Manning, Denver Defense Earn Place in Football History; Shut Down Panthers in Super Bowl 50

Alright guys, welcome in to the full recap of Super Bowl 50 between the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos! In a battle of #1 seeds in the Big Game's 50th installment, the Denver defense, lead by Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware, leave their mark in history as they completely shut down the league MVP Cam Newton and the Panthers, 10-24 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.

There's no magnificent ending in sports other than to see a legendary player end his storied career by going out on top a champion. This is what circled around this game. The legacy that Peyton Manning will leave, there is no question that he's one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game of football, but you can't write a better ending than what he wrote tonight and that's walking out of Levi's Stadium, in the 50th edition of the Super Bowl, a champion. But let's step away from Peyton's storied career for a minute. Time and time again, the Denver Broncos defense showed why they were the best defense in the league. Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, the rest of the Broncos defense, they attacked Cam Newton and the Panthers O-line like crazy. They didn't give him any room to run as they kept stacking up the box, their defensive backs didn't give the Panthers receivers any room to run, and they made timely turnovers to seal the game. Like I said, the Panthers had some opportunities, but they shot themselves in the foot countless times and it costed them in the long run and the Denver defense was able to eat them up.

Carolina Panthers

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Defense. I predicted that this would be a low scoring game because of how good both defenses are. But let's look at the Panthers' side first. They were on the field for too long this game because of the slow start of the offense and the amount of mistakes the offense was making. But, they hung tough out there. After being off balance for Denver's first offensive drive, they kept them in check all game long, holding them to field goals by Brandon McManus. Luke Kuechly, 10 tackles, 1 sack, no question he's a beast. But Kony Ealy was their top performer out there with 4 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 INT, 1 forced fumble. Ealy's play tonight kept the Panthers defense afloat and prolonged window of opportunity for the Panthers offense to get the team back into this game.

Corey "Philly" Brown, 4 receptions, 80 yards. When Brown went out to the locker room somewhere in the third quarter, that was it for the Panthers because he was their play maker all game long when the Panthers' offense couldn't get anything going. Cam Newton had pressure in his face all game long, being unable to make some throws he usually make. But Philly Brown stepped up to be that big play maker and he did a tremendous job against this stingy Denver secondary before he went down to injury.

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Missed opportunities. It wasn't just the Broncos' defense who beat the Panthers, it was also the Panthers who beat the Panthers this game. 4 turnovers in the game, a missed field goal by Graham Gano. The running game, when Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert had some good runs, they fumbled. When T.J. Ward fumbled his interception, the Panthers couldn't come up to recover the fumble and score it for a TD. When Cam Newton fumbled the snap in the 4th quarter, he didn't bother to recover the ball to give the team one last run. This is a reflection of a young team and their mistakes showed in the biggest game of their life.

Penalties. Like I said before, the Panthers also beat the Panthers and they shot themselves in the foot this game. Too many pre-snap penalties that costed them yardage when they were putting together solid drives in Broncos territory and too many illegal block/holding penalties that costed them some decent field position to start.

Denver Broncos

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Von Miller, 6 tackles, 2.5 sacks. Von Miller, hands down deserved Super Bowl MVP honors. The Panthers' O-line just didn't have the answers on how to contain him or block him! Von was just too fast for the Panthers to handle. The strip sack he had on Newton for a TD during the first quarter pretty much set the tone that Newton was not going to run circles on this defense. When he brings pressure from the blind side, it results in a sack and he got to Newton too many times. Some of the time, he was able to sack him, hence his 2.5 sacks, but a lot of the time when Miller collapsed the pocket it allowed opportunities for Ware and Derek Wolfe to get after Newton. There was nowhere for Newton to escape and Von Miller definitely made his presence felt this game as a pass rusher and as a disruptive playmaker.

Dustin Colquitt. Hey, punters are people too! Rarely is the importance of special teams emphasized, but the defense wouldn't have feasted on the Panthers' offense if it weren't for Dustin Colquitt. Colquitt pinned the Panthers deep for the most part of this game. This answers the reason why the Panthers' offense was getting awful field position to start! Even when the Broncos were deep into their own territory, Colquitt's punts didn't allow Ted Ginn, Jr. to have a favorable punt return nor did he give them any field position to start in Denver territory.

C.J. Anderson, 21 carries, 82 yards, 1 TD. Aside from the defense, Denver's running game was the the other key for the Broncos to have any chance of winning and C.J. Anderson provided that spark. The O-line deserves credit too for opening up some timely holes, but Anderson getting the running game going with some explosive runs kept the Panthers' defense off balance in some stints of the game. Not to mention, his 2 yard TD run sealed the deal for the Broncos in securing a Super Bowl victory over the heavily favored Panthers.

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Demaryius Thomas, 1 reception, 8 yards. Panthers' cornerback, Josh Norman did his job in containing the Broncos' #1 receiver. I don't know if it's the big contract that he got in the past offseason, but Thomas was non-existent for the most part of the season, let alone in the playoffs. And two years after setting receiving records in Super Bowl XLVIII, he is held to just 1 catch for 8 yards in Super Bowl 50. How's he going to live up to his contract now that Peyton Manning may call it quits? We don't know, but he hasn't been the Broncos' go-to-guy as of late.

Conclusion

I'll remove some impartiality a little and say as a Raider fan, this game makes me want to puke after witnessing the Denver Broncos win yet another Super Bowl title and this time in my hometown of Santa Clara. You never want to see a heated divisional rival win it all at your expense. And in the process, they tied us for the most championships in the AFC West. Okay, I've gotten that off my chest. But it's going to be interesting to see if they're still going to be a powerhouse team as they transition into football life without Peyton Manning. As long as they keep their core players in Von Miller, Derek Wolfe, Malik Jackson, Danny Trevathan, etc. and Wade Phillips is still calling plays, their defense is going to carry the team on their back because the players are in the prime of their careers with the exception of DeMarcus Ware of course. Hey, in the incoming offseason, the Raiders might not have a shot at Von Miller to pair him with Mack, but they have a legit chance in snagging Malik Jackson or Danny Trevathan or both away to weaken them. As for the Panthers, they're young and this is part of the growing process. There's no question they'll be contenders for quite some time. The only question is, when players like Josh Norman for example played lights out in his contract year, will he play at the same level once he gets a contract extension? Both teams have a lot of questions to answer in the offseason because a lot of their integral pieces will be free agents. As for Peyton Manning, a heck of an ending to a storied career. The game of football is going to be weird to watch since guys like Charles Woodson and Peyton Manning, the last of their kind in the 1998 draft, called it quits after this season. But congrats to Peyton for a storied NFL career and we'll see him again with a gold jacket on in Canton, Ohio. Thank you guys for following my coverage of Super Bowl 50. Until next season. I'll see you guys later.

Congrats Denver Broncos Super Bowl 50 champions!

(I'm gonna puke)

SUPER BOWL 50: Carolina Panthers (NFC) vs. Denver Broncos (AFC) Q-by-Q Reaction

Q4:

CAR 10 DEN 24

The 2015 Broncos' defense might've solidified its place as one of the best defenses in Super Bowl history to go along with the 1985 Chicago Bears, 2000 Baltimore Ravens, and the 2013 Seattle Seahawks. Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, and the rest of the Denver D-line contained Cam Newton and just straight up rattled him and the Panthers' O-line. Like I said in the 3rd quarter, the Panthers had some opportunities to come back in this game, but fumbles, pre-snap penalties absolutely doomed them from start to finish. Peyton Manning, you can't ask for a better ending for a storied career. Just unbelievable. But, the Denver defense hands down won this game single-handedly. They were just too much for the Panthers' offense to handle. Stay tuned for the full recap after the trophy presentation.

Q3:

CAR 7 DEN 16

We can talk about how good the Broncos defense has been all game long. But, the truth of the matter is, the Panthers are shooting themselves in the foot right now. Graham Gano's missed field goal started the trend, which allowed the Broncos to drive and cap it off with another McManus field goal. Then, just when the Panthers are about to go into the Broncos' red zone again, Newton throws an interception, but T.J. Ward fumbled it and that could've swung the momentum in Carolina's favor had Ted Ginn scooped it and possibly return it for a TD. The Panthers had a lot of opportunities this quarter and they couldn't cash them in. The window for them is closing soon as we head to the final quarter of Super Bowl 50 and of the 2015 NFL Season as well.

Q2:

CAR 7 DEN 13

Panthers' offensive coordinator, Mike Shula made some adjustments this quarter and he let Cam Newton turned loose to get the Panthers' offense going. In the first quarter, the defense held Newton in check, but in the 2nd quarter with some misdirection plays and some option plays, Newton rushed for 46 yards on 5 carries against this Denver defense. That opened up some opportunities and Jonathan Stewart was able to punch in to get Carolina on the board. The Panthers are fortunate to be down by 6 because of their stellar play from their defense lead by Luke Kuechly to contain Denver's offense after their first series, but some costly turnovers and drops are costing them right now from tying the game or taking the lead. Then again, the Broncos defense are making their presence felt in giving Newton all kinds of looks and fits. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

CAR 0 DEN 10

This quarter definitely belonged to the Broncos. The Denver defense is definitely as good as advertised. They're stacking up the box against Newton so that he doesn't have any running lanes to flush out of the pocket for a big gainer and they're forcing him to throw. Meanwhile, the Broncos offense went off to a good start. I said if they establish the run with C.J. Anderson, it'll open up things for Peyton and they caught the Panthers' defense off balance before they successfully stopped them in the next few drives. So far though, the Denver defense is doing its job, but credit to the special teams of the Broncos too for giving the Panthers offense horrible field position to start.

Super Bowl 50 Halftime Post

CAR 7 DEN 13

Welcome in to the halftime post of Super Bowl 50 between the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos where the Broncos have a 7-13 lead at the half.

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C.J. Anderson (DEN), 7 carries, 58 yards. I said in the "Keys for the Broncos" in my preview that the running game has to be established and it starts with C.J. Anderson. Anderson found some good holes in the running lane against this good Carolina run defense as it was evident in Denver's first series on offense and during the 2nd quarter when he found a big hole to put the Broncos into the red zone. The O-line gets credit too for paving some holes for Anderson to run loose. Even though the Panthers stopped Denver a few drives, the running game managed to put their defense on ice.

Defense (DEN). Cam Newton held to 0 rushing yards in the first quarter, a couple of fumbles, one returned for a TD, sacks by Miller and Ware, the defense is doing its job in frustrating Cam Newton and giving him no room to run. If the Broncos are going to win this game, they have to ride on their defense to make plays and give Peyton Manning some opportunities to field some decent drives together.

Luke Kuechly (CAR), 6 tackles, 1 sack. Without a shadow of a doubt, Luke Kuechly is one of the best middle linebackers in the game and he's translating his elite play to the Super Bowl. He was able to get Peyton off a blitz, his activity was well evident when covering the whole field (look at the hit he made on Demaryius Thomas).

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Aqib Talib (DEN), 3 penalties. If there's one thing that's going to cost the Broncos, it's the penalties. The defense hasn't given the Panthers' offense any life, but some big penalties by Aqib Talib has given the Panthers a fighting chance and the Panthers were able to cash in on their first score by those two big penalties by Talib. Talib has costed them the Colts game awhile. He can't afford to cost them here in the big game.

Jitters (CAR). Understandably so, the Panthers are a young team, playing in the biggest game of their young careers. The Panther receivers were dropping a lot of balls, Mike Tolbert fumbled twice when the Panthers were in good field position to field a couple of drives. Right now, they're relying on Cam Newton to put something together and they're not trying to make plays to help out their quarterback because the Broncos defense is zoned out to contain Newton.

Bottom Line

The Panthers' offense have to shake off the jitters and the receivers need to stop dropping some balls to give Newton a fighting chance. That's detrimental for the Panthers to get back in this game since the defense is doing their job containing Peyton Manning and the offense. The Broncos, it's all about defense, defense, defense. This Denver defense is going to make plays and give Manning some opportunities to put together some solid field position to put together some solid scoring drives. Let's see what happens in the 2nd half as Carolina gets the ball after deferring the coin toss.

Super Bowl 50 Preview: Denver Broncos vs. Carolina Panthers

Welcome in to another True Raider Laker edition of previews for Super Bowl Sunday. This year, we are celebrating 50 years since the big game was formed and this year's matchup pits the AFC champion, the Denver Broncos, who are making their 2nd Super Bowl appearance in four years and the NFC champion, the Carolina Panthers, making their 2nd Super Bowl appearance since 2004. And with great pride, this 50th edition of the Super Bowl is happening in my hometown of Santa Clara, California at Levi's Stadium.

I would've never thought in 21 years, a Super Bowl event would be happening in my hometown, let alone, happen in the Bay Area. This is a surreal feeling for me that I'm previewing this Super Bowl, knowing it's going to happen in my hometown. I think this is the only time I'll thank the 49ers for something; building a stadium in my hometown, but I'm still gonna stick to the Silver and Black thank you very much. First we had WrestleMania 31 last year, which I attended and it was a blast. Now, we have Super Bowl 50, it's just pure pandemonium here in Santa Clara for the last two years. Well enough reminiscing about my town, another year where the #1 seed in both conferences will face off against each other in the Super Bowl. The Broncos are trying to win one more for Peyton Manning in his "last rodeo" in professional football while the Panthers are trying to write their name in history after finishing a league best, 15-1 in the regular season. As usual, I will evaluate their roster, their season, and make my prediction as to who do I think will win the big game. Let's get down to business!

Denver Broncos

There is no question that Peyton Manning is grabbing all the attention now that we know that this Super Bowl is his swan song for his NFL career. However, the story of the Broncos this season did not revolve around Manning. Their #1 ranked defense was the sole reason why they wounded up in this Super Bowl. This defense was stacked with plenty of pass rushers from Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, Malik Jackson, Derek Wolfe, etc. The secondary, headlined by Chris Harris, Jr., Aqib Talib, and T.J. Ward were stout and physical in coverage, which opened up a lot of sack opportunities for Miller and Ware. Wade Phillips, in his first year as Denver's defensive coordinator, did wonders in transforming the Broncos' front seven into every quarterback's worst nightmare; you have to give him a lot of credit for that. This season, the Denver defense allowed an average of 199.6 passing yards, ranked #1 in pass defense and they were also top 5 in run defense, allowing an average of 83.6 yards on the ground (link). To show you examples of how legit this defense is: they held Aaron Rodgers to under 100 yards passing, they completely blanked the Raiders' offense for the first half of the Week 14 game in Denver, holding them to minus yardage. Of course both regular season games frustrated me as a Raider fan, but in all honesty, you can't help but fear the Broncos' defense because they are layered with depth from the D-line, Linebacker, and Secondary positions and you just never know what kind of pressure Wade Phillips would dial up.

Even though the defense is a stalwart group, they had to resort to the "bend, but don't break" philosophy in most games because the offense was so stagnant for the most part of the regular season. Peyton Manning had trouble throwing the football and adding some zip to his passes, C.J. Anderson frustrated many Fantasy owners with his slow start to get the ball rolling, Demaryius Thomas dropped a lot of balls, and the O-line, well, Khalil Mack's 5 sack performance in Week 14 told the whole story about the up-and-down play of Denver's O-line. Throughout the season, the poor performance of the offense put Denver in a lot of close games, but because the defense made some timely plays and some key stops, the offense got bailed out in a lot of the team's victories. In the games against the Ravens, the Chiefs (in Kansas City), the Vikings, the Raiders (in Oakland), the Bears, and the Bengals, all of these games were won because of the awesome play of the Broncos' defense much to the expense of the offense. The Denver offense was a hot mess that head coach Gary Kubiak resorted to benching Manning in favor of Brock Osweiler. There's no question that Osweiler filled in admirably, especially when he lead the team to a shocking win over the Patriots. But, you can't write Manning's fairy tale story if he's not under center and I think that was Kubiak's mindset when he made the decision to go back to Manning as the starter much to the dismay of some Bronco fans who thought Osweiler was the man going forward. Also the fact that Manning has postseason experience played into account for the decision to start him. In the playoff games against the Steelers and the Patriots, the offense under Manning's command showed some flashes and they did just enough to win both playoff games while the #1 defense continued to play at a high level.

Carolina Panthers

"Keep pounding" was the mantra all season long for the 2015 Carolina Panthers. Nobody thought they would've made the jump from a 7-8-1 record last season to a near perfect 15-1 record this season. And understandably so, Cam Newton was going to miss his go to receiver, Kelvin Benjamin for the season after a solid rookie year and Greg Olsen was projected to be his only good go to target while everyone else was just questionable. Everybody thought Newton was going to have a down year and the Panthers would not see any postseason action at all. Boy, did they prove everyone wrong. Cam Newton may be en route to receive league MVP honors, proving he's a threat in the air and on the ground. 3,000+ yards passing, 35 passing TDs, and 10 rushing TDs to go with those stats (link). It's not just "Supercam" who carried this team, but their opportune defense was another key component to their regular season success. The Panthers defense lead the league in takeaways, cornerback Josh Norman emerged into a premiere shutdown corner in his contract year, and linebacker, Luke Kuechly may give J.J. Watt a run for his money for Defensive Player of the Year. Head Coach, Ron Rivera did an excellent job in making this team play at a high level for all 16 games, but credit also goes to the coordinators. Offensive coordinator, Mike Shula continues to play a key role in Newton's development and defensive coordinator, Sean McDermott had this defense playing hard for 60 long minutes all game when the Panthers' offense decided to shut down after scoring a lot of points.

Now, despite the 15-1 record, a lot of critics are trying to take away their credit because they benefited from an easy schedule. If you look back at their schedule, definitely many teams would die to play that kind of a cupcake schedule. The NFC South? Mediocre. The AFC South? Garbage division this year. The NFC East? Yeah, that's a garbage division as well. But you can't completely blame the Panthers' success all on the schedule. The Panthers just went out there and did their job, to win games and ensure longevity to their season. Because the Panthers' offense played conservative after scoring a lot of points, most of their games were close and the final scoreboard doesn't always indicate how a game went. The game against the New York Giants was a particular example. They had them beat by 30+ points, but the Giants came back and Carolina still eventually won by a field goal. But enough of making fun of the Panthers' easy schedule, they had a pair of legitimate wins against the Seahawks in Seattle and the Packers, who by the way had Cam Newton and the Panthers' number in the previous seasons. To win against the Seahawks in Seattle is a huge accomplishment. When Newton lead the Panthers to a game-winning drive against the Seahawks with 12th man roaring at them, it proved to be a stepping stone for where they are now. In the playoffs, the Panthers have proven that their 15-1 record was no fluke, taking it to the 2x NFC champion, Seahawks and the #2 seeded, Arizona Cardinals and handling them with ease. If a team can manhandle two good teams in a powerhouse division such as the NFC West, especially in the playoffs, it speaks volumes and what we saw in both playoff games is a Panthers team with a lot of young players either in their prime or in their contract year that is hungry to hoist the Lombardi trophy and in the process, shut all their naysayers up.

Keys for the Broncos

Even though the marquee matchup of this Super Bowl is Peyton Manning vs. Cam Newton, the Denver defense will play a key role in containing Cam Newton. The Broncos defense faced some mobile quarterbacks in Alex Smith and Aaron Rodgers, guys who can move out of the pocket and extend plays with their legs. But, Newton is a different animal when it comes to scrambling quarterbacks. Wade Phillips has to draw up different blitzes and give out all kinds of different defensive alignments to confuse Newton. There has to be a defender in front to spy on the read option because once Cam finds a hole in the defense he'll take off running for a first down or a TD. If Newton gets his way on the ground, it'll open up opportunities for Jonathan Stewart and the Panthers' ground game to get going. The next key for the defense is containing tight end, Greg Olsen. Neutralizing Cam Newton's favorite target will do a lot of wonders for the Broncos secondary and open up some opportunities for Ware, Miller, and the rest of the D-line to wreak havoc in the pocket. Offensively, Peyton cannot be depended on to beat the Panthers defense because we all know what happened two years ago when Seattle crushed Denver 43-8. To ensure that doesn't happen again, the Broncos' running game with C.J. Anderson has to be established to give Peyton some opportunities for some play action and misdirection plays in Gary Kubiak's offensive system. The play of the O-line will be crucial for the offensive game plan to work out as Carolina's front seven poses a daunting matchup in front of them.

Keys for the Panthers

If anything, the Panthers are playing red hot football right now in the playoffs. If there's any indication of how good they are, they got off to fast starts against the Seahawks and the Cardinals and Cam Newton and the opportunistic defense of the Panthers has a lot to do with it. They'll have to repeat the same formula against this Broncos team. Now, this may be the Panthers' greatest test of the season so far because have never faced a defense as vaunted as the defense of the Broncos under Wade Phillips, so the key for them is to get the offense to a fast start. The Panthers' O-line has been so good in keeping Newton upright all season, so they're gonna need to hold up against the likes of Ware and Miller. Perhaps the biggest X-factor for the Panthers besides Newton and Olsen to look out for is Ted Ginn, Jr. Think of the role Percy Harvin played for the Seahawks against the Broncos two years ago. Harvin's presence allowed the Seahawks to open up a lot of opportunities on their offense. What Harvin was to the Seahawks is what Ginn's going to be for the Panthers. If he plays well, the Panthers offense will open things up. The Panthers have to make Peyton Manning beat them and not only do they have to start fast, they have to contain their running game. The Panthers' run defense has been good all season long, ranking 4th against the run (link). If they bottle up C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman in the run game, Manning is going to be a sitting duck and that'll create opportunities for Kuechly, Norman, and Kurt Coleman to make some plays defensively to get Manning rattled or have him commit some costly turnovers.

Prediction

This is always the tough part. The Broncos are going to do everything they can to have Peyton Manning ride out his Hall of Fame career into the sunset as a Super Bowl champion and their #1 defense is going to be carrying this team. The Panthers, despite their youth, a lot of these players are either in their prime or they are playing hard for a contract extension to stay with the teams. I see this as a low scoring affair, but I think the Panthers defense is just going to be too good for Peyton Manning. It's going to be like Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seahawks all over again minus the blowout. I think Newton is going to do just enough against the Broncos' #1 defense, but the Panthers' defense is going to get all the headlines by shutting down the Broncos' running game and making Manning commit key turnovers that'll put Carolina's offense in good positions to score against the Broncos' defense.

Projected Final Score: DEN 13 CAR 23

A Season in Review: 2015 Raiders

Welcome in to the annual "Season in Review" post for the 2015 Oakland Raiders season. As usual, I reflect on this season from the past offseason, to the regular season games, and address what the team needs to do in the impending offseason and draft.

By NFL standards, a 7-9 season is a losing record. It is a disappointing finish. But considering the way the Raiders finished last season at 3-13, a 7-9 record is an improvement. The free agent class Reggie McKenzie brought in was leaps and bounds better than last season. Michael Crabtree, Rodney Hudson, Malcolm Smith, Lee Smith, Aldon Smith (before the suspension), David Amerson, and Dan Williams all made solid contributions on this roster. The 2015 draft class, headlined by Amari Cooper, Mario Edwards, Jr., Clive Walford, Ben Heeney, and Neiron Ball, proved to be a worthy sequel to the amazing draft class of 2014. Jack Del Rio and his coaching staff did a solid job in grooming this roster together and creating a "never say die" culture, hence why the Raiders have been competitive in games all season long.

Reflecting on all 15 games of the season, there was no doubt that the Raiders had so many opportunities presented at them to rally or preserve for a victory. They could've easily tripled their win total and be in position to make the playoffs. But too many times, they failed to cash in on those opportunities. The only convincing loss they had all season long was in Week 1 vs. the Bengals. The Bengals picked them apart as expected of an established perennial playoff team. But look at every other loss, the Raiders remained competitive, but they've continually shot themselves in the foot whether it was through costly turnovers, untimely penalties, conservative play calling, special teams errors, or the defense failing to make a stand. Against Chicago, the defense failed to make a game winning stop on 4th down, the first game against Denver, Carr threw a costly, game-sealing pick 6, against Pittsburgh, they failed to allow someone other than Antonio Brown to beat them. This team was virtually in every game and each game they played in were meaningful down the stretch because of playoff implications. They just didn't have the mentality or experience to put teams away. We can't overlook that this Raiders team is young and they'll figure out ways to close out opponents through experience and it benefits even more that they'll have continuity on the coaching staff.

Now closely evaluating each game, there was a sense of imbalance or lack of stable identity and that is typical of a team under a first year head coach and a new system. Going back to when the Raiders were dropping 30+ points in Weeks 7-9 vs. San Diego, New York (Jets), and Pittsburgh respectively, this team was explosive and they were fun to watch. We all thought we were wrong about Bill Musgrave and started crowning him as an offensive mastermind. Since the defense was horrendous to begin with, we wanted Ken Norton, Jr. gone. However, as Norton's defense started to come together down the stretch, the "explosiveness" of Musgrave's offense fizzled out and all of a sudden we want Musgrave gone. There is no denial that the offense regressed in the final games of the season. It's not only just Musgrave's play calling, but a plethora of injuries to the O-line and Amari Cooper's nagging foot injury were big factors in the regression of the offense. I personally don't think Musgrave is the right man to orchestrate the offense, but the Raiders can't afford to mar Carr's young career by putting him in yet another brand new offense, unless Pep Hamilton is one call away. Ken Norton, Jr., the way he has adjusted the defense late in the season with all the injuries and the Aldon Smith suspension deserves another year and see what he can do with a heatlthy Khalil Mack and a better secondary. We all know with Jack Del Rio at the helm, this team is defensive-minded, but if the Raiders can get both the offense and defense to click, they will have more victories against good teams and they will have more blowout wins against lesser teams. This offseason should be the opportune time for the players to be fully integrated into the systems.

Even though a team is measured by wins and losses, from a statistical perspective, there were more positives than negatives. The offense produced a 3,000 yard, almost a 4,000 yard passer in Carr, a 1,000 yard rusher in Murray, and a 1,000 yard receiver in Cooper. The O-line was top 10 according to Pro Football Focus at one point before the injuries caught up. Mack, at one point, was the NFL's sack leader and Charles Woodson, at one point, was the league leader in interceptions. Mack, Woodson, and Reece are Pro Bowl bound. Carr, Murray, and Cooper are alternates; if they can get in to replace players whose team is playing the Super Bowl, the Raiders will have 6 Pro Bowl players this season, their highest in a long, LONG time. Obviously, we know Woodson is retiring at the end of the season, Reece's skills are diminishing, and the Pro Bowl doesn't mean squat, but the possibility of having 6 Pro Bowl players is huge. Even though much of these stats and accolades only translate to 7 wins, it's a harbinger of good things to come for the Raiders as long as they build consistency off of this kind of progress for next season.

The good news about the offseason, we don't have to talk about hiring another head coach or which top 5 prospect the Raiders should get in the draft. The priority of this offseason should be in this order: building a stout secondary, shoring up the right side of the O-line, adding a complementary power back to Murray, getting a true "Mike" linebacker that can play both the run and pass, and adding a lot more depth to this team. It also doesn't hurt getting Carr a few more weapons and it also doesn't hurt adding more pass rushers to the defense. There are a lot of good options at corner and safety with Eric Weddle, Eric Berry, Sean Smith, Josh Norman, and Prince Amukamara hitting the unrestricted free agent market. Maybe Jack Del Rio and Ken Norton, Jr. can channel both their Denver and Seattle ties again by luring in Danny Trevathan from the Broncos and Bruce Irvin and Jeremy Lane from the Seahawks. In terms of the draft, the Raiders have the 14th pick and at this point, the Raiders just have to get the Best Player Available. All the intriguing prospects like Vernon Hargreaves, Reggie Ragland, Myles Jack, Jalen Ramsey, will likely be gone by the time the Raiders draft. If somebody follows the college ranks 24/7, you can comment below on who the Raiders should get in the 1st round of the 2016 draft. Then after, they should start addressing glaring holes and add depth to the roster, such as the secondary, O-line, and linebacker position.

Now that the season is over with, it's time that we address the "elephant in the room." Where are the Raiders playing next season? Week 16 could possibly be the last time the Raiders play in Oakland. The Raiders have already applied for possible relocation to LA, along with the Rams and the Chargers. I've kept my views on whether they should stay in Oakland or move to LA behind closed doors dating back to last season. However, I will give you my stance. In my opinion, the Raiders belong in Oakland. If they move to LA, would I turn my back on them? Absolutely not unless Mark Davis pulls an Art Modell when Modell renamed the Cleveland Browns into the Baltimore Ravens. Personally, I will not be mad if the Raiders move because although I am a Bay Area guy, I do have personal ties with family and a majority of my college friends residing in LA and SoCal in general. That and I'm a Lakers fan, just want to throw that out there for the namesake of this blog. I know the rivalry between the Bay Area/NorCal and LA/SoCal is well-documented, but if it means keeping the Raiders in California, so be it. Ultimately though, I would like the Raiders to stay in Oakland. To me, the Raiders epitomize what the city and community of Oakland is about: grit, pride, and hard work. They are the dark side of Bay Area football (Star Wars reference) and it would just be gut wrenching for Oakland, the East Bay, and the Bay Area as a whole if they move out for good. We Raider fans in the Bay Area have stuck through 13 non-winning seasons of hell and for LA to get them when things start to turn around, it's just heartbreaking that the inevitable can possibly happen by next week. At this point, it's up to the NFL owners to vote on which teams go to LA. Hopefully, the Raiders are not one of those teams.

At the end of the day, we can agree on one thing: the Raiders are coming back. The team needs a few more pieces and they will start contending for the AFC West, let alone the Super Bowl. The dark ages are almost over and we finally have a respected football team. Too many times opponents have nonchalantly walked to a matchup vs. the Raiders, marking it as an automatic victory. With this current team on the rise, opponents will have to earn a victory against them. One thing is for certain after this season, the Raiders are starting to become a professional football team once again. Once again, thank you Raider Nation for following my coverage for the 2015 season. Here's to a bright 2016.

"Came so far and it feels so amazing, and now we're dealing with a new generation." ~ Dizzy Wright - "New Generation"

Raiders Bottled Up in Finale vs. Chiefs

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' week 17 divisional matchup vs. the Kansas City Chiefs where the Raiders had a chance to rally in the final seconds, but the Chiefs' defense had the number of the Raiders' offense all game long as they lose the regular season finale to the Chiefs 17-23.

Last week, the Raiders sent Charles Woodson out in Oakland with a bang. His final game in the NFL is surely a stinger. But let's not turn this attention to Woodson's final game ending on a bad note, this game was bad on all facets of the game offensively. The receivers couldn't get open, the O-line was getting beat around, the running game was held in check, offensive playcalling was soft, and Derek Carr was trying to do too much. The defense, despite giving up 21 points, hung around for the Raiders, created a pair of turnovers to make this a game, but it wasn't enough.

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Turnovers. I'm just going to rehash from what I said in the halftime post, they said Alex Smith barely turns the ball over during the Chiefs' winning streak. This game, the Raiders took it to heart and managed to generate two interceptions on Smith. T.J. Carrie had a pick, David Amerson, another pick for 6. There's no question the secondary needs to be addressed this offseason with Woodson gone and possibly other players getting cut (e.g. D.J. Hayden), but this game proved that Amerson is worth keeping around. He's not going to be a shutdown corner, but he's a decent football player. As much as Carrie had a down year due to injuries and shuffling from corner to safety, he's the Raiders' best player in the secondary. Props to them getting the picks and bringing the Raiders back in this game.

Khalil Mack, 10 tackles. There's no question Mack is a candidate for defensive player of the year. He rightfully deserves Pro Bowl honors and he's possibly moving up in the NFL's top 100 list. When he's not getting sacks, he's a tackling machine. Perhaps the highlight of this game was when he decided to do push ups after stopping a run. He could've had a couple of sacks here like last game, but I saw a lot of times he got held and the refs weren't calling them. Nonetheless, it was an impressive sophomore campaign for Mack, a huge leap from his rookie season.

(-)

O-line. Okay, I know most of the Chiefs sacks were because Carr didn't want to throw the ball away. I'm not pro Carr, so I'll pinpoint that flaw from Carr's game. I think with all the injuries and shuffling, especially from that right side of the O-line, the lack of depth was showing. Obviously, J'Marcus Webb is not starter material, Feliciano still has a long way to go in polishing his game to be the Raiders' long-term answer at right guard. The negatives on the O-line doesn't just stem from the pass protection, but they couldn't open up holes for Murray to get the run game going. 6 sacks on Carr, it's a "bang-bang" argument that it was Carr not getting rid of the ball or the O-line just couldn't block.

Offensive playcalling. I would hate for the Raiders to do this to Carr by hiring a new offensive coordinator and give him a new playbook in three years, but Musgrave needs to go along with this conservative playcalling. He made a fool out of us during the stretch of the Chargers, Jets, and Steelers games, thinking that this offense is explosive, but it's clear that they've regressed. Defenses have a lot of game film on them and Musgrave doesn't make any adjustments. Too many quick screen passes, no elements of surprise, really predictable.

Conclusion

It sucks the Raiders couldn't send Charles Woodson off a winner in his final NFL game and it sucks they did not end the season on a high note. Even though the record is unsatisfactory, a 7-9 finish exceeded a lot of expectations. Although I had this team going at 8-8 or 9-7, the consensus was that this team was going 6-10 and the Raiders proved a lot of experts wrong. This team had a couple games slip away from them this season, but they were virtually in every game except the first game of the season vs. the Cincinnati Bengals. Though this loss against the Chiefs ended the season on a sour note, there's a lot of good things to look forward to for the future. Once again, I'll provide a "season in review" post to elaborate on the good and the bad this season, so stay tuned for that. Sorry if I'm a little slow getting these posts on time. I am currently battling a cold that I got on Friday, so not a good way to start off the New Year for me. But, thank you Raider Nation for following my coverage of the 2015 season for the Oakland Raiders. I'll see you guys later.

Week 17: C-Wood's Last Game RAIDERS @ Kansas City Chiefs

Q4:

OAK 17 KC 23

Game winning drive with no timeouts 101: always aim for the sidelines. The Raiders had a chance to steal one in Kansas City, but they just kept throwing on the field. What were they doing there? It also didn't help that Carr took a sack, pretty much sums this game up. O-line was horrible today, Carr needs to know when to throw the ball away and use his mobility more, Musgrave didn't open up the playbook until that last TD drive to Crabtree. Woodson walks out the game with a loss on the road. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3:

OAK 10 KC 23

What I said in the halftime post, it's been the same thing like it was all game long in the 2nd half. The offense is just stagnant and they can't decipher this Chiefs defense. O-line can't protect Carr, the running game is still non-existent, predictable quick screen passes from Musgrave. This is just awful.

Q2:

OAK 10 KC 14

Bend, but don't break. As much as the Chiefs' offense are gashing the Raiders' defense, the defense just finds ways to bring life for the team. Two timely interceptions on Alex Smith, one returned for a touchdown, just enough to put the Raiders back in this game. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

OAK 0 KC 14

Well, the majority of this quarter was all Chiefs. They were just methodical in their first two drives. Andy Reid was throwing everything on the offensive playbook at the Raiders' defense and that resulted in two TDs. At the end of the first quarter though, a rare sighting of a long kickoff return for the Raiders as the returning game has been nonexistent all season long. Taiwan Jones provided a much needed spark on the last kickoff return for the Raiders to get back in it.

RAIDERS-Chiefs Halftime Post

OAK 10 KC 14

Welcome in to the halftime post of the Raiders' divisional matchup vs. the Chiefs in Kansas City where the Chiefs have a narrow 10-14 lead at the first half.

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Turnovers. It's been said a lot of times, Alex Smith barely turns the ball over during the Chiefs' hot winning streak. This game, he already has two interceptions. T.J. Carrie managed to get a pick. After Derek Carr threw a costly pick to Ron Parker, the Raiders' defense responded with a pick 6 from David Amerson. As much as the defense is getting picked apart, this category is what's keeping them alive.

(-)

Offense. Latavius Murray held to 22 yards, the receiving corps not doing much, Derek Carr held in check. The Chiefs defense, despite missing a couple of key players are doing their job containing this offense. The only good drive I can pinpoint was when it was set up by Taiwan Jones' big return, but that drive stalled resulting into three points. Whatever it is, the offense has to get going at some point.

Bottom Line

The Raiders fortunately get the ball back after deferring. The offense just needs to find answers to decipher this Chiefs' defense. As much as the defense is keeping the Chiefs offense in check after giving up two TD scores, they're going to need some help if the Raiders sustain long drives on offense. Let's see what happens.

Raiders Send Off Charles Woodson a Winner in Final Home Game vs. Chargers

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' TNF matchup vs. the San Diego Chargers on the night before Christmas where in an emotional game of epic proportions and that lasted almost over three hours, the Raiders eventually prevailed and they win it for Charles Woodson, beating the Chargers 20-23 in OT.

First off, Merry Christmas Raider Nation! I hope you guys are having a wonderful time celebrating Christmas with your friends and family. To all the East Coast fans, Merry Christmas to you guys as it is 12 midnight and I'm sure you guys are unwrapping all your presents while us West Coast guys have to wait three more hours to unwrap our gifts. Onto this game, Raider Nation, this was the best Christmas present we can ask for: a win on Christmas Eve and definitely, this is the best present C-Wood can ever ask for. This game was an emotional one of epic proportions. Not only is this Woodson's last game, but it could possibly be the last game in Oakland, so there would be tears in the stands. The way the game was played out, it took the life out of us and credit where credit is due, the Chargers' defense tightened things up here for this game and kept the offense in check. But, like I said in the halftime post, the defense needed a play and late in the 4th, they managed to force a fumble to get the Raiders back into it. Grueling game, but it ended in jubilation with a W.

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Latavius Murray, 19 carries, 79 yards, 1 TD, 6 receptions, 62 yards. I think this was Murray's best all-around game of the season. You guys could argue the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets games were Murray's best, but this game against the Chargers, he wasn't just used in the running game, but in the passing and caught a perfect 6 receptions off 6 targets. Though many said he had one of the best hands out of the backfield, he just couldn't show it because the football was bouncing off his finger tips or he was catching with his chest. He fully demonstrated the use of his hands and catching ability out of the backfield. Not to mention, he broke 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his career. It was a good, balanced, all-around game for the "Tay Train."

Defense. How the defense was able to hold the Chargers to 20 points was beyond me. The D-line wasn't getting any pressure on Rivers, the secondary was getting picked apart like an apple tree all game. It also didn't help that they made some untimely penalties after making a 3rd down stop, but they hung around. Malcolm Smith and Ben Heeney were tackling machines out there. Smith recorded 14 total tackles, Heeney added 9 tackles. Like I said, I hate the philosophy of "bend, but don't break" on defense, but a timely turnover in the 4th was that's needed to provide a spark for the Raiders and they delivered again to win the game off a 4th and 3 play in OT.

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Penalties. 15 penalties for 121 yards. Most of it were due to false starts and holdings. The O-line as a whole didn't play their best this game and they were accountable for most of those penalties because of false start and holding calls against them. The way this game played out, it reminded me a whole lot of 2011 when the Raiders set the record for most penalties in a season. It's a mixture that Del Rio needs to discipline these guys and the refs need to quit throwing flags on literally every snap of each play.

Offensive playcalling. Personally after this game, I don't know if Bill Musgrave is the long-term answer for this offense that has so much talent on the field. I will note out the O-line's poor performance this game and Amari Cooper's injury as reasons why the offense couldn't get anything going. But Musgrave's calling didn't help any way either. 2nd and long or 3rd and long, what does Musgrave draw up? A checkdown, a screen pass, a quick throw that just generates minimal gains when the Raiders have so much ground to cover up to extend the drive and get a first down. Despite cashing in on the turnover to tie the game up and the long first drive in OT that set up Sebass' field goal, the offensive playcalling was lackluster and uninspiring all game long.

Conclusion

Overall, the Raiders didn't play a clean game, but against all odds, they did just enough to get a W. The Chargers blew a lot of games this season, but hey, the Raiders blew a lot of games too that they could've won. It was a matter which team could finish the game and luckily the Raiders got on the winning side after the Chargers pretty much dominated the whole game, but they couldn't put the game away. It was ugly, but a win is a win and Charles Woodson walks out a winner in the Raiders' final home game in Oakland.

Let me take the time to say this personally: Charles Woodson, C-Wood, when I was a kid, still understanding the game of football, I didn't understand how great you were in your first go around with the Raiders. You made some plays, but I couldn't jog them in my memory. When you returned to Oakland after establishing yourself as a champion and a leader in Green Bay, your return gave me a chance to witness your greatness as a young adult Raider fan who possessed more commitment and more knowledge about the game of football and I savored every second of it. Your return to Oakland was exactly what the Raider organization needed. It was a symbol of hope, a symbol of change, a symbol that would ignite the renaissance of Raiders football. Though it sucks you can't return for another year in to be a part the great turnaround, we, the Raider Nation are glad that this change in restoring the pride and glory of Raiders football started when you returned before you called it a career. You truly are one of the greatest to play the game of football and most definitely, you are a first ballot Hall of Famer. We'll see you in Canton, Ohio with that gold jacket on in the near future.

Thank You...

Week 16: Emotional X-Mas Eve Thursday Night Game RAIDERS vs. San Diego Chargers Q-by-Q Reaction

The last home game for Charles Woodson, it could be the final game in Oakland as talks of relocating to LA loom as the season ends. This is going to be an emotional night.

OT:

SD 20 OAK 23

Grueling game to watch. Oh my goodness. The Raiders had every opportunity to win in the first drive and they unveiled the special play with Woodson on offense. They had to settle for field goal and finally they get the stop they need on 4th and 3 to send Charles Woodson out a winner in Oakland. Beautiful farewell words by C-Wood after the game, thanking the fans, igniting the chant of "RAIDERS" one last time. Long way to give him a win, but it was worth it. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q4:

SD 20 OAK 20

This has been a poorly officiated game. Great rally from the Raiders though to take a brief lead after a fumble. Good heads up play by Benson Mayowa that set up a Michael Crabtree TD. The Chargers drove down the field for game tying field goal thanks to a PI by D.J. Hayden. Oh well, we get extra time. That means more action here.

Q3:

SD 17 OAK 12

Well, the safety finally got us something to cheer for. Other than that, both offenses struggled to get anything going this quarter. The Raiders offense had an opportunity to cash in on the safety and yet another quick 3 and out. It's either Musgrave is calling poor plays or the lack of depth on the O-line is starting to show, particularly on the right side. Feliciano got put on roller skates big time on the last 3rd down play.

Q2:

SD 17 OAK 10

What separates this game from the last game so far? The Chargers have their linebackers healthy. Te'o, Perryman, they weren't present in the week 6 game and they have proven to be a huge difference. The Raiders' offense, aside from the running game, they couldn't get anything going in the passing game and Carr took a sack, which all quarterbacks don't want to do when they're driving for field goal range. Well, good effort from the lateral to end the quarter, but the Chargers kept things in check to prevent a Hail Mary. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

SD 7 OAK 7

That's not one of the ways to close out a quarter, running with Latavius Murray for a loss. This game had some deja vu of last week's game vs. the Packers. Derek Carr is commanding a respectable drive, then he throws a pick, setting up a Charger TD. However, his throw was tipped. But, great response after with Murray running loose for a 22 yard TD to tie the game up.

RAIDERS-Chargers Halftime Post

SD 17 OAK 10

Welcome in to the halftime post of the Raiders' TNF matchup vs. the San Diego Chargers where the Chargers have a one touchdown lead, 17-10 at the half.

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Latavius Murray, 12 carries, 66 yards, TD. We'd figure before the end of the season Murray would reach the 1,000 yard mark and this game was perfect given the Chargers' run defense is not that great. Murray becomes the first 1,000 yard rusher for the Raiders since Darren McFadden in 2010. He's running hard out there and credit to the O-line for opening up holes for him. Of course the highlight of the first half is when he burned the Chargers for a 22 yard run for a TD to tie it up at 7 a piece.

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Penalties. Though the Chargers have a slight edge for most penalties with 5 compared to the Raiders' 4, the Raiders are committing penalties at the most crucial times they need to extend the drive. The false start and holding calls are coming to them at critical and when special teams finally shows their bag of tricks, they get called for illegal formation.

Defense. The pass defense was awful in the 1st half, there is no denying that. Most of that is because there is no pass rush generated. Philip Rivers is taking full advantage of that with a lot of quick passes that turn into big gains and they are rarely running the ball. With Mario Edwards, Jr. being put on IR after the Green Bay game, the lack of depth is starting to show and that results in less opportunities for Mack to put pressure on Rivers.

Bottom Line

Like I said, the offense had their way against the Chargers back in Week 6. However, with the return of Weddle, Te'o, and Perryman, it's not translating into the same winning formula. I don't understand why Derek Carr is being put under center more than playing in the shotgun. A few plays in the shotgun would help. On defense, somebody has to make a play because Rivers is going to have all day to burn this defense if there's no pressure on the D-line. Let's see what happens.

Early Turnovers, Penalties Doom Raiders' Playoff Hopes vs. Packers

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' matchup vs. the Green Bay Packers where the Raiders kept this game competitive for the most part, but ill-advised turnovers by Derek Carr and a couple of penalties from the defensive backs hurt the Raiders in the long run as they fall to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers 30-20.

This loss ensures another non-winning season. Considering the turnovers and the missed red zone opportunities, I had this same gut feeling that the Raiders would not come back and win this game. I had some hope when Amari Cooper caught two of the TDs, but I got glimpses from the Viking game back week 10. As soon as the Raiders took the lead, they "giveth" away as the Packers quickly strike to retake the lead. The 4th quarter, just something about that quarter, the Raiders couldn't get over the hump. They made some strides in the Baltimore, Cleveland, and last week's game against the Broncos at Denver in closing out 4th quarters,  but majority of this season, it has been all missed opportunities in showing up in the 4th quarter.

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Amari Cooper, 6 receptions, 120 yards, 2 TDs. Outside of this blog, I've been conversing with my brother and a few of my friends who are Raider fans that Amari Cooper is due for a multiple TD game at some point of the season. My prediction was correct and aside from recording his first multiple TD game, he broke the 1,000 yard mark. Amari Cooper becomes the first Raider receiver since Randy Moss to reach 1,000 yards in one season. Yes, he's been plagued by drops and kept in check in some games, but next year, like the game slowed down for Derek Carr this year, the game will slow down for Cooper in his sophomore season. For the most part, Cooper burned the Packers' cornerbacks this game. Now, it should be noted that the Packers were playing without their best corner in Sam Shields, but that opened up some opportunity and Coop cashed in before the Packers' defense decided to put safety help. With Roberts out and Crabtree in and out because of an injury, Coop stepped up big time this game. On another note, he becomes the first rookie receiver to record multiple TDs on the Packers since Randy Moss. It's going to be one heck of a battle between Coop and Todd Gurley for Offensive Rookie of the Year, but I think this game will slightly break the deadlock in favor in Coop.

(-)

Turnovers. I think the Derek Carr's INTs set the tone for this game. To be down 14-0 quick in the first quarter is insurmountable by Raider standards. Despite the fact Derek Carr redeemed by throwing 2 TDs, the INTs were just killers and it set up a bad omen that the Raiders wouldn't be able to swipe this game away from the Packers.

Penalties. Defensive backs are so going to be the major emphasis in the offseason. Although, I will note that most of the PI calls were questionable. It's like every time the Raiders' defense gets a stop against the Packers' offense, the referees just have to get in on the action by flagging the defensive backs and what does that result in? The Packers getting second chance opportunities and the defense getting gassed out because they can't get off the field with these ticky-tacky flags. The Packers got away with some holding calls that weren't called, which is why Khalil Mack couldn't follow up from his 5 sack performance last week. I could argue all day, but the Raiders need a stout core of defensive backs so that these PIs don't get us Raider fans to jump because I was screaming expletives at the TV every time the a flag comes out after a third down stop for the Raiders' defense.

Red Zone opportunities. Like the INTs, the first two missed red zone opportunities were killers as well like Seth Roberts dropping a sure-handed TD. The Packer fans can argue either way because they know their team missed some red zone opportunities, but the Raiders needed to cash in on their opportunities the most to recover from a quick 14-0 deficit. The two aforementioned negatives and this one were key factors on what went wrong this game.

Conclusion

Well, this game shuts down playoff talks from here on out at this point of the season. But, despite ensuring another losing season Raider Nation, we can't deny that this team is on the rise. This game was definitely a tough loss, but this is a young team and they will take experience from these games. Closing out teams should be the emphasis next season because they were close in getting a few more wins. The Raiders need to just win out and get to .500. 8-8 is better than finishing 4-12 twice and 3-13. They get a short week because they play the Chargers on Christmas Eve, Thursday night. All we want for Christmas is a Raider win! I'll see you guys on Thursday, hopefully. It's going to be interesting for me to balance out covering a Raider game and talking with family. I'll see you guys later.

Week 15: "A-Rod vs. 'Baby A-Rod'" RAIDERS vs. Green Bay Packers Q-by-Q Reaction

Q4:

GB 30 OAK 20

I said it in my halftime post, it would only be a matter of time before Aaron Rodgers and the Packer offense to start clicking and their defense to tighten up. After a brief 17-20 lead, it just went downhill from there. Too many questionable penalties couldn't get the Raiders' defense off the field. Despite the defense surrendering field goals instead of TDs, the offense just couldn't get anything clicking in this quarter. These kinds of games is something that the Raiders have to develop next season. They have to show up when it matters the most in the 4th quarter. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3:

GB 24 OAK 20

This quarter was just like the Vikings game minus the kickoff return for the TD in which Korey Toomer made the TD-saving tackle. But first off, congrats to Amari Cooper, breaking the 1,000 yard mark this quarter. First receiver to break 1,000 yards for the Raiders since Randy Moss in 2005 and the first rookie receiver in a long time to break it. Back to the game, as soon as the Raiders worked to take the lead, Packers respond with a quick drive for a TD in taking advantage of busted coverage. Packers are still driving right now, but the Raiders need a key stop.

Q2:

GB 14 OAK 13

After two frustrating missed red zone opportunities, the Raiders' defense made a key takeaway in recovering a fumble by James Starks. It was good hit from Woodson as well and Benson Mayowa recovered it. Then, Derek Carr decided to go no huddle. Reece and Rivera set up good gains and the drive capped off with a much needed AC/DC TD. Great momentum builder at the half.

Q1:

GB 14 OAK 0

Ugh, well this quarter sucked for the most part. It started off positive, Latavius Murray was getting a couple of nice runs to get the running game going for the Raiders. Then, that start faded out with Carr's costly interceptions both leading to TDs. I know this quarter is going to bring up the Carr skeptics and yes that was a disappointing quarter for Carr. However, he has responded well so far and is driving the offense to a possible score.

RAIDERS-Packers Halftime Post

GB 14 OAK 13

Welcome in to the halftime post of the Raiders' matchup vs. the Green Bay Packers where the Packers cling to a 14-13 lead at the half.

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Latavius Murray, 15 carries, 64 rushing yards. As frustrating as the running game was, the last 2 or 3 games, the running game got off to a good start. Getting the running game going was highly by Jack Del Rio and it's running this game. Credit to the O-line though for creating up holes, Jon Feliciano has filled in admirably so far at the right guard position. Murray has found some big holes and that got the running game juiced up.

Defense. Khalil Mack with another sack, Charles Woodson and company had a key takeaway. Aside from the first score, in which it was set up by a Carr INT, the Raiders' defense has not allowed Aaron Rodgers and this Packer offense to drive into the end zone at will. The defense is doing an admirable job once again.

(-)

Red Zone opportunities. This could've been 14-21. The first drive, a Packers' penalty ensured a free play opportunity and Seth Roberts could not haul in a sure-handed touchdown. Then, the 2nd drive Carr just had nobody open and just throw it away. Those are key missed red zone opportunities, but looks like the offense managed to shake off the slow start.

Derek Carr's 2 INTs. Carr has redeemed the last few drives, but it was an awful first quarter start for Derek Carr. The first INT, it could be argued there was missed communication, but the Packers were bringing the pressure and Carr just had to make something instead of taking a sack. The 2nd one that lead to a pick 6, was definitely an overthrow to Seth Roberts. But, Carr has picked up from his slump.

Bottom Line

The Raiders have the ball back and the Derek Carr to Amari Cooper TD should be a momentum builder for this offense to get going. A balanced effort from the offense and defense of the Raiders needs to be in effect because you never know when Aaron Rodgers and the Packers' offense are going to start clicking and when their defense is going to start to tightening things up. Let's see what happens.

HELL F*CKING YEAH! *Warning: NSFW Language*

Since 2011, I've been waiting for this moment! RAIDERS BEAT THE F*CKING DENVER DONKEYS! OH YEAH! This is your fate Bronc-HOES in the coming future when Peyton finally retires and that #1 defense breaks down to sh*t! Khalil Mack is a motherf*cking beast! 5 sacks, breaking the double digit barrier this season. Clive Walford is one hell of a security blanket. Holy sh*t. I'm happy. I gotta get back to studying. Sorry I couldn't get cover the game today. But I still managed to see the game and what a win! F*ck the Broncos! I'll resume activities next week.

MechG Announcement 12/10

Hey Raider Nation, Laker Nation, I just want to make a quick announcement on the coverage of tomorrow's Laker game @ San Antonio Spurs and Sunday's Raider game @ Denver Broncos. This was tough for me to make this call, but it is for the better. I will not post up a Q-by-Q reaction, Halftime, or Full Recap posts for these games. I have finals in the next few days and I want to give myself time to study and prepare for my exams and turn in a few papers. Usually, I keep my college life behind "closed doors" when it comes to running this blog, but to tell you the truth, I was taking a boat load of units that are beyond the full time student load this semester (18 units to be exact) while covering Raider games and nationally televised Laker games for you guys on this blog. This was a tough decision to make for me. I love keeping you guys posted during game day, but priorities are priorities and academics always come first. You gotta love or reminisce about the college life at this time of the year, especially when you're a senior just wanting to get the hell out of your university as soon as possible. That's the current situation I'm in now. Other than that, there will be no coverage of tomorrow's Laker game @ the Spurs and Sunday's Raider game @ the Broncos. I'll resume all activity when the Lakers play the Rockets on Dec. 17 and when the Raiders play the Packers in week 15 of the 2015 NFL Season. Thanks guys, I'll see you later.

Offensive Mistakes, Conservative Playcalling Dooms Raiders' Season vs. Chiefs

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' divisional matchup vs. the Kansas City Chiefs where the Raiders had a lot of opportunities with the defense generating 2 turnovers, getting after the quarterback with 4 sacks, but the offense was a little too conservative and made too many mistakes against a streaky Chiefs team, losing 34-20 and possibly putting playoff hopes to rest for good.

Crushing loss, but it's no surprise that the Raiders couldn't handle a team that is on a hot winning streak. That was evident with the way they handled the game vs. Minnesota three weeks ago. I said last week that starting from this game against Kansas City, this was going to be a tough stretch for the Raiders to try and extend their playoff hopes and it was obviously a long shot. There's just absolutely nothing to say here other than that this is the game where the playoff hopes die.

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Defense. You take away Carr's 3 turnovers in which two of those set up some TDs, the defense bended at times, but they didn't break. The Raiders defense managed 4 sacks against a very mobile QB in Alex Smith and they did a good job exploiting Kansas City's thin O-line. Charles Woodson, the ageless wonder, generated two turnovers off forced fumbles when the Chiefs had an ongoing streak of not turning the football over since their game against Minnesota. Despite giving up two rushing TDs, the defense held its own. When the Chiefs scored off two turnovers, they managed to block a pair of extra points to keep the game within reach. Another note, Mack had another multiple sack game and that should put him at double digits in the sack category this season, great leap from his rookie season.

(-)

Derek Carr's 3 turnovers. No doubt Derek Carr is a polarizing figure among the Raider Nation. Some say, he's the answer, while some are still skeptical. I consider myself a Derek Carr fan, but at the end of the day, I'm a fan of the team first and the player second and Carr wasn't that good this game, especially down the stretch. I like his competitiveness, I like his leadership, but there are times when he does too much. Particularly in this game, he was under pressure, he tried to make a play, and then it gets picked off by Josh Mauga who almost took it to the house. Carr looks like a seasoned veteran, but there are times when he should realize that the play is dead and best way is to just throw it away and live another down. The next two picks: one by the rookie Marcus Peters and the other by former Raider, Tyvon Branch were a result of miscommunication and putting the ball at the wrong place. Knowing Carr, he holds himself accountable for every game, but he still has much to learn in clutch situations even though he already lead three game-winning drives in his young career.

Bill Musgrave's playcalling. I had to laugh at what Dennis O'Donnell said in the 5th Quarter Post Game show that he said Bill Musgrave did a good job in the playcalling. Technically speaking, he did a good job for four possessions, but the rest of that was just bland playcalling: run up the middle, short pass, screen passes that weren't gaining anything because the Kansas City defense saw it coming, check downs on 3rd and long. He got bailed out on the turnovers and the quick 3 and outs the defense was generating to make his playcalling look respectable. The only time he did a good job was on the Raiders' first possession in both halves on offense. Everything else, he just shut it down and played too conservative.

Sebastian Janikowski, 1 missed PAT, 1 missed field goal. He'll benefit from the poor field conditions at the Coliseum and Marquette King's slight mishandling of the hold, but both of those kicks ricocheted off the tip of the upright and both the missed extra point and missed 49 yard field goal came back to haunt the Raiders. Those are things that Sebass can make in his sleep, but they were just terrible misses.

Conclusion

The good news, the Raiders are not mathematically out, the bad news, they play the Broncos in Denver next week and Brock Osweiler is doing one heck of a job filling in for Peyton Manning. Oh, and they still have a pretty incredible defense. The outlook is looking bleak for the Raiders and their playoff hopes. I look at this as a "play for pride" game. Let me remind you guys again, there is no other divisional rival I hate more than the Broncos. They haven't won against the Broncos since opening night in 2011 and that was the last time they won a game at Mile High. They need to snap the losing streak. It's been so long that they've won a game against them and they are due, but it's going to be a tall task with that defense and since Osweiler allows Gary Kubiak's offense to run properly. A win against them at Denver can salvage this season and may help establish the Raiders' AFC West dominance next season and beyond whether they stay in Oakland or move to L.A. I'll see you guys next week for the Broncos game.

Week 13: Must-Win Divisional Matchup RAIDERS vs. Kansas City Chiefs Q-by-Q Reaction

Q4:

KC 34 OAK 20

The playoff run is over. To lose this game and then going over to Denver, yeah chances of winning that game are slim to none. Adding insult to injury, Tyvon Branch comes back to Oakland and picks off Derek Carr to seal the game and erase all hope for a comeback. It also didn't help that Bill Musgrave called a bland offensive game plan aside from the first drive of the game. Stay tune for the full recap.

Q3:

KC 14 OAK 20

Well, better playcalling by Musgrave after the Chiefs cashed in on their opening drive in the 3rd. However a missed extra point by Sebass left the door ajar for Kansas City to potentially come back. Luckily, the defense continues to play lights out and forced a quick 3 and out to give Carr and company the ball back. The Raiders need to finish! Another long drive for a TD could do it.

Q2:

KC 7 OAK 14

Thank you Charles Woodson for saving this boring quarter! Bill Musgrave was calling a lot of poor plays and that lead to a lot of three and outs. But, just when the Chiefs were about to get within field goal range to take the lead, Woodson strips Travis Kelce and takes it almost to the house and that set up a Carr TD pass to Crabtree for the Raiders to take the lead. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

KC 7 OAK 7

Good opening drive by the Raiders. They were able to give the Chiefs every look there with a balance of quick passes and running the ball with Murray and Murray gained a big chunk of 44 yards and that was all that was needed to set up a TD. The Chiefs got the benefit of penalties to answer back, either they were bad or questionable, but Sebass needed to kick that ball out of the end zone. The Chiefs have good field position once again after Cooper failed to haul in a 4th and 2 pass.

RAIDERS-Chiefs Halftime Post

KC 7 OAK 14

Welcome in to the halftime post of the Raiders' divisional rivalry and a must-win matchup vs. the Kansas City Chiefs where the Raiders have a 7-14 advantage at the half in this critical game.

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Defense. The Chiefs have not turned the ball over since the Vikings game. Alex Smith knows how to escape out of the pocket. The Raider defense managed to get 2 turnovers against the Chiefs and 3 sacks on Smith. The Charles Woodson forced fumble on Travis Kelce for the Raiders to take the lead was huge. The Chiefs taking the lead would've foreshadowed bad news ahead of the game, but a turnover was needed, make that 2. The sacks were big as well, Khalil Mack now has 9.5 sacks of the season, just half a sack away from reaching double digits, Mario Edwards, Jr. continues to prove us wrong and living up to 2nd round pick expectations, and Ben Heeney saw some action too. The pass rush is doing its job as well, especially given how Alex Smith is so mobile.

(-)

Bill Musgrave's playcalling. Good offensive playcalling on the opening drive and then after that, Musgrave decided just to fold and play conservatively. That lackluster 2nd quarter offense until Carr's pass to Michael Crabtree to cash in on the turnover all falls on Musgrave. In one possession, a screen pass to Cooper, he didn't have time to juke because Tamba Hali was already in his face for a huge loss, run up the middle with Murray for just a minimal gain, check down to Mychal Rivera, quick 3 and out. That's just one particular example. He needs to open up the playbook more or give Carr more creative control.

Bottom Line

The defense is playing hard out there and they're holding their own against Alex Smith and the Chiefs offense. Meanwhile, the Raiders' offense has to wake up a little, better yet Musgrave needs to open up the playbook. Turn back the clock to weeks 6-8 and just let Carr and this offense loose! Let's see what happens.

Raiders Outlast Titans in a Rainy Road Game

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' matchup vs. the Tennessee Titans where the Raiders get back on track with a 24-21 victory over the Titans on the road in what was a very wet, rainy game in Nashville.

No more 4-12 or 3-13 finishes at least. But finally, the Raiders get that elusive win against a team they were favored to beat this season. The Raiders were favored the last two games and they couldn't capitalize and we're thinking that Vegas Oddsmakers need to go back to betting against the Raiders. This is at least a way to get the monkey off the back and eclipse our win total from the past 4 seasons. Yes, they're still alive in the playoff hunt, but I'm just going to keep my mouth shut about playoffs and just be glad that the Raiders got a win.

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Seth Roberts, 6 receptions, 113 yards, 2 TDs. Hands down, this is Seth Roberts' best game of his career. Last week against the Lions, you can even date back to the preseason, Roberts showed potential of big play ability. I can't even recall how many big plays Roberts made this game, but they were crucial, especially on both his TDs. The first one, he made a Titans defender miss and nothing but green ahead of him and on the 2nd one, he was just at the right place at the right time when Carr delivered that deep ball. I think it's time to give Roberts the nickname "Big Shot Rob" (reference to Robert Horry for all you Laker fans) because he's caught both Carr's two game-winning TD passes this season.

Amari Cooper, 7 receptions, 115 yards. We all admit Amari Cooper played horribly last week against the Lions. Sensational rookies will have their off games and all they can do is bounce back the next game. This game was a major bounce back for Cooper. To go from 4 yards from the previous game to 115 yards to the next game just personifies his work ethic and do anything he can to help his team win. Coop had a great redemption performance this game.

David Amerson, 6 passes defensed, 1 INT. Amerson played out of his mind this game. Yeah, I know covering guys like Harry Douglas or Dorial Green-Beckham is not that impressive, but Amerson wasn't giving any of the Titans' receivers any room to get any separation and possibly make a big play from a throw by Marcus Mariota. I didn't understand why ever since Nate Allen and T.J. Carrie came back, they demoted Amerson to the slot when he's clearly a better option than D.J. Hayden. I think this game should warrant Reggie McKenzie and the front office that Amerson is worth a keeper.

(-)

The "Zebras." The Raiders committed 11 penalties for 94 yards while the Titans committed 4 penalties for 25 yards. Hmmm, I wonder which team the refs were trying to help? I think the only legit penalty they called was when Neiko Thorpe had his hands full on Harry Douglas when Douglas scored a TD. But, back-to-back pass interference penalties on T.J. Carrie that should've never been called, an unnecessary roughness call on Khalil Mack, and a hold on the end zone when Thorpe didn't excessively grab the jersey. Those were some penalties that stood out and they were just horrible calls that the refs were making.

Conclusion

Despite the rainy weather and penalties that were lopsided against the Raiders, they managed to will themselves to a victory, but a little more work has to be done to finish these kinds of games against teams that are supposed to be "easy wins." They're still alive in the playoff, but next week, the tough stretch begins of the schedule begins. Kansas City is also in the playoff hunt and they are playing like a different beast after starting 1-5 for the season. I bet they have last year's awful loss stuck in their heads the last time they played the Raiders in Oakland as they handed the Raiders their first win. For sure, they'll be out looking for blood and the Raiders have to be well-prepared because this is a critical divisional battle if they want to keep their wild card hopes alive. I'll see you guys next week for that game.