Skip to main content

Raiders Buck Broncos, 59-14

Now the hard part; recovering from the win. The Raiders have had the uncanny ability to recover from losses, but a marked inability to recover from a win. Back-to-back wins would be a marker for this team.

The concept is simple. Take one game at a time. Win a game, the next week you are 0-0 and looking to go 1-0. Lose a game, the next week you are 0-0 and looking to go 1-0. It’s cliché, but that doesn’t reduce it to rubble. Each team must be able to do both, focus on the next week instead of the prior week.

Next week Pete Carroll’s Seattle Seahawks come into Oakland on Halloween. The Raider Nation doesn’t need a holiday as an excuse to dress up, but on Halloween you will get more than your fair share of crazy costumes and the FOX broadcast will love it.

A win next week means the Raiders could be playing for the division lead when the Kansas City Chiefs visit Oakland in week nine before a bye in week 10. The Raiders sit at 3-4 and have yet another chance to get back to .500 for the first time since 2002.

The Raiders demoralized the Broncos, something Nnamdi Asomugha and Tommy Kelly have seen before and both highlighted with their postgame interviews. The impact an early big lead can have a snowball effect on the opposition. It has happened routinely to the Raiders and now they get to taste what it is like on the other side.

The only negatives Tom Cable could muster in his post game press conference were penalties, blocks could be a little cleaner and two sacks.

In reality, the penalties are an issue in losses, but never in wins. Avoid the mental mistakes, but this isn’t really a big deal. The errors you want to avoid are penalties that turn third and short into third and long or negate positive plays. Timely penalties are worse than penalties overall. Raiders didn’t have many ‘shoot yourself in the foot’ penalties.

Blocks can always be cleaner. No team has ever executed an entire game with perfect blocks. Sometimes an ugly block works just as well. Not many issues with blocking on Sunday. Keeps improving, but if they do what they did in Denver, they should be fine.

Two sacks surrendered? I can remember at least one of them was Jason Campbell holding the ball too long. Tom Cable is taking issue with two sacks? Really? I didn’t think this line was capable of the performance they turned out Sunday.

Raiders did rack up a list of injuries during the game.

Matt Shaughnessy (Concussion)
Chris Johnson (Concussion)
Samson Satele (Concussion)
Louis Murphy (Clavicle)
Kamerion Wimbley (Groin)
Robert Gallery (Calf)
Darrius Heyward-Bey (ill)
Michael Bennett (Hamstring)

Concussions aren’t to be taken lightly. Players must pass several tests to be cleared to play the following week and the NFL is considering a mandatory one week waiting period for all concussions in the future. Tough to count on any of those three this week.

Louis Murphy re-injured the clavicle he originally injured three weeks ago. Thus far, Murphy is the only receiver who has produced. While the Raiders were able to make things happen without wide receivers on Sunday, defenses are going to load the box to stop Darren McFadden if the Raiders can’t find a competent passing game. Receivers must get involved.

Darrius Heyward-Bey started the game, but came down with an illness. He is the receiver the Raiders need to step up more than anyone. Jacoby Ford and Nick Miller can only be counted on so much.

Gallery’s injury didn’t seem serious, but he’s been an injury magnet, so cross your fingers. Wimbley’s injured groin is a big question and we may not find out the severity until Wednesday.

Jared Veldheer had a great game overall. He started as a left tackle before moving to center when Samson Satele was injured. Mario Henderson came into the game a did a good job run blocking, but his pass blocking wasn’t tested. A healthy Satele keeps Veldheer at left tackle. Veldheer needs to stay at left tackle.

The Raiders could go out and sign a center, but the only one with enough knowledge of the scheme to start next week would be Chris Morris. Jake Grove is also available.

Let’s hope Satele’s concussion was minor and he will be able to play this week.


Other Notes:

Didn’t get one complaint from the Raider Nation about Jason Campbell after the game. The talk the entire week was that Kyle Boller should get the start regardless of the health of Campbell.

Late in the week it was looking like Campbell might miss the game due to injury and that Kyle Boller might get the start. Not so fast.

Speaking of injured player surprises, who had Darren McFadden sitting on their fantasy bench? That was 47 points, ouch. I did, but it looks like I might still get the win against @ThunderingBlurb

Studs and duds article should be easy this week? Not so fast. I’ve had to think long and hard about any possible dud on the Raiders and how can I possibly give out studs to only a few players? Harder than you think to pinpoint them despite the huge win.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Oakland Raiders Swing for the Fences in 2016 NFL Draft

[embed align="center"]http://gty.im/153039819[/embed] These aren't your daddy's Oakland Raiders or even your younger self's Raiders. If anything, these are your newborn's Raiders or your puppy's Raiders. These are the Raiders we've never seen before. Indicative of the freshness of the franchise was their 2016 NFL Draft. No longer slave to a high draft pick and desperate needs, the theme of the draft for the Raiders was upside. It's as if general manager Reggie McKenzie got so used to hitting his draft picks out of the park that he started swinging for the fences. We'll have to wait a couple of years before we know if he struck out or if he'll continue his Ruthian ways. First, McKenzie boldly went with a safety at No. 14 overall. Kyle Joseph is coming off a torn ACL and fills a major need, but safety isn't a premium position. Only a handful of safeties have been drafted in the first 14 picks in the last 15 years and include names like Ea...

Oakland Raiders' Studs and Duds From Preseason Week 1

[embed]http://gty.im/484069738[/embed] The Oakland Raiders finally look like a competitive football team again. That should be the biggest takeaway from their preseason rout of the St. Louis Rams. Quarterback Derek Carr and the offense looked significantly improved from a year ago, thanks in large part to some of the studs listed below. The starting defense was still a little shaky, but there were still a few bright spots. Overall, the Raiders can feel good about their first live action of the year, especially since there appeared to be no significant injuries to come out of it. Studs Rodney Hudson Of all general manager Reggie McKenzie's offseason acquisitions, he committed the most money to center Rodney Hudson. Offensive linemen rarely get the praise they deserve, but a great offensive line as anchored in the middle can be huge for an offense. Hudson was very solid in his debut against a very good defensive front. If Hudson and the offensive line can consistently protect Carr an...

Preseason Week 1 Players to Peruse

[embed]http://gty.im/459756040[/embed] The Oakland Raiders season officially kicks off Friday night. Unfortunately, it's preseason. Fortunately, there are still plenty of things to watch. It seems like this every year, but this truly is one of the most interesting Raiders teams in years. For starters, there is a lot of young talent. Unlike past years, there is also plenty of veteran talent that isn't over 30. While all eyes will be on first-round pick Amari Cooper, there are at least a half-dozen other players Raiders fans should keep a close eye on during the game. D.J. Hayden He hasn't been able to stay healthy, nor has he been particularly awesome when he is healthy, but cornerback D.J. Hayden still has a lot of talent. General manager Reggie McKenzie will take his lumps if Hayden doesn't pan out this year, but more importantly the Raiders will also be dangerously thin at cornerback. The Raiders need Hayden to solid, even if he doesn't live up to the potential he...