Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Nov. 28, 2013


The Oakland Raiders jumped out to an early lead as they took on the Dallas Cowboys but couldn't hang on as they eventually fell 31-24 on Thanksgiving Day.

Whether it was the short week or the inability to make adjustments at half, the Raiders were unable to regain momentum in the second half after a costly defensive letdown late in the first half.

It certainly didn't take long for the Oakland Raiders to feast on a Cowboys mistake to jump out to an early lead, capitalizing on a fumble on the opening-kickoff, just as they did against the Giants earlier this year.

Cowboys wide receiver Terrance Williams made a poor decision to take the ball out from eight-yards deep in the end zone and was hit and stripped of the ball before new Raider Greg Jenkins recovered the ball and took it 23-yards for the touchdown. Jenkins was signed off the practice squad before last week's game and it was his first career touchdown.

Coming off of a game in which they gave up an 80-yard game-winning drive to the Titans, the Raiders defense came out to play and limited the Cowboys to just 126 yards in the first half, 73 of which occurred during Dallas' two-minute drill to cut the lead just before halftime.

The Cowboys were unable to get things going in the first half as their first touchdown occurred after a costly mistake by Matt McGloin and the Raiders offense.

Jenkins, who replaced Jacoby Ford on punt returns, made a mistake and made a fair catch on the five-yard line, backing McGloin up. McGloin and Stefen Wisniewski fumbled the center-quarterback exchange to give the ball to the Cowboys on the Raiders' two yard line. From there, it was Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray getting in for the two-yard touchdown, tying the game late in the first quarter.

After struggling on third-down plays on both sides of the ball last week, McGloin and the Raiders offense were stellar in the first half, going on a streak of seven-consecutive conversions. The Raiders capitalized by jumping out to a 21-7 lead early, with running back Rashad Jennings rushing for a pair of one-yard touchdowns, with one occurring just after the two-minute warning of the first half.

But Tony Romo and the Cowboys were able to gain some momentum as Romo ran the two-minute drill to perfection to answer Jennings' touchdown.

Romo led his offense down the field 73-yards rather quickly, capping the eight-play drive off with a four-yard touchdown run by Murray on a draw play. The touchdown drive gave the Raiders the 21-14 lead heading into halftime.

Though they kept the lead at half, it was quite clear that the momentum had shifted in favor of the Cowboys at halftime.

Dallas' defense came out and forced a Raiders punt on the first possession of the second half, giving the ball back to Romo with a chance to tie the game.

Romo, who seemed to find his rhythm on that final drive of the first half, continued that momentum in the second half. Romo took that momentum and turned it into another touchdown drive, going 87 yards on ten plays to tie the game up at 21-21. This time it was Romo finding his receiver Dez Bryant on the fade for the touchdown from eight-yards out.

But the Cowboys weren't done there, going for another touchdown on their next drive to make it 21-unanswered points. Murray capitalized with a seven-yard touchdown run up the middle, his third of the game which gabe the Cowboys the 28-21 lead.

Still unable to get their offense going, the Raider defense came up big forcing the first punt of the second half after sacking Romo on third down on their next drive.

But once again the Raiders offense was unable to capitalize, even after McGloin found wide receiver Andre Holmes for a 35-yard gain on the first play, their biggest gain of the game. McGloin almost threw an interception when looking for fullback Marcel Reece, but then threw an ill-advised jump ball to the Raiders shortest wide receiver Ford (5-foot-9), who got boxed out and had the pass intercepted by Cowboys corner Brandon Carr in the endzone.

From there, Romo and the Cowboys offense would milk the clock away with a 14 play, 79-yard drive that took 6:03 off the clock and culminated in a 19-yard field goal, giving the Cowboys a ten-point lead.

McGloin was able to drive the Raiders 53 yards in seven plays, giving the Raiders a chance after a 45-yard field goal make by Sebastian Janikowski to cut the lead to just one touchdown.

Forced to go for an onside kick, Janikowski laid the ball on its side and kicked it, though the Raiders were unable to come up with it, securing the Cowboys 31-24 victory. Janikowski was just 2/20 on onside kick attempts before the try.

McGloin started the game 11/15 in the first half but finished just 18/30 for 255 yards and no touchdowns and the one interception.

The Raiders will remain on the road and will take on the Jets in New York next Sunday, after a much-needed break to try and right the ship to finish the rest of the season strong.

Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Nov. 28, 2013

The Oakland Raiders announced Wednesday that they have activated offensive tackle Jared Veldheer off of the injured reserve.

Veldheer was put on the injured reserve and designated to return on Sept. 7 after tearing his tricep muscle in preseason.

Veldheer has quickly become the Raiders top offensive lineman and had previously not missed a game in his three previous seasons, appearing in all 48 games after being drafted out of Hillsdale in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

It is expected that Veldheer will eventually resume his duties as the starting left tackle, though the coaching staff will likely rotate him in to begin with. Khalif Barnes, who usually plays right tackle, has filled in for Veldheer on the left side in his absence.

The Raiders also announced that they have waived fourth-round pick and quarterback Tyler Wilson in order to make room on the roster for Veldheer.

Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Nov. 26, 2013

The Raiders (4-7) head to Dallas to take on the Cowboys (6-5) in Jerry's World, coming off a final minute loss to the Tennessee Titans last Sunday.

Head coach Dennis Allen's team hopes to turn things around quickly as they face the Cowboys on a short week on Thanksgiving Day.

The matchup will be Oakland's seventh time playing on Thanksgiving, currently holding a 3-3 record after falling 24-7 to the Cowboys in their last Thanksgiving Day matchup in 2009.

Dallas enters the week coming off a big road win against the New York Giants, putting them in a tie for the NFC East lead with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Oakland's secondary faces a tough matchup with Tony Romo and the Cowboys offense which is ranked fifth in the NFL in points per game (27.4). Romo has led the offense with a passing game that is averaging 248.0 yards per game and has thrown 26 touchdowns to just six interceptions.

There's no doubt that the Raiders' banged-up secondary will have to find a way to contain explosive wide receiver Dez Bryant if they want a shot at limiting the Cowboys offense. Bryant currently leads the Cowboys with 52 receptions, 749 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.

The Raiders secondary is banged up with rookie cornerback D.J. Hayden already on the injured reserve and former Cowboys first-round pick and now Raiders corner Mike Jenkins leaving Sunday's game with a concussion. The shorter week will make it more difficult for Jenkins to recover from his concussion in time, though Jenkins did return to practice on Monday in a limited capacity.

Should Jenkins be unable to suit up, the Raiders will likely go with Tracy Porter, Phillip Adams and Chimdi Chekwa as their three go-to corners, just as they did after Jenkins' departure Sunday. Should Jenkins return, it will likely be him and Porter as the two starting corners, as was the case to begin the game Sunday.

The Raiders defense must also find a way to provide more pressure on Romo than they were able to on Titans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Raiders were only able to accumulate one sack on Fitspatrick despite applying pressure numerous times, as Fitzpatrick was able to escape and scramble consistently. Romo is no different as he possesses good mobility and the ability to scramble for a gain or merely to keep the play alive.

Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray is coming off a strong performance, rushing for 86 yards on just 14 carries (6.14 yards per carry). The Raiders are allowing just 99.1 rushing yards per game, ranked 8th in the NFL. The Raiders defense will need to contain Murray in an effort to prevent any play-action plays and help alleviate the secondary.

On offense, Allen has decided to give undrafted rookie Matt McGloin his third start. McGloin played a solid game against the Titans, finishing 19/32 for 260 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

McGloin will face an easier secondary this week as the Cowboys defense is ranked 31st against the pass, giving up 298.5 yards per game. Things should be even easier with Cowboys cornerback Morris Claiborne expected to be out with a hamstring injury. Backup corner Orlando Scandrick is expected to start in his place.

Wide receiver Rod Streater will be asked to step up as the Raiders look as if they'll be without Denarius Moore for the second-straight week, who remains out of practice with a shoulder injury. McGloin and Streater appear to have a strong chemistry as Streater has 11 receptions for 177 yards and one touchdown in McGloin's two starts.

Former wide receiver and now fullback Marcel Reece should be involved in the offense more with Moore remaining sidelined. Reece finished last game with four receptions for 44 yards and one touchdown. Reece possesses great speed as a former wide receiver in college and is mismatch in favor of the offense should any linebacker be in charge of covering him.

Running back Rashad Jennings should be licking his lips at the opportunity to go against a Cowboys defense that defends the run nearly as poorly as they do the pass. The Cowboys defense is allowing 133.6 yards per game, 30th in the NFL. Jennings is averagine 103.7 rushing yards per game while starting for the injured Darren McFadden.

Offensive coordinator Greg Olson may get McFadden back this week, as he has returned to the practice field under a limited capacity for the first time since injuring his hamstring in week nine. Though it is unknown what McFadden's role will be, Olson could use the speedy back at times to spell Jennings and work him back into the offense slowly until his hamstring is 100 percent good to go.

Pryor, who has been rehabbing a sprained MCl, could also be worked back into the offense. Allen has stated that they have a special package of plays for Pryor and that it is possible he could come into the game and spell McGloin as an added offensive weapon.

Often overlooked yet still important, the Raiders special teams needs to make sure they are able to get points when they can. This means Sebastian Janikowski needs to convert on field goal attempts and get the three points on the board. Janikowski has missed seven field goals on the year (15/22), including two costly ones Sunday that could have been the difference between a win and the loss. Dallas scores the fifth-most points in the league, making points crucial for the Raiders offense.

The Raiders and Cowboys met in week one of preseason, with the Raiders coming away victorious 19-17. With it being the first week of preseason, starters played very little, though Romo did finish 6/8 for 88 yards.

Oakland will remain on the road and take on the New York Jets next Sunday.

MILESTONES TO WATCH FOR: 

DE Lamarr Houston

• Needs three sacks to enter the top 20 in Raiders team history.

K Sebastian Janikowski

• Has now converted on 152-consecutive PAT attempts.
• Needs just 42 points to reach 1,500 for his career.

RB Rashad Jennings

• Has already surpassed his career-high with 553 rushing yards on the year.
• Has already surpassed his career-high with 790 total yards on the year.

RB Darren McFadden

• Needs 315 rushing yards to eclipse 4,000 yards for his career.
• Needs 470 receiving yards to eclipse 1,500 yards for his career.
• Needs one rushing TD to move into sole posession of ninth place on the franchise’s
career list, and two to tie No. 8 Charlie Smith (24, 1968-74). McFadden enters the
game with 22.

WR Denarius Moore

• Needs 72 receiving yards to reach 2,000 for his career.

QB Terrelle Pryor

• Is currently first amongst all quarterbacks with 504 rushing yards. Pryor could
eclipse the Raiders’ single-season mark of rushing yards by a quarterback with just
26 more yards. Rich Gannon set the mark in 2000 with 529.

WR Rod Streater

• Needs 316 receiving yards to reach 1,500 for his career.

S Charles Woodson

• Needs five interceptions to tie Ed Reed for first on the interceptions list among all
active players with 61.
• Needs one INT-TD to pass Rod Woodson for first on the all-time list with 12.
• Needs one defensive touchdown to pass Rod Woodson and Darren Sharper for the
most defensive touchdowns in NFL history with 13.

Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Nov. 28, 2013

The Oakland Raiders returned home to take on the Tennessee Titans with both teams holding onto hopes of winning to get to 5-6 and climb into the sixth and final AFC playoff spot.

In a hard-fought battle throughout the game, it was the Titans who left Oakland successful as the Raiders suffered from two missed field goal attempts along with the inability to get off the field on defensive third downs.

Kicker Sebastian Janikowski's season-struggles continued as he missed another two field goal attempts, leaving six total points off the scoreboard. As the final score of 23-19 indicates, those six points were crucial.

Janikowski, who was so reliable last year, finished the game 4/6 and is now 15/22 this season (68.2 percent). The strong kicker only missed three all of last season (31/34), with all misses coming from 50 yards or longer.

It remains difficult to know what exactly is wrong with the field goal unit and why there have been so many misses, but the Raiders can ill-afford to miss any opportunities to put points on the board, as it showed Sunday afternoon.

“We’re not making them, not consistently enough," Raiders head coach Dennis Allen said of the field goal struggles. "We have to continue to work to get better there. I feel like Sebastian is going to work through this. I still have all the confidence that when I send him out there that it’s going to go through. So it’s just something that we have to go through and we have to get better in that area.”

Much of the Raiders demise can also be attributed to the defense's inability to get off the field on third down. The Titans were able to rip apart the Raiders defense on third down, finishing the game 10/18 on third-down conversions, including ending the game by converting six of their final seven third-down attempts.

The most important third down came with the Raiders clinging to their 19-16 lead on a 3rd and goal from the ten-yard line with just 15 second left. Titans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick dropped back and was able to find wide receiver Kendall Wright for the touchdown in front of Raiders corner Tracy Porter, giving the Titans the 23-19 lead with just ten seconds remaining.

Allen said after the game that the Titans just simply made the correct play call and read, finding Wright in between two defenders in zone for the touchdown, Porter confirmed that.

"He made a great read," Porter said of Fitzpatrick's final play. "The position I was in was on purpose and they threw a pitch right between me and the corner and it was difficult for both of us to make the play. It's just what happened."

The Raiders ran two final plays but failed to complete a miraculous play for the victory, giving the Titans the victory.

The Titans final drive included 14 plays for 80 yards while eating up 6:00 of the quarter. Fitzpatrick and the Titans were able to convert on three third downs, all of five yards or greater.

"They just out executed us, plain and simple," Allen said of his team's struggles on third down defensively. "Game plan, whether guys were out of position on certain things, coverages, we were just out executed. They have a pretty good quarterback that can make things happen with his arms as well as his legs and we didn't wrap up on our tackles. I, myself, definitely need to wrap up on tackles as well."

Raiders quarterback Matt McGloin and the offense were able to move the ball but struggled to finalize the drives with touchdowns, settling for three field goals in the first half.

Despite taking a 9-6 lead into halftime, the Raiders could of held a bigger lead.

Raiders backup running back Jeremy Stewart bursted through the Titans punt-blocking formation to block Brett Kerns' punt, giving the ball to the Raiders on Titans 37-yard line with 11 seconds left. McGloin then completed a 23-yard pass to wide receiver Rod Streater down the left side to put the Raiders in prime field-goal range, but Janikowski was unable to convert as he missed a half-ending 32-yard field goal. The blocked punt by Stewart was the fourth blocked punt of the season for the team.

The first touchdown of the game didn't happen until the third quarter with both defenses holding in the first half.

Fitzpatrick took a shot downfield and found wide receiver Justin Hunter who was wide open, and completely shook Raiders defensive backs Phillip Adams and Brandian Ross before scampering 54 yards for the touchdown and to give the Titans the 13-9 lead early in the third quarter.

Oakland's offense was unable to achieve a touchdown of its own until midway through the fourth quarter, down 16-12.

On 1st and 10 from the Titans 27-yard line, McGloin stayed in the pocket just long enough to get the ball off and drop in a perfect pass to fullback Marcel Reece for the 27-yard touchdown pass. The undrafter rookie, making his second-career start, finished 19/32 for 260 yards and one touchdown and one interception.

The interception, his first of the season, came at a costly time in the first quarter as he locked in on Reece and the Titans linebacker undercut the pass to intercept the ball and give the Titans the ball on the Raiders 11-yard line. Luckily, the Raiders were able to hold the Titans to just a field goal.

"Just a bad decision by me, that's really it," the young quarterback said of the mistake. "I didn't put the ball where it needed to be."

Allen did state after the game that McGloin's play did warrant him another chance to start Thursday against the Cowboys in Dallas.

“Yeah, I thought Matt played well. And for him to lead us back when we needed a touchdown, he got us the touchdown we needed to give us the lead; we just couldn’t hold it defensively. So yeah, I thought Matt played well.”

Running back Rashad Jennings had another nice game filling in for the injured Darren McFadden, rushing for 73 yards on 16 carries and hauling four receptions for 49 yards.

A scary moment occurred in the second quarter when rookie tight end Mychal Rivera attempted to haul in a pass but was hit as he was going down by Titans safety Michael Griffin, knocking his helmet off and knocking Rivera out. Rivera laid on the ground for a minute or two before getting up and walking off under his own power. Rivera returned to the sideline to rejoin his teammates after being diagnosed with a concussion.

The Raiders look to get back into the win column on Thanksgiving when they take on the Dallas Cowboys.

Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Nov. 24, 2013

It appears that Raiders head coach Dennis Allen is going to stick with undrafted rookie Matt McGloin as the team's starting quarterback when the Raiders head to Dallas to take on the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day.

Allen stated that his young quarterback had played well enough to earn the another start after McGloin finished 19/32 for 260 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the Raiders 23-19 loss on Sunday.

“Yeah, I thought Matt played well," Allen said when asked if McGloin earned another start. "And for him to lead us back when we needed a touchdown, he got us the touchdown we needed to give us the lead; we just couldn’t hold it defensively. So yeah, I thought Matt played well.”

McGloin is now 44/79 for 544 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in two games plus a a couple of drives late in the blowout loss to the Eagles.

Allen liked what he saw in his young quarterback as McGloin led the offense to their first touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter, giving the Raiders the lead. McGloin stayed in the pocket just long enough to get rid of the ball and drop in a perfect pass to Marcel Reece for a 27-yard touchdown pass when the team needed it the most, giving them the late 19-16 lead.

“He led the team down the field, a couple of nice throws in there," Allen said of his young quarterback's play Sunday. "I thought the protection was good. So whether he grew up or not, I think he went out there and executed and did his job and moved the team and that’s what we expect him to do.”

As was the case Sunday, it appears Terrelle Pryor will serve as McGloin's backup for the time being.

Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Nov. 23, 2013

The Raiders have officially announced that they have signed undrafted rookie Greg Jenkins to their active roster. Jenkins was previously on the practice squad after joining the Raiders in the offseason as an undrafted free agent.

Jenkins, a converted college quarterback, threw for 3,166 yaeds and 20 touchdowns in his two years at Alabama State.

In order to make room for Jenkins on the active roster, the Raiders have placed second-year WR Juron Criner on the injured reserve. Criner has only appeared in one game this season on Nov. 3, when he hauled in three receptions for 32 yards. Criner has 19 career receptions for 183 yards and one touchdown. Criner has most recently been out with a shoulder injury.

Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Nov. 22, 2013

The NFL announced Friday that Raiders undrafted rookie Matt McGloin has been named the "NFL Rookie of the Week" for his performance last week against the Houston Texans.

McGloin made his first career start last week and impressed, throwing for 197 yards and three touchdowns while leading the Raiders to a 28-23 victory.

McGloin's performance, along with Terrelle Pryor's knee injury, has given him the opportunity to start this week against the Tennessee Titans. The rookie out of Penn State beat out four other nominees in an online vote by fans.

Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Nov. 21, 2013

The Oakland Raiders (4-6) return home after their two-game road trip to take on the Tennessee Titans (4-6) on Sunday.

Fans in attendance will be seeing a starting roster much different than the Raiders' previous home game, three weeks ago against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Quarterback Terrelle Pryor will remain on the sideline with a sprained MCL while Matt McGloin gets the start under center after earning it with his strong performance last week, throwing for 197 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers.

The undrafted rookie McGloin faces a Titans defense that ranks seventh in the NFL, allowing just 213.1 passing yards per game. Titans cornerbacks Alterraun Verner and Jason McCourty have turned into a solid cornerback duo with safeties Michael Griffin and Bernard Pollard playing behind them.

McGloin will have Rashad Jennings behind him starting at running back for the injured Darren McFadden, who hurt his hamstring during the Raiders last home game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jennings has taken advantage of his opportunity in the backfield with solid production. Since coming in to replace McFadden against the Eagles, Jennings has been the NFL's most productive players with 431 total yards. Eagles running back LeSean McCoy is second behind him with 391 total yards.

Jennings will have a favorable matchup in the Titans this week as they are giving up 117.1 rushing yards per game, ranking 20th in the league.

The Raiders will also be playing without their 12th-overall selection of this year's draft, corner back D.J. Hayden. Hayden was put on injured reserve on Wednesday, cutting his rookie season short. Phillip Adams is replacing Hayden in the secondary rotation.

Like the Raiders, the Titans have been forced to turn to a backup quarterback in veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick fills in for the injured Jake Locker and into an aerial attack that is averaging just 212.3 yards per game.

Fitzpatrick last played the Raiders in week 2 of 2011, torching the Raiders secondary for 264 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception.

Oakland's defense will be put to another test in stopping the run as they face Chris Johnson, who is always capable of a home run. The Raiders defense needs to maintain gap discipline in order to limit Johnson's yardage. The Raiders defense is ranked sixth in the league, allowing just 97.6 rushing yards.

The Raiders return to the road for the next two weeks, heading to Dallas to take on the Cowboys on Thanksgiving and then heading back to New York to take on the Jets.

Milestones to watch for: 

DE Lamarr Houston

• Needs three sacks to enter the top 20 in Raiders team history.

K Sebastian Janikowski

• Has now converted on 151-consecutive PAT attempts.
• Needs just 55 points to reach 1,500 for his career.

RB Rashad Jennings

• Has already surpassed his career-high with 480 rushing yards on the year.
• Needs just 15 yards to eclipse his career-high of 682 total yards in a season.

RB Darren McFadden

• Needs 315 rushing yards to eclipse 4,000 yards for his career.
• Needs 470 receiving yards to eclipse 1,500 yards for his career.
• Needs one rushing TD to move into sole posession of ninth place on the franchise’s
career list, and two to tie No. 8 Charlie Smith (24, 1968-74). McFadden enters the
game with 22.

WR Denarius Moore

• Needs 72 receiving yards to reach 2,000 for his career.

QB Terrelle Pryor

• Is currently first amongst all quarterbacks with 504 rushing yards. Pryor could
eclipse the Raiders’ single-season mark of rushing yards by a quarterback with just
26 more yards. Rich Gannon set the mark in 2000 with 529.

WR Rod Streater

• Needs 409 receiving yards to reach 1,500 for his career.

S Charles Woodson

• Needs five interceptions to tie Ed Reed for first on the interceptions list among all
active players with 61.
• Needs one INT-TD to pass Rod Woodson for first on the all-time list with 12.
• Needs one defensive touchdown to pass Rod Woodson and Darren Sharper for the
most defensive touchdowns in NFL history with 13.

Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Nov. 20, 2013

Head coach Dennis Allen has named undrafted rookie Matt McGloin the starter for Sunday's matchup against the Tennessee Titans.

The announcement comes three days after the young quarterback from Penn State led the team to their first road victory, defeating the Houston Texans 28-23. McGloin threw for 197 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.

Pryor continues to rehab a sprained MCL in his right knee but McGloin took full advantage of his opportunity.

Allen also said they will continue to monitor Pryor's health and evaluate where he is at as the days progress. But for now, McGloin is getting the start under center for the Raiders.

Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Nov. 20, 2013

The Raiders announced on Wednesday that they have placed rookie cornerback D.J. Hayden on the injured-reserve list, thus ending his rookie-year short.

Hayden was selected 12th overall by Reggie McKenzie and the Raiders in April's 2013 NFL Draft and will showed promise during his eight games played this season. Hayden has been on the injury report the last two games with a groin injury. The young corner will finish his rookie year with 28 tackles, one interception and two passes defensed in eight games.

The Raiders also announced that they have activated second-year linebacker Miles Burris to the active roster. The decision comes 21 days after he started practicing after being placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list with knee issues in training camp. The Raiders' deadline to make a decision on Burris was today, Wednesday.

Burris appeared in all 16 games (15 starts) last season for the Raiders and was a strong contributor to a struggling defense, tallying 138 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one interception and one forced fumble.

In other news, the Raiders also announced they have re-signed DL Brian Sanford to the roster as well as signing DT Ricky Lumpkin. Lumpkin played one game for the Arizona Cardinals in 2012 and was waived by them on Sept. 6 this year.