Raiders Notch 3rd Consecutive Win in Nashville vs. Titans

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders season opener vs. the Tennessee Titans where the Raiders beat the Titans 26-16. The Raiders continue to exert their dominance in Nashville and Carr edges out Mariota once again in what is a comeback game between these two young QBs.

Like I said in the 4th quarter reaction, this was a complete 180 over last season. The Raiders had to go for two to beat the Saints. But, today was just cruise control, especially down the stretch in the 4th. We have to remember, the last two Raiders-Titans matchups were decided by a touchdown or less and it came to the final possession. I was kinda uneasy heading into this game, but the way the defense played and how the offense was marching down the field ensured that this game did not come down to the final possession.

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Derek Carr, 22 of 32 passes, 262 yards, 2 TDs. Since it's now official, welcome back Derek Carr. I said in my preview, based on the preseason, Carr looked like he hasn't missed a beat and he has full reins on the offense. How it translated in the regular season, Carr made his return look effortless. He was sacked twice today. I'm sure we were holding our breaths when he was sacked two of those times. But, Carr managed to get back on top and come away clean and  lead the Raiders to their first win of the season. He's back baby! He's back.

Marshawn Lynch, 18 carries, 76 yards. Here's another guy who's back in the NFL. Sure, he did not get a welcome back TD, but Beast Mode has returned and is laying down defenders who get in his way. The Raiders brought him back to be that bruiser and the RB that'll get those yards in tough run situations. For a small sample size this game, it's safe to say that the Beast is back and is unleashed!

Michael Crabtree, 6 receptions, 83 yards. It's funny that we criticized Crabtree down the stretch for dropping a lot of balls. We tend to forget, he was playing with a broken finger. This is still the same Michael Crabtree who's more than capable of making the tough catches, the clutch catches. He reminded us of that today and that finger's 100% healthy.

Jared Cook, 5 receptions, 56 yards. When the Raiders get the Tight End involved, the offensive playbook stays open. Jared Cook gave the Silver and Black just that. I liked the way Downing got him involved early. He'll allow Coop and Crab to have their way and take the pressure off them. We saw a relatively small sample size today that Cook is going to be the Tight End that'll have this offense look unstoppable.

Giorgio Tavecchio, two 50+ yard FGs, 40+ yard FG, 20+ yard FG. We don't know when Sebastian Janikowski will see the field this season, but it seems that the Raiders will be alright at the Kicking position. There's definitely a lot of pressure on Tavecchio today. If he didn't make those field goals, it's gonna be all on him, especially if the Raiders lost this game. But how Tavecchio kicked today, let me put this out in honor of the late Stuart Scott, he was "as cool as the other side of the pillow."

Defense. This was our biggest worry heading into the season is if the defense will surrender a lot of yards/points. The way they didn't get off the field on third down this game exerted our concerns. I'm reacting like "oh no, here we go again." But after that hiccup, they held down the fort against a threatening, run-first Titans offense. From my observation, I liked the fact that the defense is shifting looks every time Mariota calls an audible. That's when you know that John Pagano is putting his blueprint on the D. If Ken Norton was running this solo like the last two years, they would've stood there like a statue and that would result in a lot of defensive breakdowns. But on defense, Mack shut DeMarco Murray down. Eddie Vanderdoes had a nice outing generating pressure up the middle.

Todd Downing. I made a bold statement in my season preview that Downing is already a better OC than Bill Musgrave. He was impressive today in terms of game plan and calling plays. No conservative BS to try and get the offense going, just attack, attack, and attack. Not to mention, Downing was going up against the legendary DC, Dick Lebeau today and he won. That in itself is impressive. He'll be going up against another one next week in Todd Bowles when the Raiders face the Jets. By the way, somebody should make some memes with Todd Downing with his sunglasses and his poker face expression. CBS showed a couple of that. That is the look of a young and confident OC!

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Amari Cooper. Coop had a decent finish today with 5 receptions for 62 yards and he had that strong TD to open up the game. But, today just left us grasping for more from the him. On the Raiders 2nd possession, the offense was riding a lot of momentum after Lynch's 4th down conversion. On all three downs, the Raiders looked for Coop and he had a chance to haul in at least one. He's going up against Adoree Jackson, a rookie, he should take advantage of that and he dropped the ball on three tries. Coop dropped a lot of balls today other than that one sequence and we're disappointed. I'm disappointed since I wanted the Raiders to draft this guy. This season is the season he breaks out, but he still showing some of those dropped ball deficiencies since he came into the league.

Bruce Irvin's penalties. He would've fit right in if this was a Raiders team pre-Khalil Mack, pre-Derek Carr, pre-Jack Del Rio. Irvin made a silly error on the offsides penalty, but he slammed down Delanie Walker, which was unnecessary. It would've worked if the leagues was still in the 1970s, but Bruce Irvin as a veteran and Super Bowl champion is better than that. There was one instance where he could've downed Walker. It was just a silly 15-yard penalty that luckily didn't cost the game.

MVP

Giorgio Tavecchio, two 50+ yard FGs, 40+ yard FG, 20+ yard FG

Sebastian Jani-WHO? Like I said, if Tavecchio didn't kick well, the scrutiny is gonna fall on him and we'd be calling for Sebass to heal up faster. But, it didn't go that way! The Raiders might've found their kicker in the future if Sebass calls it quits.


Conclusion

Overall, great opening win from the Raiders. They remain impressive on the road. They're gonna need a lot of W's considering this is a much more difficult schedule than last year. The Raiders are going need to take advantage of the favorable schedule in the first 7 weeks. But, they got it done today, now onto the next one. They play the Jets next week. I think this is an early trap-game. The Jets are projected to go 0-16 this season, but this is upset territory here. But, if the defense plays like they did today and the offense cleans up a lot things after this game, they are going to blow the Jets out of the Coliseum. Unfortunately, I won't be around to cover this game, but I'll find a way to get my "two cents." I'll go into more details in the coming days before Sunday. Stay tuned. I'll see you guys later.

Week 1: "Carr-Mariota III" - RAIDERS @ Tennessee Titans 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the 2nd half open thread of the Raiders-Titans Week 1 matchup. As usual, leave comments below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

OAK 26 TEN 16


No heart attack needed down the stretch thank goodness. For the Raiders, there are still a couple of wrinkles to fix up, I'd write this in the books as a decisive win. Defense stepped up in the end despite the jitters to start. The offense is as advertised, but a couple of things to clean up. And the Raiders found a kicker to replace Sebass in the long term. Great win today. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

OAK 16 TEN 13

Totally forgot it was the end of the 3rd quarter. Follow my last comment about the defense holding and the offense stepping up to score and that's my reaction for this quarter. Head straight to the 4th.

Week 1: "Carr-Mariota III" - RAIDERS @ Tennessee Titans 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Football is back! This is the first half open thread and discussion for the Raiders' Week 1 matchup vs. the Titans for the third consecutive time in Nashville. Leave some comments below to share your thoughts on the game. 

Q2

OAK 13 TEN 10

Looks like we're not gonna miss Janikowski after Giorgio Tavecchio made that 52 yard field goal to end the half. Not bad for a guy who bounced around the league multiple times. Now, that the first half has ended, let's look at the two most vital sides of football. As I said in the first quarter, the offense is as good as advertised. They can drive down the field at ease and score at will. Marshawn Lynch and Jared Cook are making their presence felt. While we know what Lynch is capable of, Cook has kept the offensive playbook open. He's taking off the pressure of Coop and Crab and allowing them to eat. Crab had a couple of brilliant grabs. Coop had that strong TD to open game, he could've had a 2nd one if he grabbed one of the balls on the Raiders' 2nd drive. There's a couple of hiccups like that goal line drive on the 2nd possession and the O-line giving up 2 sacks on Carr. Interchanging Marshall Newhouse and Vadal Alexander at Right Tackle was a bad decision. Other than that, the offense is good as advertised. On the defensive end, we saw the 3rd down deficiencies on Tennessee's first drive. They had a couple of good stops on the first two downs, then they just gave up chunks on third down. They got better as the game went on, but how long the defense will hold on this bend-but-don't-break scheme is the question. Todd Downing's biggest question mark as an OC is if he can make in-game adjustments. The scoring has to pick up since Norton's defense will be bending all game long. The 2nd half open thread will open up shortly.

Q1

OAK 7 TEN 7

Well, that was not a good way to end the quarter with Amari Cooper having three chances to get into the end zone. But, the offense is as good as advertised, threatening to score on every possession. Now, how about the other side of the ball? Typical poor showing. They did well on the first two downs, but once third down hits, they fold like a chair. They could not get off the field if they can't make a stop on third down. Offense got stopped, likely settle for three. Defense has to put up a very good showing next drive.

Raiders Hold Off Titans' Surge for Win #2

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders Week 3 road matchup vs. the Tennessee Titans where the defense wins the game in the final seconds against Marcus Mariota, DeMarco Murray and the rest of the Titans, preserving a 17-10 victory for the Silver and Black.

Week 1, won by one point. Week 2 lost by a touchdown. Week 3 won by a touchdown. Raider Nation, this is some roller coaster ride we've embarked on to open up the 2016 season. But, nonetheless, it would've be nice to go 3-0, but going 2-1 is a better option than going down 1-2. This game was a tale of two halves. In the first half, I thought the Raiders were sharp on both sides of the ball, despite the slow start by the defense and a couple of three and outs by the offense after putting up a touchdown on the first drive. The 2nd half, the Raiders put their foot off the pedal, setting up a possible comeback from the Titans. Whew, there's still lot of things to clean up, but they got the W.

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Defensive turnovers. Man was this critical for the victory. We gotta get more of these, if the defense can't sack the QB. Bruce Irvin recorded a forced fumble on Mariota. Reggie Nelson and Sean Smith each picked off Mariota once. Raiders' defense stood tall. Albeit, they gave up chunks of yardage both on the ground and through the air, they forced turnovers when it was needed the most. If the defense can't get the sack, they should try making a play on the ball and that's exactly what they did this game.

Michael Crabtree, 8 receptions, 102 yards. King Crab has some glue on those hands and great concentration on those feet. We're glad to have him for four more years. No other receiver has stepped up in the clutch more than Crabtree has since he came to Oakland. Two weeks ago, he caught the game-winning 2 point catch. This week, he caught a jump ball on a busted play in the 3rd quarter and he showed great concentration staying in bounds on a clutch 3rd catch to move the chains in the 4th. Crab is clutch. Nothing else needs to be said.

DeAndre Washington, 6 carries, 57 yards. I'd say this is a semi-breakout for Washington. I absolutely love our RBBC lineup because they have a lot of different traits displayed on the field. "D-Dub" showed off the power and elusiveness in the 2nd quarter to help set up the Raiders' 2nd touchdown. He made guys missed and found the right holes opened up by the O-line. Solid game on the ground from Washington

Karl Joseph, 10 tackles, 6 solo tackles. Sometimes, tackles is a misleading stat in the NFL, but it's one way to get yourself recognized. We finally see a glimpse of this year's 1st round pick, Karl Joseph and he showed no signs of rust. I can't remember the exact plays where Karl Joseph made tackles, but 10 tackles? Not too shabby rookie. That's what the Raiders brought him in for: tackle and also lay a hit on someone.

Sean Smith, 2 tackles, 1 INT, 1 Pass defense. Sean Smith came under fire from us after being burned the last two games. But, we have to remember he's going up against the best young receivers in the game (Brandin Cooks) and one of the best receivers in the league (Julio Jones) the first two weeks. This week, he wasn't matched up against a top-tier receiver and he did his job. Smith's stat line, it's not too much to woo back the Nation, but it's a step forward.

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Run Defense. This is where the Raiders are missing the presence of Mario Edwards, Jr. and Aldon Smith. DeMarco Murray's stat line: 16 carries, 114 yards, and a TD. He was making the defense miss big time and he was able to find some running lanes off the edge out of the backfield. I'll tell you if the Raiders' had MEJ and Aldon about now, there's no way the opposition's ground game will get 100+ yards against the defense. With those two gone, they know to run away from Mack. Not making excuses, but the run defense will continue to be tested as long as Mario and Aldon are out.

Dropped balls. The offense should've had more points on the board, but look for these three things that we'll derail the offense this season: 1) pre-snap penalties, 2) holding penalties, 3) dropped balls. Seth Roberts had a couple of drops. Despite the TD, he did not have a good game. Walford had a drop. Cooper, in the most crucial moment, had a drop. Carr, despite the INT in the 4th, was putting money on his throws, it's just that the receivers need to do their part

MVP

Michael Crabtree, 8 receptions, 102 yards

This was a no-brainer on who my MVP of this game was. Like I said, Crabtree pulls through in critical moments and this game is one of the many examples on how valuable he is for Derek Carr.




Conclusion

Overall, this was a solid bounce back game for the Raiders. After playing sloppy on your home opener, there is no other way to get back up by getting a win on the road. If we can make inferences, this team plays with more edge on the road than they do at home. This dates back to last season. Hopefully, when they return home for a divisional matchup against the Chargers week 5, they can play much better. But, now is not the time to worry about that. Next week, the Raiders are on the road again to take on the Baltimore Ravens. The Raiders and Ravens are taking parallel paths. They've been through a lot of close games, the Ravens won another close one this week vs. Jacksonville. The only difference is that the Ravens are 3-0 and the Raiders are 2-1 and they have most of their key pieces on defense back like Terrell Suggs. Expect to see another close, competitive game on that one. I'll see you guys next week for that game.

Week 3: RAIDERS @ Tennessee Titans 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

The 2nd half discussion of the Raiders-Titans matchup.

Q4

OAK 17 TEN 10

No more. Please no more last minute victories. But in the end, despite all the penalties, it came down to who was more undisciplined on the last drive. The Titans committed some critical penalties on that last drive. Nonetheless, the Raiders get the win. The 2nd half was pretty ugly. Nothing went the Raiders way, but the end result is they're 2-1 for the season. Good win on the road. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

OAK 17 TEN 10

This quarter was a representation of how the last two games were to start the season. Just when we thought, the defense was improving, they let the Titans walk right into the end zone to make this a one score game. Awful execution on both sides of the ball and they are just letting the momentum swing big time in favor of the Titans. The Raiders have to figure it out and close the game in the 4th because this quarter was just terrible.

Week 3: RAIDERS @ Tennessee Titans 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome in to the 1st half open thread of the Raiders' Week 3 road matchup vs. the Tennessee Titans.


Q2

OAK 17 TEN 3

Well, what a weird turn of events to end the quarter. The Titans had two timeouts and they didn't utilize them and just called a couple of silly plays to run the clock out. On that Reggie Nelson INT to end the quarter, I thought I heard a ref blow a whistle when Nelson looked like he stepped out of bounds. He could've taken it all the way, but I think that inadvertent whistle threw him off. Nonetheless, great quarter from the Raiders. Still a lot of things to fixed, but we're seeing a well-balanced game plan put into place for this game.

You want to talk improvement? The defense held the Titans to just 3 points. They showed the same problems they had early on in the first two games against the Saints and Falcons, but with a couple of necessary adjustments, they are just playing lights out so far. Two takeaways, a fumble forced by Bruce Irvin and a INT by Reggie Nelson. We need more of those turnovers. The offense started fast, but I didn't like some of the 3 and outs after the Murray TD. The Raiders could've had more with that Walford TD, but penalties continued to play a factor for that. Like I said, the only thing that's going to derail the offense from fully taking off is the pre-snap and holding penalties. They need to clean that up in order for the offense to seriously take off. Aside from the Murray's TD, DeAndre Washington also stood out in the RBBC (Running Back by Committee). D-Dub was able to exploit some holes and he's easy to miss in the backfield. He helped set up the last touchdown drive the Raiders were able to put together. The Raiders have to keep the gas pedaling. Tennessee is beatable and they just have to continue to put the clamps on them. The 2nd half thread will open up shortly.

Q1

OAK 7 TEN 3

It is essential that the Raiders start fast this game. The offense pretty much set the tone and did what they were supposed to do. Take advantage of the field position. Derek Carr's 25 yard pass to Amari Cooper was a tone-setter. They had a couple of drops after, but Jalen Richard redeemed the whole offense on a screen play, setting up Tay Train's 22 yard touchdown. Good start, but we need more. Defense showed its problems once more, but they are starting to pick it up, hopefully.

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.

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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.

Week 12: RAIDERS @ Tennessee Titans Q-by-Q Reaction

Q4:

OAK 24 TEN 21

Seth Roberts with the clutch TD catch, Nate Allen with the clutch INT to end the game! I'm going to have a heart attack with this game. With the way the offense was playing throughout the most part of this quarter and letting this Titans team hang around, I'd thought this was going to be a heartbreaking loss, particularly when Carr failed to convert on the 4th and 8 play. But finally the refs stopped screwing this team over with a big holding call on the Titans to set up Carr's third career game-winning drive. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3:

OAK 17 TEN 14

It's turning out into an ugly game out there with rain pouring down on the field. Jeremy Ross' fumble was costly, could've allowed the Titans to take a quick lead, but luckily David Amerson's INT offset that fumble. It looked like the refs were helping the Titans during their last scoring drive. The Raiders managed to get a stop and then boom, back-to-back penalties on T.J. Carrie. The only legit penalty they called was Neiko Thorpe's hold on Harry Douglas in the end zone. Raiders still have the lead in the 4th.

Q2:

OAK 10 TEN 6

Well, that was some comedy at the end of this quarter. Sebass laughing on the sidelines, failing to convince Del Rio to kick a 65 yard field goal and then a big gain by Roberts before he laterals it to Cooper and Cooper passes it to Carr. Carr could've thrown it, but that would've been an obvious illegal forward pass. The last drive though, they gotta finish those long drives with TDs, not field goals, but nonetheless, a better start this week. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

OAK 7 TEN 6

Slow start for both teams to begin the game. The Raiders couldn't capitalize on good field position early on and Marcus Mariota and the Titans absolutely killed the defense with some bootlegs and play action to the tight ends. After that though, the offense managed to pull through a good response by sustaining a long drive that culminated in a Crabtree TD. Who knows, the Titans' blocked PAT could be a pivotal moment as the game progresses.

RAIDERS-Titans Halftime Post

OAK 10 TEN 6

Welcome in to the halftime post of the Raiders' road matchup vs. the Tennessee Titans where the Raiders have a 10-6 advantage at the half.

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Amari Cooper, 4 receptions, 58 yards. Last week, Coop had the worst performance of his rookie season against the Lions, only grabbing 1 catch for just 4 yards. So far, he has redeemed big time. He's a lot more aggressive this game, running hard on his routes to make plays. One particular play, Carr underthrew the pass and it was guaranteed INT by the Titans defender, but Cooper just snatches it away for a 30 yard gain when the Raiders were backed into their own end zone for a moment. With the aforementioned stat line, that's the Amari Cooper we're used to seeing.

Seth Roberts, 2 receptions, 60 yards. Roberts is developing into a big play receiver this game. He's known for his blocking for the Raiders' running game, but the last two games, he's been making big plays for big gainers and in this game against the Titans, he made some multiple big plays for 20+ yards.

(-)

Finishing long drives. As I said in the 2nd quarter, the Raiders had a good, long, solid drive that started in their back end zone. They made it to the Titans' red zone, but they couldn't cap off the drive for a TD and have to settle for a Sebass field goal. Good job, chewing up the clock, but the goal is 6 instead of 3.

Bottom Line

The Raiders deferred on the coin toss and the offense is coming right back. I like that the aggressiveness is back on the offensive side of the ball, let's hope that they stay aggressive and the defense just needs to hold the fort against Mariota and the amount of tricks the Titans' offense has up their sleeves.