Raiders Eliminate Themselves from Playoff Contention

Final Score: MIA 26 LV 25 [L] (7-8)

No matter if the Raiders move from Oakland to Las Vegas, some things just never change. This team is a comedy. I'm trying not to laugh at my own team. I've seen this script many times as a Raider fan. But, it never ceases to amaze me that this team just finds new ways to lose in the most undisciplined fashion. This is the "Raider Way." It has been since 2002.

I'm not going dive deep too much into this game. It was a tale of two halves. The first half, it was a defensive battle. Then in the 2nd half, both teams found themselves in a shootout. The defense was able to hold Tua Tagovailoa in check, getting to him 3 times. But, in comes Ryan "Fitzmagic" in the 4th quarter to change the whole complexity for the Miami Dolphins' offense. Low key, Ryan Fitzpatrick has been the Raiders' thorn on the side for some time. The fact that it took only one quarter for Fitzpatrick to rally the Dolphins says a lot on the unfortunate luck the Raiders had against him.

Some positives: we expected Carr to sit out the rest of the season with a groin injury, but he toughened it out this week to start. He did well with 21 passes of 34 attempts 336 yards and 1 TD despite being sacked 3 times. Nelson Agholor and Darren Waller balled out tonight and accumulated most of Carr's passes. Waller torched the Phins' secondary with 5 receptions on 112 yards. Inexplicably, the Dolphins were giving him one-on-one coverage and Waller just shredded his matchup. Agholor had 5 receptions for 155 yards, including the go-ahead 85 yard TD to put the Raiders up 16-22 with 3:37 left in the 4th.

Now, let's talk about to where things went south for the Raiders. The Raiders never converted a 3rd down. They went 0-10 in 3rd down conversions. Daniel Carlson missed the PAT after the Agholor TD. And then, that blown coverage and face mask penalty from Arden Key to help set up the Dolphins with the game-winning 44-yard field goal from Jason Sanders. Lets rewind before that, the Raiders didn't punch it in with Josh Jacobs. They let the clock run out with 19 seconds left and hitting the go-ahead field goal. 

24-26, the Dolphins were out of timeouts and only had 19 seconds to go the length of the field. It was a reasonable decision. Jon Gruden's playcalling was anemic this game, but I understood the rationale of running out the clock and settling for the field goal. I mean we would've never expected the defense to blow coverage down the far side of the field and on top of that, commit a stupid asinine penalty to give the Dolphins 15 more yards for a manageable field goal to steal the game and the Raiders' playoff hopes! And I'm laughing again as I reminisce on this game's final drive. You thought this "she-it" was over when they hit Las Vegas huh? Some things just never change. This loss is just another page in the Raiders' long book of losing in embarrassing fashion. 

I wish I could be angry and frustrated. But truth of the matter is as I said, I've seen the same old stuff in my tenure as a Raider fan. I've said it previously, it doesn't matter if this team moves anywhere else, the dysfunction will follow. To all who thought the Raiders would suddenly turn it around when they get to Vegas, the joke's on all...of...you. This team purposely continues to play us like a damn fiddle! I think I'll end it right there. This is just comical.

Same Story: Raiders Slip Away vs. Dolphins

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' Week 3 matchup vs. the Miami Dolphins where the Raiders lose to the Dolphins in the same old fashion 20-28. They play great for three quarters, but in the fourth, they gas out.

Well, anything else to say? Like the headline says, this has been the same old story since the start of the season. The first three quarters, the Raiders dominate. And then once the fourth quarter hits, the whole system just shuts off. Jon Gruden can emphasize on getting his players to play 60 minutes of football. But, that don't mean a thing when the team just let's up after 48 minutes. It is what it is and again, we're continue to talk about certain issues about the team as this keeps going.

(+)

Jordy Nelson, 6 receptions, 173 yards, 1 TD. The lone bright spot of the offense. If there's anything, you don't which Raider receiver is gonna break out. Opening week, it was Jared Cook. Last week, it was Amari Cooper. This week, Jordy Nelson turned back the clock. I don't want to make excuses for the Dolphins though. They were without Reshad Jones, their best Safety today. Jordy took advantage of that and got two big receiving plays for 60+ yards. Like I said, he was owning rookie Minkah Fitzpatrick and the rest of Dolphins secondary throughout the game.

Run defense. Out of the categories here, this is where the defense dominated in the trenches. They held the Dolphins rushing game to just 41 yards. Frank Gore and Kenyan Drake rushed for 18 yards combined. That made the Dolphins offense one-dimensional and they were out of sorts to start.

(-)

Pass defense. From a decent showing last week to an atrocious showing this week. The Dolphins' run game is entirely shut down, but the entire unit just continues to give up big plays after big plays. The big TD to Kenny Stills. The Dolphins ran a double "Philly special" during that game. A double reverse. Albert Wilson throws a 52 yard passing TD to Jakeem Grant. Albert Wilson taking it all the way for a 74 yard TD to seal the game. Just too many big plays and that kept Miami's offense afloat when it has been stagnant all game long.

MVP

Jordy Nelson, 6 receptions, 173 yards, 1 TD

Jordy turned back the clock with this performance. People were wondering whether or not he was a byproduct of Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense. This game proved that he's not.





Conclusion

Yeah, it's just three games right? There's still a lot of football left to played for the Raiders to turn around. The harsh reality though, this team is just not good enough to put teams away even with vets who have perennial experience in winning. When you have been a fan of a team that has endured so many losing seasons, it's frustrating to not generate any optimism because you know they'll find new ways to lose. Next week, the Raiders play the Browns. And as much as I don't like to say it, the Browns look much better than the Raiders right now. Baker Mayfield has re-energized the offense. Their defense is underrated. It's going to be a tough challenge considering the way this team just continues to start fast, but they fail to finish. On top of that, they leave more to be desired. I'll see you guys next week for that game.

Week 3: RAIDERS @ Dolphins 2nd Half Open Thread

Second half of the Raiders-Dolphins Week 3 matchup. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

OAK 20 MIA 28

Same story. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

OAK 17 MIA 14

Well, here we go again. The Raiders gave themselves a bit of a cushion with the 10-point lead early on. But, the Dolphins struck right back to cut it to three. The biggest category that's separating this team are the Dolphins. The Raiders are fortunate that they are not the ones shooting themselves in the foot this game. They're clinging on to a 3-point lead. The defense can hold the Dolphins early on in the fourth, it's a small win. Let's see if this team can finally close a game out.

Week 3: RAIDERS @ Miami Dolphins 1st Half Open Thread

Welcome in to the first half open thread of the Raiders' Week 3 matchup at the Miami Dolphins. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

OAK 10 MIA 7

Not a bad first half. Arguably the MVP candidate right now, Jordy Nelson. 4 receptions for 151 yards and a TD. Certainly he's still got gas left in the tank. Like I said last game, the Raiders start off with really great drives, but there's still a lot more to grasp. I really didn't like the 4th down play call to Keith Smith. No question, Lynch should've carried that ball with Keith Smith leading the way. They tried to play "cute" for a little deception and they got stuffed. The last scoring drive, again, more to grasp and they had to settle for a Nugent field goal. At least the Raiders don't have it as bad as the Dolphins. Outside of that deep pass to Kenny Stills from Ryan Tannehill, their offense hasn't been a factor. The running game of Kenyan Drake and Frank Gore was a non-factor during that half. That is a win for the defense to make the Dolphins one dimensional. It also doesn't help that penalties are derailing anything positive that Miami's generating. The Raiders won the first half. It's just a matter of keeping that momentum going into the 2nd half. The last two games, it has been an achilles heel and they end up losing the games. That has got to change. Let's see in the 2nd half.

Q1

OAK 7 MIA 0

 

We would've been looking at a 14-0 lead had Gruden called that 1-yard play to Lynch instead of an FB Lead to Keith Smith. That was tough. But, Jordy Nelson's career has been revived this week. He starts off with a big gainer for 61 yards, caps it off with a TD. He burns the Dolphins again for a 66 yard catch and run. Minkah Fitzpatrick is a highly touted rookie and Nelson is just taking him to school. Other than that, there hasn't been much generated from the offense due to penalties and a bad INT from Carr. Both Coop and Carr were at fault for that one as Coop gave up on the play after he had a step behind the defenders. Luckily, the Dolphins have a lot of trouble on offense. They just can't get anything going, putting a lot of pressure on their defense that has gave a lot of yardage so far.

Raiders Keep Playoff Hopes Alive with Win Over Dolphins

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

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

(+)

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

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

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

(-)

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

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

MVP

Jared Cook, 8 receptions, 126 yards

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




Conclusion

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

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

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

Q4

OAK 27 MIA 24

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

Q3

OAK 20 MIA 16

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

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

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

Q2

OAK 13 MIA 9

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

Q1

OAK 3 MIA 0 

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

Raiders Hammered by Dolphins in London "Home" Game

Alright welcome in to the full recap of the NFL’s annual international series in London between the Raiders and Miami Dolphins where the Dolphins thrash the Raiders 38-14 and both teams are heading into the week 5 bye, but the Raiders are heading into the bye 0-4.

Go to London early to help the team bond and adjust to the time zone; home game at Wembley Stadium, still lose, still get dominated by a team that is equally struggling. London Bridge is falling down and it was falling down hard on the Raiders this game. It was frustrating and embarrassing to watch. They’ve lost ten straight games dating back to the 2013 season with this current coaching staff. Zero adjustments, zero motivation, conservative and predictable playcalling.

The Positives

Derek Carr, 16 of 25 completed passes, 146 passing yards, 1 passing TD, 1 INT. The injury to Carr while he was scrambling for yardage was unfortunate, hopefully he gets well soon. A lot of people are blaming Carr for this trend and calling for Matt McGloin, but everybody has to realize that this supporting cast on offense is that bad with the exception of a few players. This game, Carr put together a solid drive early in the first quarter and then the playbook closed out on him and you can blame Greg Olson on that.

Darren McFadden, 11 carries, 40 rushing yards, 4 reception, 32 receiving yards. I thought D-Mac had a pretty solid all-around game. Like I said, he’s running hard and catching balls in the passing game. Since he was inserted into the starting lineup with MJD out/limited with a hand injury, McFadden’s been playing angry and with a drive even though his stats are not that flashy.

Andre Holmes, 5 receptions, 74 receiving yards, 1 TD. Holmes was pretty much a forgotten man during the preseason after an awful showing, but he did a great job stepping up this game. Rod Streater, out, Denarius Moore, inactive this game, Holmes played a solid game as the #2 WR next to James Jones.

The Negatives

Defense. Welcome back to the negatives defense. Last game, I gave the defense 100% credit for holding on their own against Tom Brady and the Pats, but heading back “home”, they fall flat. Ryan Tannehill and the Dolphins offense ran laps around this defense. They had it their way this game. You can say this defense has been riddled by injuries, particularly at the linebacker and secondary positions, but the defensive line has not been producing, not generating any pressure on the quarterback and failing to stop the run countless times. Also, this defense has been inconsistent because like I said they tend to make games competitive when they’re on the road, but at home, they take it easy and the opposing offense just mops the field on them. 

The coaching staff. Man, Dennis Allen, Greg Olson, Jason Tarver are in deep trouble heading into the bye week. Dennis Allen couldn’t get this team motivated. Jason Tarver, what happened to mixing up defensive schemes and using different blitz packages to confuse the offense? But we got to go to the biggest negative on the coaching staff, offensive coordinator, Greg Olson. Greg Olson teased us big time after putting together a great opening drive and then after that: run up the middle, short pass, check down. No creativity, predictable offensive playcalling and once again finally opening up the playbook when the game is well out of reach. It’s inexcusable, you’re three games into the season, Derek Carr has gained immense knowledge of the offensive playbook, and yet Olson still game plans us with soft and predictable playcalling. I assure you, if Hue Jackson was calling plays, Derek Carr would be putting up monster numbers for a rookie, Reece would live up to his “Matchup Nightmare” nickname more, and McFadden would’ve rekindled his 2010-11 form and be one of the most feared running backs in the league. We got the power blocking scheme back, but it’s obvious that with the personnel the Raiders have, they’re more suited to a vertical passing game rather than the West Coast offense. 

Conclusion

A lot of hot seats among the coaching staff heading into the bye week. Dennis Allen had too many chances. It’s understandable this is year 2 in the true rebuilding phase for the McKenzie era, but with the way this team was put together in the offseason and in the draft, this team has a lot of talent and looked like they will compete at all costs. Now this team is 0-4 and we’re not seeing results, we’re not seeing any progress. There are a couple positives here and there, but all the Raiders are getting are moral victories, not a W in the column. The experts have spoken that the Raiders will go 1-15 or 2-14 at best and be picking top 5 again, this team is proving them right and it’s sickening all of us here at the Raider Nation, we deserve better. There has got to be some changes in the coaching staff and there’s got to be change now, we’ve got nothing lose since this season is already lost. Next week is a bye week, so no posts. I’ll see you guys later.

Week 4: London Game RAIDERS vs. Miami Dolphins Q-by-Q Reaction

Q4:

Score: MIA 38 OAK 14

If this was a way to see how bad the Raiders look internationally, this was the game. Despite the early trip, nothing can go right. This coaching staff is swimming in lava right now. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3:

Score: MIA 38 OAK 7

#FireDennisAllen #FireGregOlson #FireJasonTarver Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic. Get well soon D.C.

Q2:

Score: MIA 24 OAK 7

A good drive in the 1st quarter and now the Raiders have turned back to the Raiders we know and love. Giving up big plays, not pressuring the quarterback, soft, conservative playcalling on offense. This is getting ridiculous. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

Score: MIA 3 OAK 7

Derek Carr put together a solid opening drive. Could've gotten more on the 2nd drive, but bad personnel Greg Olson put in for that 3rd down. Defense, here we go again giving up one big play after another. They stopped the Dolphins on the first drive, but they are threatening again.

RAIDERS vs. Dolphins Halftime Post

Score: MIA 24 OAK 7

Alright welcome in to the halftime post of the Raiders-Dolphins game in London where the Dolphins are rolling over the Raiders 24-7 after the Raiders drew first blood on the opening drive.

The Positives

Derek Carr, 12 of 19 completed passes, 106 passing yards, 1 passing TD. Like I said before Derek Carr put together a solid opening drive in the first quarter. Now ever since that drive, the playcalling and the supporting cast is not doing its job. Carr may have been sacked, got flagged for intentional grounding, but it's just bad pass protection from the O-line. I've said it last game and I'll say it again, Carr is doing everything right, but the playcalling and the supporting cast is not giving him help.

Darren McFadden, 7 carries, 27 rushing yards. I'm not sure why Greg Olson stopped handing the ball to McFadden after he was getting off to a tremendous start. DMC is running hard, finding holes paved by the O-line, almost had a touchdown in the opening drive. Stats don't say otherwise, but he's running hard the last few games.


The Negatives

Defense. For the third consecutive time of the season, the defense makes the negatives list. 24 unanswered points in the 2nd quarter. The Dolphins' offensive coordinator served under Chip Kelly's coaching staff? Hmmm, no wonder the defense is getting destroyed just like last season when the Eagles flew over the Raiders. I don't get it, they play hard when it's a road game, but at home, the just play like complete trash. Even though they're on the road in London, it's a "home" game and they're not showing up.

Greg Olson playcalling. It's obvious Greg Olson has got to go along with Dennis Allen. He gave us a tease opening up the playbook for Carr with that deep ball to James Jones and after the opening drive, he just starts watering down the playcalling. Greg, it's three games into the season, you know Carr is more accustomed to the playbook, but you still water it down with constant run up the middle and short pass plays. No creativity, very predictable unlike the Dolphins' offense where they surprised the defense with double reverses, bubble screens, etc.

Bottom Line

If this coaching staff wants to have a job, particularly Dennis Allen, Greg Olson, and Jason Tarver, they need to make ADJUSTMENTS! The 2nd half, Dolphins have the ball since they deferred, it gets much harder considering they're riding all this momentum.