Raiders Avoid Trap Game vs. Bengals

Final: CIN 10 OAK 17 (6-4)

Didn't I mention last week that this would be a potential trap game? Well, this game certainly looked like it, but the Raiders pull it out to keep that wild card bid alive and most of all, this put them on the brink of the division lead provided if the Chiefs lose to the Chargers tomorrow night.

The Raiders were heavily favored to win this game by a big margin, but anything can happen on any given Sunday. Jon Gruden gave this team a pep talk before this game that upsets do happen in the NFL and the Raiders shouldn't take the Bengals lightly. The first quarter, they didn't get the memo. Their opening drive started strong, but stalled. Defense did its job on Cincy's opening drive. Maxx Crosby strip sacked Ryan Finley and Maurice Hurst recovered the fumble. On a side note, Mad Maxx had a hell of a game on defense, sacking Finley four times. He's arguably the MVP this game. What a steal in the 4th round by Gruden, Mayock and company! But going back to the slow start, Jacobs had that rookie mistake, fumbling the ball in the red zone. Defense couldn't stop the run and Mixon runs it in for the TD to put the Bengals up 7-0. At this point of the game, you'd think "uh oh."

Despite the slow start, the Raiders recovered well. The offense got going as soon as Carr made big throws to Tyrell Williams. Carr had his fingerprints on the next two scores. He tosses a TD to Foster Moreau. The following drive, he rushed for a TD. You barely see Carr scramble. When he does, you just hold your breath after what transpired at the end of 2016 with the fractured fibula. The last TD, it looked like the Bengals got him for a sack, but Carr was able to escape and run into the end zone.

For the majority of the 2nd half, it was a defensive battle throughout. The Raiders could've added another TD to put the game away. Let's talk about that. During that play, one of the Bengal D-lineman flinched and went over the line of scrimmage. Easy offsides penalty right? Well, instead they called a false start on Richie Incognito. Drive stalls after that, and the Raiders had to settle for three. Luckily, the defense came up big this game. I mentioned Maxx Crosby's 4-sack performance. Trayvon Mullen came up with the clutch pick to seal it. And the Raiders are 6-4, still in the wild card hunt and in the hunt for the AFC West. They have another winnable game next week. Again, the Raiders should never take any opponent for granted. The Jets have played a lot better than what their record shows. They've notched back-to-back wins against the Giants and Redskins. They're getting better QB play from Sam Darnold. They have to take care of business on this one before looking ahead to Kansas City. For an added bonus, let's see if the Chargers can play spoiler when they play the Chiefs tomorrow night. I'll see you guys later.

The Silver and Black Shitshow: Chapter 8 - "Fumble in the Jungle"

*Readers' discretion advised*

Last time on the "Silver and Black Shitshow," the Raiders scored yet another upset victory in Oakland against the Black and Gold Brigade (UrinatingTree, 2018). The loss was so embarrassing, that the Raiders earned a special appearance on the #1 sports soap opera webseries "Days of Our Steelers." For one day, the Silver and Black weren't a shitshow as Derek Carr and the Tank Commander lead the team to their biggest win this season.

But the jubilation wasn't meant to last. The following day, the Raiders have fired the Fat Freckle Face after 7 years as the GM of the Raiders. Let's make one thing clear, we need to take out the first two years of the Reggie McKenzie era. Prior to his arrival, the Raiders were financially strapped and they didn't even draft until Round 3 in 2012. They were stuck with the salaries of a washed up Richard Seymour and a disgruntled Carson Palmer that the Hue-Man (Hue Jackson) foolishly mortgaged the future for just to acquire him. The 2013 draft class, outside of Le'Veon Bell, is considered as one of the worst draft classes of all time.  It wasn't until the 2014 Draft where Reggie finally righted the ship. Reggie had a 5-year plan enacted to restore the Raiders back to contention. He did so in 2016. 2017 was significant down year marred by injuries and division in the locker room due to the anthem protests. And now 2018, the team that Reggie worked to achieve in a 4-5 year span was destroyed in an instant, courtesy of Madman Gruden. (Honestly, how many nicknames have I given him already?) This season, Reggie was not the GM. He was nothing more of a puppet, a "yes man", a punching bag, and a scapegoat to the epic fail moves the Chuckster executed behind-the-scenes. His firing was imminent. The Chuckster had assumed direct control of the team since the day he returned from the booth.

The Shitshow raged on. In a season full of lies, deception, and false hope, a city bounded its community together and rose up to the occasion that it is tired of being the epicenter of the Shitshow. That would be the City of Oakland. After a long period of staying silent, the City of Oakland finally filed the lawsuit against Mark Davis, the Raiders, and the NFL for damages in the relocation to Vegas. Let's not forget that Oakland is still paying off the bonds for the construction of Mt. Davis in the Coliseum in 1995. They need every penny to squeeze out of the Raiders to pay that off if the team is going to leave them in dust. An added bonus, the City could retain the Raider name and colors in and keep it in Oakland. Let's get facts here, Oakland came up with the "Raiders" name during the franchise's inception.

In another sense, the lawsuit indicates that the Raiders have played their last season in Oakland. Effective, Christmas Eve against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football could be the last time the Raiders play in the Oakland Coliseum. Mark Davis and the Raiders have rescinded their lease extension proposal until 2020 when the Las Vegas stadium is complete in response to Oakland's lawsuit. Yes, after this season, they're essentially homeless. So homeless, yet so wretched that I won't even sing "Paradise" by Phil Collins to them. The Raiders do have options to remain in the Golden State for at least one more year before they move to the Silver State: Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, Levi's Stadium in my home town of Santa Clara, AT&T Park in San Francisco, and even Bulldog Stadium in Fresno. Oh if they ever choose Levi's Stadium or AT&T Park, it would be the biggest definition of hypocrisy from the Raiders and Mark Davis.

The rest of Raider Nation still has to open their eyes and recognize the real problem: Mark Davis is writing checks that his ass can't cash. If we look at his net worth compared to other NFL owners, he is a little fish in the big ocean swimming with the sharks. He blew $100 million for Jon Gruden. He's borrowing a big loan from BofA that is bigger than his net worth of $500 million to finance the Las Vegas stadium. We get more insight from Amari Cooper (yes, I know you guys are tired of him), insisting that Mark Davis was the one who wanted him traded. We all know Mark is a sensitive piece of shit, so when someone or something gets in his feelings, he acts irrationally. Does firing the timeless Raiders radio play-by-play announcer Greg Papa because of his criticism of Mark wanting to bring Mike Shanahan back at the expense of a deceased Al Davis ring any bells? Now that we hear a little bit more from Coop, that adds more firewood to the flame. If we can just get some more testimonials from Khalil Mack, Reggie McKenzie, and Jack Del Rio, Mark Davis is on the verge of being exposed as the snake that he is. The lawsuit from Oakland is a must-buy for Pay Per View as Mark Davis is about to get cornered like the scowl, broke owner he is. Oh and even if he successfully goes to Vegas, he still has to deal with a pissed off Las Vegas casino mogul in Sheldon Adelson. All I can say to Marky Mark is "keep your friends close and your enemies closer."

So much drama has unfolded over the last few days since the Raiders pulled out the victory against the Steelers. The one thing that could remedy this is another win. And the Raiders have no better opportunity against the Cincinnati Bungles. The Bengals have to play the rest of the season without the Andy Dalton-A.J. Green connection. Marvin Lewis somehow still has the head-coaching job with Cincinnati. Oh, and look who it is? Hue-Man, Hue Jackson. This should be easy picking. Hue has brought nothing but bad juju since returned to Cincinnati after being let go by the Browns. Long overdue, now the Browns can win games.

They couldn't seize the opportunity that presented itself. The Shitshow found themselves in a 0-17 hole early. Derek Carr, to no surprise, kept getting sacked behind a patchwork O-line and rookie tackles that couldn't hold up penetration if their life depended on it. Let's make some things clear, Kolton Miller sucked major ass being a blindside protector. Brandon Parker is the 2nd coming of Khalif Barnes with all these false start penalties he committed this game. It also doesn't help that Kelechi Osemele and Gabe Jackson are injured, so they had to be replaced by two nobodies whose names that even die hard Raider fans don't give an absolute shit about. Oh yeah and turnovers. Jalen Richard reminded all of us of his fumblerooskie ways dating back to his sophomore campaign last year. There was a reason why he was on the roster bubble this season. The strip-sack on Carr was all she wrote as the Bengals scored early and never looked back.

However, the Raiders did keep themselves within striking distance behind the big leg of Daniel Carlson, trailing by 10 points or a touchdown. Derek Carr kept the offense churning as much as he could. Long without Amari Cooper or Michael Crabtree, long without the Great Wall of Oakland that was destroyed courtesy of the Cable Guy, Carr kept the wheels of the patchwork offense moving like it was 2014 all over again. What a difference four years make. Unfortunately, the Bengals went for the knockout punch late in the 4th quarter, behind a haymaker from Smokin' Joe Mixon. While Jeff Driskel did make plays as he had competent receivers like John Ross and Tyler Boyd, it was Joe Mixon who carried the Bungles' dead carcass to victory.

Back to the Shitshow indeed after this loss. They say football is a funny game sometimes. The Raiders had a big win last week. The following week, they lose to the Bungles. I've lost count how many times Derek Carr has been sacked this season. Truly, he is dying for the Tank Commander's sins. Derek is literally his brother David Carr his first two seasons with the Texans. Promising quarterback, but had a shitty O-line around him that ended up scarring him for his first two seasons. Derek is lucky that he is still relevant than his brother was in their first five seasons. Speaking of O-line, it could get worse as Gabe Jackson is lost for the season. Barring a return from Kelechi Osemele, that leaves Rodney Hudson as the only competent O-linemen remaining. The Great Wall of Oakland has been torn asunder. The same can be said about the Coliseum as the Raiders could play their final game there against the Donkeys on Monday Night Football. Cleveland '95 part two could be brewing regardless of the outcome.

The final results of the Khalil Mack trade are in! The Bears clinch the NFC North and Mack has made the Pro Bowl yet again. As for the Raiders? No Pro Bowlers were selected, only alternates as Jared Cook, Hudson, and K.O. were selected and they're tanking. Perhaps, this should serve as a valuable lesson in life: YOU DO NOT TRADE YOUR ONCE IN A GENERATIONAL PLAYER FOR 50/50 DRAFT PICKS! Thus far, the Tank Commander had no significant moves to respond to one of the dumbest trades ever executed in Pro Football. Not even one addition. Let's see the latest move he made:

Nathan Peterman? The Nathan Peterman? The man, the myth, the living meme? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA..........

Raiders Start on the Wrong Foot vs. Bengals

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' home opener and regular season opener vs. the Cincinnati Bengals where the Raiders couldn't get anything going until garbage time as they get hammered by the Bengals 33-13.

Well Raider Nation, we've been on this road before. A lot of optimism during the offseason and once the Raiders hit the 1st game of the season, the optimism just fades out immediately. We expected AC/DC to light it up, Murray putting up big numbers on the ground, Mack and Aldon Smith slamming Andy Dalton to the dirt. None of those happened and to make matters worse, injuries piled on to the mess. Carr leaves in the 2nd quarter with a hand injury, Justin Ellis got injured, and most of the secondary got injured: Nate Allen, D.J. Hayden (though he was fine and able to play the whole game), and C-Wood at the end got shaken up. The domino effect was in full force from a negative standpoint.

(+)

Marcel Reece, 3 receptions, 26 yards, 2 TDs. We can thank Reece for preventing a Bengals shutout. Although Matt McGloin was responsible for delivering those on-point throws to him, McGloin didn't have that great of a game with the 1st team offense and the offense as a whole was terrible all game long. Though both of his scores were in garbage time, Reece eased my depression from this game a little bit.

(-)

Offense. Leave it to our offense to let the defense hang around and gas out. I thought the opening drive on the game for the offense, it set the tone that this game was going to be a long game. A couple of overthrows by Carr, waste of downs. I understand that Musgrave wanted to tune up some AC/DC early on by getting Cooper involved, but stick to your principle man and go by your principle of running the ball first. Penalties from the O-line also negated some big plays. Cooper and Olawale had big gains and Rodney Hudson and Austin Howard committed some penalties after the play or before the play to negate some positive yardage. The whole offensive game plan was terrible and Carr's injury added more insult to injury. Hopefully it's not anything serious in regards to Carr's hand. As much as I equally like McGloin as I like Carr, it'll put the offense back at square one since McGloin didn't take too many first team reps.

D-line pressure. Raiders got Aldon Smith, Khalil Mack, and Justin Tuck and they have Justin Ellis and Dan Williams to eat up some space inside, Andy Dalton's gonna be rattled right? Well, the hype of that lineup died down. They couldn't get any pressure on Dalton all game long. They batted down some balls, but look at the whole stat line for the defense, especially on the d-line, 0 sacks. Also doesn't help that Ellis walked out with an injury and the defense was gassed all game long since the offense couldn't extend drives. That left the secondary hanging and they got toasted big time because the D-line couldn't get in Andy Dalton's face.

Conclusion

Like I said at the end of the 4th quarter reaction, the Raiders have a lot to work on. It's understandable that it's a new coaching staff, there are new players, and there are new systems installed on both offense and defense. However, if I'm Jack Del Rio, I'm not happy with the way the season started. I laid out goals that I want to bring the Raiders back to greatness and win the division, but to start off the season like this in front of the home crowd is unacceptable. The Raiders get another shot at home next week taking on the Ravens and it's going to be essential that the Raiders don't start 0-2, especially since they opened up with two home games this season. However as history shows, the Ravens have had the Raiders' number in head-to-head meetings. It's going to be another tall task, but 0-2, with both losses on your own home field is not an option otherwise it'll be another long season of futility. I'll see you guys next week for the Ravens game.

Week 1: Home Opener RAIDERS vs. Cincinnati Bengals Q-by-Q Reaction

Q4:

CIN 33 OAK 13

Well, at least some points were put on the board, preventing a shutout. But honestly, this is something the Raiders have got to work on. The offense was out of sync the whole game until McGloin found Marcel Reece twice in the end zone, the defense was gassed out, and even with Aldon Smith in the lineup, the defense couldn't put Andy Dalton on the ground all game long. Horrible start to the season, there's a lot of things that need to be worked on. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3:

CIN 33 OAK 0

Q2:

CIN 24 OAK 0

You can't ask for a more deflating start. There are no words for the first half. To make matters worse, the injury bug is starting to bite for the Raiders: Nate Allen, out, Justin Ellis, out, and then Derek Carr injured his hand while running for the first down marker. The Bengals are making it look easy and Hue Jackson must be grinning on the sidelines that he is sticking it up on Reggie McKenzie from three years ago so far. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

CIN 7 OAK 0

That was an ugly start in the 1st quarter. The offense going a quick 3 and out and the defense allowing a Jeremy Hill TD (thanks Ray-Ray). However, things are starting to slow down a little and a great way to end the 1st quarter? A catch and run from Amari Cooper from a Derek Carr pass. AC/DC started the fuse, but things were a little chippy as both teams committed some unsportsmanlike penalties.

RAIDERS-Bengals Halftime Post

CIN 24 OAK 0

Welcome in to the halftime post of Raiders' first game of the 2015 season vs. the Cincinnati Bengals where the Bengals are dominating the Raiders right now, pitching a 24-0 shut out in the first half.

(+)

None. What was there to talk about?

(-)

Offense. Awful start. A quick three and out to start the game, Carr overthrowing Cooper, Crabtree, and several other receivers. Carr goes out, McGloin comes in, but the offense is just discombobulated. Not much going on and the game plan the Bill Musgrave came up to start is terrible. It's not working! Where's the no huddle? C'mon Musgrave! It's inexcusable with all the weapons the Raiders have, they can't even drive downfield and put some points on the board.

Ray-Ray Armstrong. It's been a given that Ray-Ray is not a fan-favorite. On the Bengal's 1st opening drive, they went for it on the 4th down and Ray-Ray couldn't seal the edge and couldn't even tackle Jeremy Hill. Due to that missed tackle, Hill beats Heeney and walks in. He hasn't been good in the preseason and on the first game alone, he should on notice because once Aldon Smith masters the playbook, Ray-Ray should be demoted immediately.

Penalties. The O-line and their penalties had a lot to do with the awful start on the offense. Rodney Hudson gets called for an unsportsmanlike conduct, cost some field position after Cooper made one heck of a catch and run. Austin Howard gets called with a hold and an unsportsmanlike conduct to negate a big run by Jamize Olawale. This is the same Raiders we've looking at for the last 12-13 years, costing the offense some big plays due to some penalties.

Bottom Line

The team honestly needs a reboot in the 2nd half. The game plan didn't work as they planned it, the Raiders just need to start over, get something positive going to overcome this embarrassing start, especially the offense. And to do that, they have to do it without their primary quarterback and hopefully Matt McGloin gets some long throws going since he's a risk taker. Let's see what happens.