Raiders Lose the Shootout vs. Chiefs

 Final Score: KC 35 LV 31 [L] (6-4)

Well, I had a post previously. But, apparently that got deleted when I published. I'm just going to give out a condensed summary of this game.

This game was as advertised as a back-and-forth shootout. Derek Carr and the Raiders' offense did what they can and scored as many points. But, key drops were a big factor down the stretch. The defense did what they could with key players missing due to the COVID-19 protocol. In the end, the Raiders lose off a go-ahead TD from Mahomes to Kelce. Kansas City was methodical in their run game and Patrick Mahomes did what we're accustomed to seeing him doing and that's extending plays with his mobility.

I'm not going to drop stats because I exhausted my effort from my previous post that got deleted. But, the Raiders still remain in the last Wild Card spot and they're now at the softest part of their schedule. The only challenging opponents left are the Colts and the Dolphins. But, first they have a chance to get right next week against the Falcons. Matt Ryan and company had a brutal day against the Saints' defense today. Maybe, the Raider defense can pull a page out of their book for their preparation for this matchup. I'll see you guys later. 

Sunday Night Dud: Raiders Stagnant vs. Redskins

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

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

(+)

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

(-)

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

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

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

MVP

James Cowser, 3 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries

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



Conclusion

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

Raiders Alone in 1st Place in the AFC West in Big Prime Time Win over Broncos

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' Sunday Night showdown with the Broncos. What's on the line here? 1st place in the AFC West! The Raiders have shown all of America that they are back, beating the Super Bowl champions 20-30 in Oakland.

"The Raiders are not going to run over us," they said. "They won't score against our defense," they said. "The No Fly Zone will shut down your receivers," they said. Well, what happened? Man, this was a great win. I mean every time the Raiders play the Broncos, I get a little more amped up than I should because they are the AFC West team I despise the most. I wasn't there last season to cover Khalil Mack's 5 sack game because I had some finals to study for, but I still made an effort to get my bragging rights on. Here, I'm going full force! Broncos fans have been talking a lot of trash lately before this game on how the Raiders are not going to do this. Not going to do that. But, news flash! They did what they did and punched the Broncos right in the kisser! It was great and satisfying and I'm looking forward to how many excuses some "Dinko-Donko" fans will bring up. But, Raider Nation, do we care? NOPE!

(+)

The running game. I think we can all universally agree that this was the key to beating the Broncos. If the Raiders are able to run the ball, they'll be able to keep the Denver defense honest. Of course, the attention is going to be Latvius Murray's big game. And it was big game for him. 20 carries, 114 yards, 3 one-yard TDs. That's his game. Give him the ball in short yardage situations and he'll do the rest. Although this Tay Train's game, we won't discount the two other rookie running backs. Jalen Richard had 6 carries on 82 yards, he broke off a couple of big runs against the defense. DeAndre Washington had 10 carries for 35 yards, but he had some solid gainers. No need for Carr to risk slinging the ball against the No Fly Zone secondary. The ground game turned it up a notch tonight.

Kelechi Osemele. K.O. You win! He is worth every penny when the Raiders signed him in the offseason! Not only did he bring another big body upfront, but he brings a physicality to this Raiders O-line. Back in 2013 when the Ravens played the Broncos, K.O. just threw down Von Miller like a rag doll. This game, he was absolutely bullying the Broncos' front 4. He makes the left side great and the Raiders were able to exploit that, playing power run football to the left and K.O. was blocking with tenacity and violence. What a beast!

Penalties. Wait, penalties are a positive? What? Well, luckily the Raiders didn't break another record. 23 penalties last week compared to just 8 this week. The Broncos were the ones committing all the penalties and the Raiders did everything to draw those peanlties. They made the Broncos defense, particularly the No Fly Zone so undisciplined.

Special teams. Poor Broncos cannot buy good field position early on. Marquette King was pinning Trevor Siemian and the Broncos' offense deep. It wasn't all just Marquette King. Sebass was booting out. Taiwan Jones, Brynden Trawick, everybody on special teams was making tackles inside the Broncos' 20 yard line and they couldn't get anything as the defense was forcing a lot of quick 3 and outs.

Khalil Mack, 3 tackles, 2 sacks. Round 1 of the 2016 NFL Season between Khalil Mack and Von Miller. Miller might have won the first few rounds, but Mack rallied and won the fight. Mack with one more sack than Miller, but he had more hurries, pressures, and a few disruptions that doesn't show up on the stats sheet. Mack continues to stay hot and I can't imagine what Hell he's going to bring when Mario Edwards and Aldon Smith come back hopefully after the bye. 

(-)

Should've been a complete blowout. Okay, this is not a real negative, but I wanted to see the Raiders make the Broncos throw in the towel early. The Broncos had a couple of lucky breaks. Siemian heaves a lucky throw to Demaryius Thomas when Reggie Nelson was in his grill. And of course, you got that screen to Bibbs in the mid 4th quarter. I'm just asking what in the world? But, oh well, the Raiders still got the win. But, this should've been a beatdown in Oaktown.

MVP

Latavius Murray, 20 carries, 114 rushing yards, 3 rushing TDs, 1 reception, 13 receiving yards

All aboard the Tay Train! He looked like the Latavius Murray of old when he rushed for over 100 yards and 2 TDs in the Thursday Night game against the Chiefs two years ago. Continue to doubt him, but you can't deny his work ethic to get better.

Conclusion

No more calling the Raiders the laughing stock of the NFL. It's time to bury that title. R.I.P. 2003-2015. However, we're not quite out of the tunnel yet. There's still a few more games to go before we talk playoffs and possibly division champions. There's still the Kansas City Chiefs whom the Raiders have yet to beat and like last season, they are hot after the bye week. But, no question this win against the Super Bowl champions in front of a world wide audience leaves no doubt that the Raiders are for real! Now, it's a matter of finishing the season strong. They have the bye week next week to rest up and hopefully, we see the return of Mario Edwards Jr. and Aldon Smith to bolster the defense. So, help is on the way in the final stretch of the season. Let's hope the cards play out. But, it's celebration time Raider Nation! First place in the AFC West! The return to greatness is only beginning. I'll see you guys in two weeks when the Raiders go to Mexico to face the Texans in a Monday Night game. 

Week 9: Sunday Night - RAIDERS vs. Broncos 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

The 2nd half post of the Raiders-Broncos matchup on Sunday Night Football! As usual, leave a comment on your thoughts on the 2nd half of the game below this post.

Q4

DEN 20 OAK 30

First place in the AFC West baby! But, overall an impressive wire-to-wire win for this young Raiders squad  against the Super Bowl champions in their first Sunday Night game. This team has come so far. I don't know what else. You've seen it here America. The Silver and Black are back! Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

DEN 10 OAK 20 

Well, not much action here, but the offense, despite not putting up points on the board, managed to run out some clock this quarter. Once again, the defense is holding its own out there, forcing Siemian on quick 3 and outs. But, Denver asked for P.I. on a great acting job by Demaryius Thomas on D.J. Hayden to extend the drive. However, that doesn't matter because the defense still held them to another 3 and out. 4th quarter is going to be critical. The Raiders have to put the defending Super Bowl champs away.

Week 9: Sunday Night - RAIDERS vs. Broncos 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome to the 1st half open thread and discussion of Week 9's primetime main event of the Raiders' critical divisional matchup vs. the Denver Broncos on Sunday Night Football on NBC! Leave a comment on your thoughts on the 1st half below this post.

Q2

DEN 10 OAK 20

That was quite a scare at the final seconds. If Emmanuel Sanders made that catch, it would've been a whole different narrative. But, so far no jitters for this young Raiders team in their first nationally televised prime time game. Yes, there's a lot of points the offense left out there out on the field, but so far they've managed to keep this Denver defense on their heels for the majority of the game. The key here was the running game. Jalen Richard broke out big chunks of yardages to get within Denver territory. Latavius Murray broke out a huge chunk before the 2nd quarter came to an end and he managed to get two 1-yard TD runs. The defense kept Trevor Siemian and Broncos' offense in check. They were getting a lot of quick 3 and outs. But, they did allow a touchdown. I don't know how Siemian was able to get that pass to Demaryius Thomas when Reggie Nelson was in his grill and that set up the Broncos' only touchdown of the game by Jordan Norwood. Other than that, stats sheets go in favor of the Raiders this first half. Offense is displaying some good balance in both the run and the pass. Not a lot of negative this half, but of course, the penalties came back up again during the 2nd quarter. Another negative, I don't know if it's me, but what is going on with Janikowski? Raiders could've been up 10-23, but Sebass missed a 48-yard field goal. Last game, he missed both game-winning field goals with the wind in his face, but here, he missed without any wind. He has to get it together. The Raiders should approach the 2nd half with the same formula: use the O-line to play smash mouth football on the run and continue to lock up when the Broncos take the field on offense. The 2nd half open thread will open up shortly.

Q1

DEN 0 OAK 6

Wow, just looking at the score alone, the narrative is that the game is going to be a defensive battle. But, so far, the Raiders have dominated this quarter in terms of field position and being in good position to put points on the board. They could've had a TD, but Seth Roberts slipped on the first drive for the Raiders' offense. Special teams and defense are being difference makers. Trevor Siemian and the Broncos' offense could not get anything going. Raiders offense is currently driving. Let's see if they cap it off with a TD.

Raiders Come Up Short vs. Cardinals on Sunday Night

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' Sunday Night preseason matchup vs. the Arizona Cardinals where the Raiders had control for the majority of the first half, but the Cardinals came back to beat the Raiders 30-23.

Time to get my feet wet for the first full recap of the season for me. The Raiders had a chance to showcase what they can do on national television and the way it ended, it was 50-50. The 1st team defense looked great out there and I'll get to them in a second. However, there were jitters on the offense. In fact, both offenses struggled. It isn't until the 1st string was taken out that both managed to find the end zone. Although the last Cardinals possession was a back breaker, as an NFL fan, those were some "never say never" type plays by Arizona's Ifeanyi Momah. But going back, the 1st team offense had some great looks to cash in and they did nothing but squander some opportunities.

(+)

Defense (1st team). Let's take a look at the good first, Khalil Mack is a beast. Enough said. When teams run on his side, no chance in hell they'll get a big gain. Just the shear idea of Mack converting from OLB to DE is making the D-line a lot better because he's generating that pressure, putting the Tackles on ice, and he's drawing a lot of double and triple teams to give other D-linemen a shot. Dan Williams was able to get pressure, Denico Autry, heck even Mario Edwards, Jr. was able to get a sack with the first team and Edwards' stock may be rising with the way he played the last two preseason games. The linebackers were solid; Lofton and Smith were able to get nice tackles, especially when the Cardinals were calling screen passes. The shaky secondary did not suck, although the Cardinals called some big plays for big yardages, which made my heart drop just a little, the secondary held its own to negate most of them. For the most part, the first team defense were at its best tonight and maybe the world got to see up close why Mack was ranked #49 on the NFL's top 100 list of 2015.

Matt McGloin, 11-15 passes, 114 passing yards, 1 pass TD. Never sleep on Matt McGloin, just three preseasons in, he is threatening to take Ponder's spot as the QB2. He had a good showing in the first preseason game vs. the Rams, an off night against the Vikings, but he flat out outperformed Christian Ponder this game. Though Ponder made a couple of nice throws, he just couldn't put together a solid drive. Not to mention, he was sacked a couple times. When McGloin was put in with the 2nd-3rd stringers, he was "as cool  as the other side of the pillow (RIP Stuart Scott)" and lead the Raiders to a game tying drive. In all likelihood, though Ponder is Musgrave's boy, McGloin is going to get that QB2 spot and will probably keep that spot for good.

Seth Roberts, 3 receptions, 52 receiving yards. The wide receiver spot is definitely going to be a headache for the coaches because outside of Crabtree and Cooper, the rest of the receiver spot is up for grabs. Roberts follows another hidden gem that Reggie McKenzie uncovered from the undrafted free agent list and he has shined through the preseason. After this game, Roberts becomes the new dark horse to make the roster as roster cuts loom.

(-)

Running game. The running game as a whole was awful, but from a first string point of view, the Tay Train was nowhere to be found. Latavius Murray only managed to get just a mere 1 yard on 7 carries. The Cardinals' run defense did a good job containing him, there was nothing that the Raiders can do, so we had to re-live the old days of the running game being out of the playbook and resorting to pass like a million times. Reece was implemented, couldn't get anything. Trent Richardson had a nice run, but he's still not convincing to have a breakout year and in all likelihood make the team. The running game disappeared and it's not a good sign if the Raiders are going to go up against really good run defenses.

Derek Carr. Despite 200+ yards passing, I'm not going to let the stats fool me. Derek Carr did not have an outstanding game tonight. He flashed at times, but he's overthrown a lot of his passes this game. Notably, there were two occasions he overthrew Amari Cooper and he overthrew the fade route to Michael Crabtree to get a potential a TD. But the true back breaker of the game is that Pick 6 in the 3rd quarter. I'm sure Carr will learn from that, but just throw the ball away in that situation.

Conclusion

If I could evaluate this game, it's a mixed reception in terms of the Raiders' performance. If I'm Jack Del Rio and Ken Norton, Jr., I gotta be happy with the way the defense played for the most part before the 2nd and 3rd stringers came in. They shut down the Cardinals offense and had Carson Palmer rattled for the majority the game. If I'm Bill Musgrave, the offense has a lot of work to do before they can talk about being a potent offense. The rhythm, timing, and communication just wasn't there. Anyway, this is a taste of what is to come for the 2015 season. I'll see you guys in two weeks when the Raiders take on the Bengals on opening day. I will have a season preview before that though, so stay tuned. I'll see you guys later.

SNF: RAIDERS vs. Arizona Cardinals Preseason Week 3 Q-by-Q Reaction

Q4:

Score: AZ 30 OAK 23

Well, whenever Matt McGloin's in the game with the 2nd-3rd stringers, it's usually entertaining. He was able to lead the Raiders for a tie, unfortunately they couldn't hold on. But evaluating the first stringers, the defense looked great, the offense was not all that great despite putting some decent drives, they couldn't convert those into TDs. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3:

Score: AZ 10 OAK 15

This quarter ended with a sigh. Not a very good way for Derek Carr to end his night, throwing a pick 6 to the house. Despite the good stats, Carr had a so-so night and that pick was just all bad. That also had a domino effect, I'd put in the 2nd string defense right about now. Mack had a good outing, now would be great to take him out.

Q2:

Score: AZ 3 OAK 15

I really like what I'm seeing from the defense so far. The D-line is putting some heat on most of Carson Palmer's passes, Nate Allen showing off his ballhawk skills, and Khalil Mack putting the Cardinals' O-line on roller skates! Getting after Palmer and notching two sacks at the end of the half. The offense made some strides, but there's a lot more work to do to turn those field goals into touchdowns. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

Score: AZ 0 OAK 6

Good opportunity to get my feet wet before the regular season. So far, the defense is doing fine, but the offense is off to a really slow start. The Cardinals surprised a little bit on the first play with a bubble screen to Larry Fitzgerald and though their O is dominating the TOP, the defense is holding out on its own, which should please Del Rio. The offense started off ugly, though the catch by Mychal Rivera jump started the offense, then they went no huddle to pick it up. However, those quick 3 and outs have blown some opportunites to give the defense a rest and lead to some missed opportunities to put more points on the board.

RAIDERS vs. Cardinals Halftime Post

Score: AZ 3 OAK 15

Welcome in to a special halftime post of the Raiders' 3rd preseason matchup with the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday Night Football where the Raiders lead 3-15 heading into the locker room.

(+)

Defense. The defense is making some noise in prime time for this game and they are firing on all cylinders, from the D-line to the linebackers, to the secondary. Nate Allen had some pretty good INTs. On his first INT, I thought he had that inbounds and it was a good challenge by Jack Del Rio to give the Raiders offense some good field position in their opening drive. Malcolm Smith made some nice tackles, Dan Williams and Denico Autry made some pretty nice pushes to generate pressure. But the main story here is Khalil Mack, 2 sacks against Carson Palmer. He is literally beating the Cardinals O-line like a bush. He has owned Jared Veldheer so far this game.

(-)


Running Game. The rest of the offense are starting to pick it up, but the running game is not getting anything going. Latavius Murray, only 1 yard and lost a lot of yardage, Marcel Reece and Trent Richardson can get nothing. The Cardinals' run defense is pretty solid and credit to them for containing the Raiders' game. Based on observation, that right side of the O-line is getting exposed and Donald Penn looks like he's showing his age, constituting why some run plays blew up in front of the Raiders offense.

Bottom Line

Luckily for the Raiders offense, they get the ball back since they implemented their defense first. The first stringers get one more chance for another look to put together a solid drive capping off with a touchdown before they put the 2nd stringers in. The defense, hopefully they keep playing like this throughout whole game. I'm loving it so far. Let's see what happens.