blocking. They opened up holes for Lynch and he ripped open a 22 yard TD and plowed his way for a goal line TD to give the Raiders an 11 point lead. Many had doubts about Lynch these last few weeks, but this a great way for him to shut those critics up and remind everybody that Beast Mode is alive and well.

Jared Cook, 8 receptions, 126 yards. 3rd down and long, who does Carr go to? He went to Jared. I've lost count how many times Cook bailed out the Raiders offense with critical catches on 3rd down tonight, but they certainly needed that from him to prevent stalled drives. In the first quarter, Carr threw to him three times and he caught all three passes. Two of them came from 3rd down and long to keep the drive alive on the Raiders' first possession of the game. Although, he was responsible for some ticky-tacky back-to-back penalties in the first half, that doesn't change the fact that this was one of his best games as a Raiders, receiving-wise. The Dolphins had no answer for Cook tonight.

Gabe Jackson/O-line. The O-line picked up the run blocking in the 2nd half. But, the one guy who was responsible for that was Gabe Jackson. Big Gabe ran all over the field and executed some excellent guard pulls to free up holes for the running backs. He opened up a solid gain from DeAndre Washington in the first half and he was a key cog in Lynch's 22 yard TD run.

(-)

Penalties. Okay, there were a lot of penalties that were bogus on both teams. Unnecessary roughness calls on Lee Smith and Karl Joseph were some of the most ridiculous calls I've seen. The only fortunate part is that the Dolphins committed one more penalty for two more yards than the Raiders. The Raiders had 10 penalties for 105 yards while the 'Phins committed 11 penalties for 107 yards.

Critical dropped passes. Passing on 3rd down in the 4th quarter is always risky because there's chances that a receiver will drop a pass and allow too much time for the opposing team to make a comeback. The Raiders still had a surmountable lead for the Dolphins to comeback. Roberts dropped a pass on 3rd down, which wouldn't matter because of a penalty. Crabtree had a pass that bounced off his chest. Coop still has shaken off the dropsies yet. I'm watching there and thinking, "they're just begging for the Dolphins to knock on the door." This is one area that the Raiders need to improve on: catching the ball in close out time if they have the lead.

MVP

Jared Cook, 8 receptions, 126 yards

There'd be a lot of stalled drives if Cook didn't have this kind of game tonight. He was critical in keeping drives alive for the Raider offense. Carr needed to go to someone on 3rd and long situations. He went to Jared.




Conclusion

Well, the AFC West race is beginning to heat up down the stretch. The Chiefs lost earlier today against the Cowboys. Broncos got thumped by the Eagles. Chargers had the bye week, but the Raiders' win tonight puts them in 2nd place. This is a golden opportunity for Oakland as Kansas City has dropped three of its last four games. And the Broncos are reeling down the stretch as poor quarterback play is catching up to them. With this win heading into the bye, they have to keep the momentum going. Hopefully, they use this bye week to figure out what could make this team click for a strong finish. The game against the defending champion Patriots in Mexico City after the bye week is going to be a strong barometer game. The defense needs to bring their A-game and rattle the living daylights out of Tom Brady. I'll see you guys in two weeks for that game.

Week 9: SNF - RAIDERS @ Miami Dolphins 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the 2nd half of the Raiders-Dolphins Week 9 matchup on Sunday Night Football! As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

OAK 27 MIA 24

Okay, the Raiders just have to take a couple of knees. That was a very interesting sequence down the stretch. The Dolphins scored and converted a two-point try. They tried the onside kick. They tried to fool the Raider special teams unit again. But, Coop seals the deal and the Raiders improve to 4-5 heading to the bye week. Big game from Beast Mode after serving the one-game suspension. That was just what the doctor ordered. Playoff hopes just aren't dead yet! Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

OAK 20 MIA 16

Well, well, well, highlight of the night: Beast Mode rips out a big run in the red zone for a TD. We've been waiting for the real Marshawn Lynch to stand up and we saw that this quarter. The offense right now, is showing some spurts in driving down the field and scoring. Still a couple of questionable playcalling by Downing, but they're gaining some yardage. The defense allowed a TD by the Dolphins, but managed to stop them on the first and last drive of the Dolphins. It's time for Carr and the offense to close this out as they're driving down the field.

Week 9: SNF - RAIDERS @ Miami Dolphins 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Sunday night is Raiders night! It's desperation mode now for the Silver and Black. This is the 1st half open thread of the Raiders-Dolphins Week 9 matchup on Sunday Night Football. Leave a comment below the post and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

OAK 13 MIA 9

The Raiders weathered the storm and take a four point lead. Tavecchio adds three more on a 53-yard chip shot. If there's early indication, the Raiders are gonna have to beat the Dolphins with the passing game. There was a little rain in pre-game, which caused a lot of concern for me. But, luckily that has subsided before kickoff. Going back, the Raiders' running game couldn't get anything going against Miami's front seven, but Cook was able to step up and bail the Raiders out on 3rd down. The biggest negative right here is make a guess. If you guessed penalties, that is correct. Most of them were bogus calls from the refs, especially Lee Smith and Karl Joseph's unnecessary roughness penalties. The only legit penalties were Penn's false start and Jared Cook's holding penalties. So far, the Raiders are hanging tough despite playing against two teams. The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

OAK 3 MIA 0 

My goodness, that run game to start was horrendous. The Dolphins have a decent front seven with Suh being the epicenter of that.  The Raiders tried to run the football to get things, but not a lot of holes to get a decent chunk of yardage. The offense was bailed by three great catches from Jared Cook on Derek Carr's pass. Everything else, Miami's D was ready for everything that the Raiders tried to run on offense. We have to see some better play calling in the 2nd quarter.

Sunday Night Dud: Raiders Stagnant vs. Redskins

Welcome to an impromptu recap of last night's game where the Raiders didn't look their best in front of a nationwide audience. Derek Carr throws for 2 INTs as the Raiders get crushed by the Redskins 10-27 behind Kirk Cousins' 3 TD game.

Listening to a very melancholic Greg Papa on 95.7 The Game while at work is not always a good thing. This was a terrible game overall by the Raiders. The fact that they were down 0-21 against a very short-handed Redskins team spoke volumes that this team got punked around last night. It was like the Raiders of the last 14 years came back to life and took the souls of this team. Pathetic performance all-around. The other fact that this game was nationally televised, the verdict is in and America and the rest of the world are not convinced that this Raiders team is a legitimate Super Bowl contender after this shellacking. 

(+)

There were not a lot of positives to point out of this game. There are highlights though. Cowser's two fumble recoveries that helped the Raiders get back into this game for a bit. Khalil Mack's 2nd sack this season. Jared Cook's TD to end the depressing shutout. But other than that, there was not a lot of major positives to point out of this game.

(-)

The entire offense. From top to bottom, the offense deserved a big fat negative after this game. As mentioned Derek Carr threw 2 INTs to start. The offensive line gave up 4 sacks. The receivers were a non-factor. The running game was a non-factor. I'm looking at the stats sheet right now on Yahoo Sports, the offense only managed 128 total yards compared to the Redskins' 472 total yards of offense. For a team that was leading in scoring, that performance was beyond pathetic. I looked at Carr's INTs in the highlights. The first one looked like a lame duck to Cooper. The ball hung in the air for a long time and the Redskins' secondary took advantage of it and made a play. The 2nd one was all Carr. Seth Roberts was almost double covered on that 2nd INT. That was a pretty bad decision on Carr's part. I don't know if it was the National Anthem protest, but the entire offense didn't play like a unit. Too much miscommunication between Carr and the Receivers and the O-line was inexplicably getting beat and not doing much to get the run game going.

Sean Smith. Vernon Davis is not the player he once was. Last night, he beat Sean Smith like a bush twice. I'm sorry, if you get burned by a past-his-prime Vernon Davis, that is embarrassing. When the Raiders got Smith last offseason, I had high hopes for him. I really did. I saw from a knowledgeable poster in Raider Nation forums that Smith only played 3 snaps last night. At this point, it is countdown to the end of the season when the Raiders can finally release without adding dead money to the salary cap.

David Amerson. Amerson continues to regress since he got that extension. I mean this game was the game where you show up your old team. And after this game, Amerson just proved the Redskins right in releasing him two seasons ago. The most noted lowlight in this game from Amerson was that he got absolutely "Moss'd" by Josh Doctson on the Redskins' third TD of the game.

MVP

James Cowser, 3 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries

Cowser was one of the lone bright spots this game. He kept the Raiders alive by recovering a pair of fumble recoveries both on Special Teams and Defense. In a game where nobody deserves MVP, I gotta thank Cowser for at least giving the Raiders a pulse in which they were pretty much dead throughout the game.



Conclusion

Well, the silver lining from this loss is that it's better to get punched in the mouth now while it's still early in the season. It also reminds the Raiders that they're still a young team. 2-0 to start, confidence is riding high. The team feels as if they're on top of the world, then they get hit by reality with the loss. The loss last night should serve a reminder for the Raiders to respect every team they face from here on out. There are no "gimmies" in the NFL. The Raiders will look to rebound next week in a very critical divisional game early in the season. Von Miller, the "No Fly Zone" unit of Talib and Harris, and the rest of the Broncos defense are always a tough test. The Broncos clearly took advantage of Carr's injury the last time the Raiders traveled to Denver. With Carr back, expect this to be another chess match because this team matches up well with the Broncos with all their pieces in place. I'll be back to provide another recap like this next week. But after Week 4, it'll be back to Open Thread and Full Recap posts. I'll see you guys later. 

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!

(+)

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.