Raiders Playoff Hopes Fading in Loss to Chargers

Final: LAC 30 LV 27 (OT) [L] (7-7)

Raiders are coming in for a short week, hoping to rebound. But, Justin Herbert and the Chargers had something to say otherwise as the Raiders lose 30-27 in OT.

Yeah, this one hurts. But, kudos to Marcus Mariota for a good game. Derek Carr pulls his groin in the first half. Mariota comes in and reminded the NFL on his ability as a dual threat QB. Charger defense had no answer for him as he dominated through the air and on the ground with 226 yards passing and 88 rushing yards with 2 total TDs and that one pick. It wasn't his best throw of the night as the ball was behind Zay Jones. But, the offense felt more alive with Mariota at the helm. The Raiders were able to adjust the offense and throw in some read option plays to take advantage of Mariota's mobility.

But the night belonged to Justin Herbert this game. Despite the change with Rod Marinelli at DC, the defense still had its issues as I predicted. The run defense was okay. The pass defense? Not so much. It was a rough night for Trayvon Mullen as he accounted for 4 penalties to give Herbert and the Chargers offense some chunk yards. Despite a hobbled Keenan Allen, who was primarily used as a decoy this game, it was the Chargers 3rd, 4th, and 5th options that stepped it up. The trust that Herbert had in his receivers to make a play was something else even if he is a rookie. Like I said, last week, it was the run defense with a lot of problems. This week, it was the pass defense. 

The Raiders are not mathematically eliminated, but those playoff hopes are slowly dwindling. Most likely, we've seen Derek Carr play his last game of the season. Groin injuries are very tricky and the timetable for them to fully heal varies depending on the severity. Luckily, this was the reason the Raiders brought in Marcus Mariota. They get a backup who is serviceable as a starter. The only issue is that he can be wildly inconsistent. I'm just going to say it now, this team is not ready to make that postseason leap. They exceeded expectations in the first half of the season. But in the second half, those cracks are beginning to show. We are pretty much seeing deja vu from last season. We'll see. The Raiders are going to have to finish strong and they're going to need some significant help. I'll see you guys next week.

Double Recap: Raiders Keep Season Alive with Crazy Win vs. Chiefs; Young Lakers Taken to School vs. Clippers

Welcome in to a double full recap in what was a crazy Thursday night for the blog as the Raiders and Lakers played on national TV. The Raiders resurrected some 4th quarter comeback magic as they knock off their divisional rival Chiefs, ending the Kansas City jinx in a 30-31 thriller. Meanwhile, the Lonzo Ball-Brandon Ingram era for the Lakers hit a brick wall in the team's opener, falling to the Clippers 108-92.

Wow, these two games were polar opposites of each other. My goodness. But I'm gonna be honest, I lost a lot of energy from that frantic finish on the Raiders-Chiefs Thursday Night game. The final sequence of that game was a pure example of the torture us Raider fans have to go through with this team. But, hey Derek Carr did it again against the Chiefs on Thursday Night Football in Oakland. I think the NFL seriously needs to consider more Raiders-Chiefs on Thursday Night in Oakland because that's the only way they can beat the Chiefs. All kidding aside, it took five tries in the final seconds. You'd think the game would be over, but finally the Raiders get calls their way and they capitalized on it with Carr's game-winning TD to King Crab. On the flip side, it was a tough sledding for the Lakers in their game against the Clippers. I said last night, despite Chris Paul's absence, the Clippers are still a proven veteran team and it showed tonight. The Lakers committed some silly turnovers and they were too passive offensively. Defensively, they had a lot of breakdowns which lead to some good outside looks by the Clippers and they just didn't have an answer for neither Blake Griffin nor DeAndre Jordan inside the post.

By virtue, I will cover the losing team first. It's a tradition that I've used when I'm covering the Super Bowl or the NBA Finals where I would address the losing team first and then address the winning team later.

Lakers

(+)

Brook Lopez, 20 points, 6 rebounds, 7-19 shooting. The Lakers brought in Brook Lopez for this kind of stat line. His 3-point game wasn't in sync, shooting 1-5 from beyond the arc, but he did most of his damage inside the post and from the perimeter as well. Keep in mind, I didn't see the first half, but in the second half, Lopez ignited a mini run with a couple of floaters and hook shots before the Clippers proceeded to destroy the Lakers' non-existent defense. Lopez is capable of creating his own shot and he's expected to fill the stat sheet up from here on out.

Lonzo getting teammates involved. Since I missed a majority of the game, I couldn't analyze how well Lonzo moved the ball and with his low assists numbers, I assume either players missed their shots or passed up a shot. But, hearing from Chris Webber at the end of the game that he thought Lonzo did a good job getting teammates involved, that was encouraging to hear. Remember, Lonzo is not a scorer. He's a pass first guy and he's looking to make plays for teammates. He had a nice highlight in the third quarter with pick-and-roll action, finding Lopez for a layup.

Jordan Clarkson 18 points, 7-16 shooting. Last season, Clarkson has proven to be a capable sixth man since the Lakers traded away Lou Williams. It's good to see he's carrying that over. Lopez and Clarkson are in reality the Lakers' offense until further notice.

(-)

Blake Griffin vs. Larry Nance Jr. and Julius Randle. There's no way around this, Blake Griffin destroyed the Lakers' Power Forwards tonight. He completely overpowered both of them in the paint. I saw the highlight of Randle getting posterized on Griffin's dunk in the 2nd half. The defensive assignment on Griffin proved to be too much.

Turnovers and indecisiveness. That was evident in the 3rd quarter. I feel it was the Lakers' youth trying to do too much. They're too focused on making the home run, highlight play and placing some overemphasis on the ball movement. It happens to young teams and you'd hope that the Lakers learn to slow down and be more decisive in their execution as this season progresses.

Defensive breakdowns. This has been a problem since forever literally. I couldn't recall how many times the Lakers allowed high percentage shots to the Clippers. They're gambling too much on double teams, closing out on their man too late, and failing to provide help defense at the right time. Luke Walton should continue to coach these players up on communicating better defense because that will be the biggest concern throughout the season.

Brandon Ingram, 3-15 shooting. Trade him. Okay, that was a joke. Clearly, this was not a good 2nd year debut for Ingram. In the 3rd quarter, Ingram settled for a couple of jumpshots. Those are high percentage shots, but they were just falling short. Say what you want about Ingram being a bust, but like I said, you can't judge a player until year 3. Unless Ingram has games like these in 75% of the season, then maybe we can start questioning how untouchable he is. Shooting-wise, bad game by Ingram, but it's only one game.

Raiders

(+)

Amari Cooper, 11 receptions, 210 yards, 2 TDs. These last few games, it was frustrating to see Cooper getting shut out in the game plan and rarely seeing some targets. It was also frustrating that a majority of Raiders fans were hating on him. Clearly the drops are frustrating, but it's not entirely his fault that Todd Downing doesn't trust him. This game was a great way to break Amari out of his slump. He was targeted a lot in this game. I'm disappointed that some are considering this game a bad game for Coop. Yes, he drop a couple of long balls, but you can't expect him to be on target all the time. He had 19 targets today. I'm sure if he was 18 of 19 in his targets, people still find ways to hate. Coop showed us that he's still a big play receiver and a YAC monster. And you wanna question his toughness? He took a big hit from Daniel Sorenson. I'm still one of those few who'll continue to defend Coop.

Derek Carr, 29 of 52 passes, 417 passing yards, 3 TDs. This one has to be extra special for Carr as nothing has gone his way against the Chiefs in the last five games. The completion percentage is by all means bad. And yes, most of his throws were 50/50 balls. But, no Marshawn Lynch, no running game, Carr had to carry the offense behind his back. Three years ago, Carr lead the Raiders to their first win against the Chiefs on Thursday Night. Three years later, he did it again!

NaVorro Bowman, 11 tackles. Wait, I thought 49ers fans said that Bowman was done? Clearly, they're in a youth movement, but Bowman still proved he can be a difference maker in stopping the run. Overall, the run defense held Kareem Hunt to 87 yards. That's not too bad for a defense that has struggled in defending the run. It's safe to say, Bowman's presence patched up some of the run defense woes.

Jared Cook, 6 receptions, 107 yards. Cook may not have a lot of monster games, but he's responsible for a couple of lore plays. If you look at the divisional playoffs, he made a spectacular catch against the Cowboys to give the Packers the win. This game, he added his name to Raiders lore. Without his clutch 4th down catch and deep ball catch to put the Raiders on the KC 1-yard line, the "L" would've been in the bag for Oakland. If there's one game that Cook needed a big game, this was the one.

Michael Crabtree, 3 receptions, 24 yards, 1 TD. Quiet game for Crab overall. Marcus Peters had a lot to do with that. But he wiped that out with the game-winning TD catch. There's nothing more to say about Crabtree. The man is clutch.

(-)

Secondary. Obi Melifonwu's debut can't come any sooner since he's taken off the I.R. list after Week 8. And hopefully, we get an update on Gareon Conley's shin injury. This secondary is the death of the Raiders' pass defense. David Amerson regressed big time. Sean Smith is a waste of $40 million (even though he didn't play as much). Reggie Nelson is a step late. They allowed Tyreek Hill to walk free. They allowed a big pass play when Marquette King once again pinned them deep. Keith McGill could've had an INT, but an unlucky tip to Albert Wilson. This secondary is seriously a weak link and considering they're banged up, makes it even worse.

Marshawn Lynch's ejection. Marshawn Lynch is a real dude, no question about it. If you hadn't seen it, Marcus Peters put a late hit on Carr, leading to an all-out scrum. The O-line already had Carr's back. Hudson, Osemele, and Penn came to his aid. And you got Lynch running from the sidelines to break up the fight, when he shouldn't be and he shoved a ref. Lynch was not needed when you have five big linemen ready to wage war for Carr. Since Lynch got ejected, the run game became non-existent for the most part besides DeAndre Washington's rushing TD.

MVP (Lakers)

Brook Lopez, 20 points, 6 rebounds, 7-19 shooting

Expect these kinds of stats from Lopez as this season moves forward. He's hands down, the Lakers' best scoring option outside of Clarkson.





MVP (Raiders)

Amari Cooper, 11 receptions 210 yards, 2 TDs

So many MVPs to choose from the Thursday Night game, but I had to give it Amari Cooper. There was so much talk about him going MIA, but when you get him involved, he puts the spark in the Raiders' offense.




Conclusion

Thursday has passed by as it hits 12 midnight in the U.S., but what a night it was. Surely you can't win em all. The Lakers have a lot of growing pains that they'll have to endure with their young core. The Clippers are still a good team without Chris Paul. Blake Griffin is a proven All-Star and they have all kinds of veterans on their squad. The Lakers have a lot of young pieces outside of Brook Lopez and they don't have quality veteran presence like the Clippers have. They still have a lot of learning to do, but they should improve game-by-game. For the Raiders, they needed this win against the Chiefs. As I said, this was a script-changer for a season that is shadowed with internal turmoil. With the crazy finish the game had and the Raiders coming from behind to win, they should get their mojo back. Now, coming off the emotional-draining victory, they have to get back to the drawing because the schedule gets harder from here on out. Whew, I'm beat. I'm emotionally drained. This was a crazy Thursday night. I can't wait to do it again in December and hopefully, I can make a few adjustments. Raider fans, I'll see you next week when the Raiders take on the Bills. Laker fans, I personally don't know when the next nationally televised Laker game is. I have to re-check the schedule. But, if you've followed my blog for a long time, Laker games that are available only in the home market in LA will be subjected to a quick recap post (denoted as a "Quick Fact Check"). The Lakers do have a game tomorrow off back-to-back sets against the Phoenix Suns, so expect a quick recap on that. Other than that, I'll see you guys later.

#ReignTogether - Week 7: TNF - RAIDERS vs. Kansas City Chiefs 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the 2nd half of the Chiefs-Raiders matchup in a mega Thursday night. Raider fans, as usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game. 

Q4

KC 30 OAK 31

Somebody call 911, I'm having a heart attack! Now, that's vintage 2016 Raiders! The Raiders needed a miracle after the Chiefs were pretty much controlling the clock. The Raiders' defense made a clutch stop with a Mack sack. Derek Carr threw a couple of clutch passes to Cooper and Jared Cook on 4th down. But, my goodness that finish! Jared Cook had a TD. No, call overturned, 10 second run off. The Raiders had three tries to get into the end zone. Through divine intervention, the Chiefs committed some costly penalties as time expired. Carr finds Crabtree for the game-winning TD and Tavecchio, my goodness, was that XP close to being wide. But it's good! Holy mother! Stay tuned for the full recap, but I'm turning it over to the Lakers-Clippers game. #ReignTogether

Q3

KC 30 OAK 21

Well, that quarter is the sole reason why the secondary is garbage. Unlucky tipped pass for a TD. The Chiefs winning a couple of challenges to keep the chains moving. It's looking ugly out there. The Raiders' current drive is going to be pivotal. Let's see what Carr and co do.

#ReignTogether - Week 7: TNF - RAIDERS vs. Kansas City Chiefs 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome to one half of a super Thursday night! This is the 1st half open thread of the Raiders' Week 6 divisional matchup vs. the Kansas City Chiefs. For Raider fans, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

KC 20 OAK 14

Rough night for Tavecchio so far in terms of field goal attempts. Could've had this thing nodded up at 20. I'd say for 1.5 quarters in this quarter, we saw the explosive Raiders offense from last year. The AC/DC connection was re-ignited as Carr found Coop for the Raiders' two TDs in this game. Like I said, when they get Coop into the game plan, that opens up the playbook. Defensively, they implemented a lot of zone plays because that's how the Steelers shut the Chiefs' offense down last Sunday. But, on the other .5 of the last quarter, the problems of both sides reared its ugly head once again. I'm seeing some questionable offensive play calling by Todd Downing down the stretch. Ken Norton Jr. somehow thought it was a brilliant idea to put David Amerson on an island against the speedy Tyreek Hill. When Tyreek Hill is on the field, 100% of the time you have to double cover him! You leave him one-on-one and Alex Smith is going to heave it and Hill has the speed to burn them. Well, the run game is looking a lot different now since Marshawn Lynch is thrown out of the game. It's common sense for him to stay off the field. Carr has five big offensive lineman ready to go to war for him if any defender touches him. Lynch's presence is definitely going to be missed. That means more work load for Richard and Washington and Carr's gonna have to carry this offense. That work will be a lot to shoulder against a team like the Chiefs. The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

KC 10 OAK 14

You see where getting Amari Cooper involved in the game plan gets you? That's what was missing in this offense. Explosive plays! The Raiders are throwing everything in the book at the Chiefs. Carr rolling out for a couple of completions. The flea flicker on the handoff to Cordarrelle Patterson to find Amari Cooper for a TD. And then on the 2nd scoring drive, Coop reminded us why he's a Yards-After-Catch monster. That's what was missing! Defensively, they're taking a page out of Pittsburgh's gameplan. They're playing a lot of zone to prevent explosive plays. It worked so far, despite KC getting a TD off a Denico Autry penalty. Good back-and-forth quarter.

#ReignTogether - Thursday Night Doubleheader! - Raiders vs. Chiefs-Lakers vs. Clippers

At some point, both the NFL and NBA scheduling would have two of my favorite teams overlap each other. Tomorrow night is going to be big for this blog. The Oakland Raiders are entering a very critical divisional matchup vs. the Kansas City Chiefs in prime time in order to turn the season around. The Los Angeles Lakers usher in a new era as they take on the Clippers in the battle for L.A. Both these games are going to be in front of a national audience, respectively on NFL Network/CBS and on TNT!

Now, onto the age old question, how is this going to work out on the blog? Obviously, the start of the Lakers-Clippers game will overlap the late 2nd half of the Raiders-Chiefs matchup. I may have to load up a livestream of the Lakers-Clippers start so I can fire up the 1st half open thread while I'm doing the 2nd half open thread of the Raiders-Chiefs matchup on TV. Considering Raiders-Chiefs starts at 5:25 PM, priority will be given to that game. And then once the game ends, I will switch up the channel to the Lakers-Clippers from there on out. I guarantee you, I will find ways to comment on both threads during that time and provide my Q-by-Q reaction on both threads as quickly as possible. In terms of the full post game recap, I will merge both of them into one mega recap. I'll recap the Raiders first and then, the Lakers after and I'll combine the "conclusion" section on my overall thoughts on both games and the outlook ahead for both teams.

I'm excited to experiment with this and I'm looking forward to both games. On the Raiders end, you have the debut of NaVorro Bowman. I said it in my full recap after the Raiders-Chargers game last week, the Raiders had to consider calling NaVorro Bowman. And they did so without hesitation signing him to a 1-year deal. He's expected to play tomorrow and stabilize the Linebacker core for a short term. But, this game against the Chiefs, NaVorro Bowman is a secondary headline. Make no mistake, the Raiders are not playing up to par as of late. They're proving that last year's 12-4 season was a fluke game-by-game. And they're going up against a previously undefeated Chiefs team that just lost to Pittsburgh and you can bet, they'll take their frustration out on the Raiders. They want to turn this season around? This is it. This is the Super Bowl even though it really isn't. But, in a literal sense, it is because the Raiders' aspirations for a Super Bowl trip is looking bleak based on the last few games. This game is a script-changer for the season.

On the Lakers' side, you have the most anticipated regular season debut of Lonzo Ball. We can't forget about Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, and Thomas Bryant. But most likely, Ball and Kuzma are going to log the heavy minutes among the Lakers' latest draft class. While the Lakers are going through their rebuilding phase, the Clippers are starting their rebuilding phase. They broke up 1/3 of Lob City by trading Chris Paul to the Rockets. The Clippers have had the Lakers' number and CP3 was a part of those Clipper victories. But just because they don't have CP3 doesn't mean that the Lakers can finally beat them. They still have Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. They added Lou Williams and Danilo Gallinari. I would say they got better defensively by adding Patrick Beverly and he's going to be a handful for Lonzo Ball because of his scrappy, hard-nosed defense. To make things worse, the Lakers will be short-handed for tomorrow's game. Julius Randle is out. Andrew Bogut is out. KCP will be serving a two-game suspension. Randle is arguably the best rebounder on the team. Bogut out and KCP out are huge losses for the team defensively. It'll be interesting to see how Luke Walton will set the starting lineup and rotations. But, the Lakers should remain competitive with Lonzo, Kuzma, Brook Lopez, and Brandon Ingram. Speaking of Ingram, we're anxious to see how much he improved from his rookie year. He's due for a successful 2nd year campaign in terms of growth and development. Clippers may be the heavy favorite in the opener, but I want to see some competitiveness from this young Laker squad to go along with growth development.

Granted, this won't be the last time this is gonna happen. Both my teams are going to intertwine again in December on Christmas Day when the Raiders take on the Eagles on Monday Night Football and the Lakers take on the Clippers to wrap up the NBA's Christmas galore. But, tomorrow night can not come any faster! Raiders-Chiefs on Thursday Night Football. Lakers-Clippers on the NBA on TNT. For one night, the colors of Silver and Black and Purple and Gold reign together. GO RAIDERS! GO LAKERS! I'll see you guys tomorrow.