Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Dec. 26, 2013 The Oakland Raiders return home to finish up the season in front of the Raider Nation, hoping to end a five-game losing streak and head into the offseason on a somewhat positive note. But the Raiders certainly left themselves a difficult match-up for their last chance to get a fifth victory on the season: the 12-3 Peyton Manning-led Denver Broncos. The Broncos coming into the game having secured their third-consecutive AFC West Divisional title but benefit with home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a victory against the Raiders at O.Co Coliseum on Sunday, meaning the Raiders will get the Broncos' complete effort. Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is looking to break the season-passing yardage record on Sunday Though Manning already holds the record for most touchdown passes in a season (set at 51 last week), he will be looking to extend the record while also breaking Drew Brees' record for most passing yards in a season. The veteran needs just 265 yards this week against the Raiders to beat it. The Raiders are allowing 250.5 passing yards per game, but gave up 374 yards and three touchdowns to Manning in week three. Manning loves to spread the ball around to his target, but wide receiver Demaryius Thomas leads Denver in receiving yards with 1,194 yards and 11 touchdowns. Thomas had 10 receptions for 94 yards when the Raiders took on the Broncos in week three. Fellow wide receiver Eric Decker led the team in yardage during said match-up, hauling in eight receptions for 133 yards and one touchdown. Running back Knowshon Moreno has led the way on the ground for the Broncos thus far with 939 yards and 10 touchdowns, while adding 53 receptions for 481 yards. But with postseason coming upon us, the Broncos may look towards a more running-back-by-committee strategy for Sunday to help conserve Moreno for the playoffs. This means that rookie running back Montee Ball could continue to see an increase in playing time. Ball has shown why he was drafted in the second round while averaging 4.4 yards per carry. The Raiders turned to undrafted rookie Matt McGloin as the starting quarterback the last six weeks but are handing the job back over to the athletic Terrelle Pryor for their season-finale. With little to play for, the coaching staff likely wants to get more film on Pryor for evaluation purposes, though Raiders head coach Dennis Allen states his young quarterback gives them "the best chance to win." Pryor currently leads all quarterbacks with 527 rushing yards and needs just three more rushing yards to break Rich Gannon's Raiders record of 529 rushing yards in a season, set in 2000. Pryor started their week-three matchup with the Broncos and performed well, finishing 19-28 for 281 yards and no turnovers. The no turnovers part will be key in this week's match-up once again as teams can ill-afford to give Manning extra possessions, especially if they occur on a short field. The Raiders offense will look to hold on to the ball for long periods of time in order to keep Manning and the Broncos' prolific offense off the field. The Raiders only held on tot he ball for 24:36 of the two teams' last match-up, they'll look to win the time of possession margin this time around. The Raiders coaching staff hopes to finish the season on a strong note with so many questions remaining heading into the off season. 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 163-consecutive PAT attempts. • Needs just 13 points to reach 1,500 for his career. • Needs 22 games played to pass Tim Brown and move into sole possession of first place on the Raiders’ all-time games played list. CB Mike Jenkins • Needs one interception to eclipse 10 for his career. RB Rashad Jennings • Has already surpassed his career-high with 724 rushing yards on the year. • Has already surpassed his career-high with 1,008 total yards on the year. RB Darren McFadden • Needs 307 rushing yards to eclipse 4,000 yards for his career. • Needs 462 receiving yards to eclipse 1,500 yards for his career. • Needs one rushing TD to tie No. 8 Charlie Smith (24, 1968-74) on the franchise’s career list. McFadden enters the game with 23. WR Denarius Moore • Needs nine receiving yards to reach 2,000 for his career. QB Terrelle Pryor • Is currently first amongst all quarterbacks with 527 rushing yards. Pryor could eclipse the Raiders’ single-season mark of rushing yards by a quarterback with just 3 more yards. Rich Gannon set the mark in 2000 with 529. WR Rod Streater • Needs 68 receiving yards to reach 1,500 for his career and 152 for 1,000 this year. S Charles Woodson • Needs six interceptions to tie Ed Reed for first on the interceptions list among all active players with 62. • 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.
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Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Dec. 19, 2013
The Oakland Raiders only have four wins on the season but that includes a big one against the San Diego Chargers in week 5, when the Raiders won the late-night match-up 27-17 at O.Co Coliseum. But this week, the Raiders head down the Pacific Coast to take on the Chargers on their home field of Qualcomm Stadium. The Raiders jumped out to a quick start with Terrelle Pryor at quarterback during their week-five match-up, scoring 24-straight points to open up with a 17-0 lead in the first half. The Chargers did make a late run, but the Raiders would hold on to the 24-17 victory. Both teams are coming off other AFC West match-ups with the Raiders losing at home against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Chargers coming off an impressive 27-20 victory against the AFC West-leading Denver Broncos last Thursday. Running back Ryan Mathews has been improved as of late for the Chargers, running for 127 yards and a touchdown in the win against the Broncos. Mathews now has 100+ rushing yards in the last two weeks with his 127 yards last week. Oakland's defense will need to find a way to contain Mathews and limit his productivity. On top of that, the Raiders defense will need to keep an eye on backup running back Danny Woodhead out of the backfield. Wodohead is used primarily on passing downs for his bass-blocking capabilities, but there's no doubt that the Chargers are going to look to get him the ball in the open field with screens after they saw Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles haul in eight receptions for 195 yards and four touchdowns. Raiders linebacker Kevin Burnett sacks Phillip Rivers in their week-five matchup Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers has had a bounce-back season after his rough season last year. This year, Rivers is averaging 279.5 yards per game, the fourth best in the NFL. Rivers has found his newest go-to wide receiver in rookie third-round pick Keenan Allen, who came out of Cal. Allen currently leads the Chargers with 931 receiving yards, while adding seven reception touchdowns. Rivers also still has reliable tight end Antonio Gates who has always had good games against the Raiders. Gates currently leads the Chargers in receptions with 70. Rivers and the Chargers offense will be a tough match-up for a Raiders defense that is ranked 24th in the league, giving up 254.4 yards per game. The Raiders have struggled to get off of the field on third down and it won't be any easier on Sunday. The Chargers offense has been the best in the league, converting 48.3 percent of their third downs, while the Raiders have only stopped 41.1 percent. Oakland's defense needs to find a way to get the Chargers to third and longs and then find a pass rush to force fourth downs. Matt McGloin and the Raiders offense will look to attack a Chargers defense that is ranked 29th in the league with giving up 267.4 passing yards per game. The undrafted rookie McGloin is coming off a performance in which he had four turnovers (three interceptions and one fumble) while throwing for a career-hgih 297 yards and two touchdowns. He will need to take care of the football better Sunday to keep up with an offense that scores 24.5 points per game. McGloin has thrown 15 passing plays of 25 yards or more since being named the starter in week 11, the most of any quarterback in the league. The Raiders offense will look for this trend to continue on Sunday with Rod Streater, Andre Holmes and Denarius Moore. Don't expect the Raiders to abandon the run though as Rashad Jennings continues to be one of the Raiders' best offensive weapons. The Chargers rank in the middle of the league while allowing 108.8 rushing yards per game. Getting Jennings going will help keep the defense honest and help open up the passing game for McGloin. Greg Olson and the Raiders offense also look like they will be getting running back Darren McFadden back from injury. It will be interesting to see how the coaches decided to utilize his talents with Jennings running so well in his place while he remained out with injury. There's no question that the Raiders would love to play the role of spoiler with the Chargers still fighting for a postseason berth as the second AFC Wild Card. 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 162-consecutive PAT attempts. • Needs just 20 points to reach 1,500 for his career. • Needs 23 games played to pass Tim Brown and move into sole possession of first place on the Raiders’ all-time games played list. CB Mike Jenkins • Needs one interception to reach 10 for his career. RB Rashad Jennings • Has already surpassed his career-high with 679 rushing yards on the year. • Has already surpassed his career-high with 936 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 26 receiving yards to reach 2,000 for his career. QB Terrelle Pryor • Is currently first amongst all quarterbacks with 527 rushing yards. Pryor could eclipse the Raiders’ single-season mark of rushing yards by a quarterback with just 3 more yards. Rich Gannon set the mark in 2000 with 529. WR Rod Streater • Needs 70 receiving yards to reach 1,500 for his career and 154 for 1,000 this year. S Charles Woodson • Needs six interceptions to tie Ed Reed for first on the interceptions list among all active players with 62. • 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 Dec. 12, 2013
The Oakland Raiders (4-9) return home after playing on the road their last weeks to take on the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs (10-3). The contest marks the beginning of a three-game season finale where the Raiders will face all three divisional foes, with the Chargers on the road in week 16 and the Denver Broncos at home in week 17. The Raiders are coming off their 12-consecutive loss in the East Coast Timezone after falling 37-27 to the New York Jets last week. The Chiefs are coming off a dominating performance, beating the Washington Redskins 45-10 on the road, ending their three-game skid after starting the season 9-0. One of the Chiefs' nine victories to begin the season came at the hands of the Raiders, as Dennis Allen and his team fell 24-7 at Arrowhead Stadium in week 6. The Raiders jumped out to the early lead in the week-six match-up when then starting quarterback Terrelle Pryor found wide receiver Denarius Moore on a slant for a 39-yard touchdown, taking the early 7-0 lead. But that would be the only points for the Raiders as the Chiefs' suffocating defense clamped down on Pryor and finished with nine sacks. But the Raiders have changed since their last match-up. The Raiders now are starting un-drafted rookie Matt McGloin at quarterback and Moore has been out the last few weeks with a shoulder injury. Moore has returned to practice this week but is questionable for the game as of now. Should Moore not be able to go, it will be wide receiver Andre Holmes that will step in again as he has done well in Moore's place. With Moore out the last three weeks, Homes has racked up 12 receptions for 231 yards. Jared Veldheer and the offensive line will have to find a way to keep the Chiefs defensive line off of McGloin, who has used his quick reads to limit the sacks taken since taking over the starting job. One thing in favor for the offensive line is that Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston is limited in practice with his elbow injury. The Chiefs defense is allowing the fourth-lowest points per game in the league (17.4) while having the best turnover margin (+15). There's no doubt that the Raiders need to value the football and not allow the Chiefs to get points off their defense, as they have been able to do so often this season. McGloin and the Raiders offense will look to get the passing game going against the Chiefs defense as they rank 19th in the league, giving up 244.0 passing yards per game. The Chiefs are better against the run, ranking 16th in the league while giving up 113.2 yards per game on the ground. The Raiders will get some relief in the backfield as it appears Rashad Jennings will be ready to play on Sunday following his concussion suffered during the Thanksgiving Day game. It still remains to be seen how the coaching staff will work fullback Marcel Reece into the game plan after he finished with a career-high 123 yards on just 19 carries last week against the Jets' top-ranked defense. On defense, the Raiders need to find a way to contain Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles, who leads the team with 1,162 yards and 10 touchdowns. Adding to his season, the versatile running back has also added 460 receiving yards and three touchdowns to his stellar season. The Raiders need to find a way to limit Charles' productivity better than they did in week six, when the former Longhorn finished with 128 total yards and two touchdowns. Defensive end Lamarr Houston is coming off two rough games and needs to find a way to dominate against the Chiefs in order to apply pressure on quarterback Alex Smith. Smith has turned into a consistent and reliable quarterback for the Chiefs and has thrown for 2,873 yards and 18 touchdowns with only six interceptions. The Raiders secondary will need to keep an eye on wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, who has been playing well as of late. Though he has just 49 receptions on the year, the veteran wide receiver has been known to cause fits for the Raiders and has a touchdown reception in three of the last four weeks. The Raiders secondary may get an added boost this week as starting strong safety Tyvon Branch may be able to play for the first time since injuring his ankle in week 2. Branch could be a boost to a Raiders defense that has struggled to get off the field on third downs as of late. The Chiefs also hold specialty weapon Dexter McCluster who has been stellar this season for the Chiefs special teams. McCluster has returned two punt returns for touchdowns this season, something the Raiders special teams unit must be aware of. Oakland will head down south for their final road game as they take on the San Diego Chargers next week. Also, everyone remember that U.S. Marines will be located around O.Co Coliseum collecting unwrapped toy donations as well as monetary donations as a part of Toys for Tots. They will stationed in Raiderville, as well as the West Side Plaza, near the BART entrance, and Gates A, B, C, and D, before kickoff. MILESTONES TO WATCH FOR: S Tyvon Branch • Needs one sack to tie No. 3 Albert Lewis (8.0, 1994-98) on the franchise’s career list among defensive backs. He enters the game with seven after recording one against Indianapolis in the season opener. DE Lamarr Houston • Needs three sacks to enter the top 20 in Raiders team history. K Sebastian Janikowski • Has now converted on 158-consecutive PAT attempts. • Needs just 27 points to reach 1,500 for his career. • Needs one game played to pass Gene Upshaw and move into sole possession of second place on the Raiders’ all-time games played list. RB Rashad Jennings • Has already surpassed his career-high with 588 rushing yards on the year. • Has already surpassed his career-high with 833 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 508 rushing yards. Pryor could eclipse the Raiders’ single-season mark of rushing yards by a quarterback with just 22 more yards. Rich Gannon set the mark in 2000 with 529. WR Rod Streater • Needs 129 receiving yards to reach 1,500 for his career and 213 for 1,000 this year. S Charles Woodson • Needs six interceptions to tie Ed Reed for first on the interceptions list among all active players with 62. • 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 Dec. 5, 2013 The Raiders (4-8) head back to New York to take on the Jets (5-7) looking to get their season back on track after dropping their last two games. Dennis Allen and the Raiders are coming off an extended week after playing on Thanksgiving Day in Dallas, falling to the Cowboys 31-24 late after building an early lead. The Jets head into the matchup on a losing streak of their own, dropping their last three games which ultimately culminated Jets head coach Rex Ryan benching his starting quarterback, rookie Geno Smith. Smith, who was once thought to be a target of the Raiders in April's draft, struggled over his last two and a half games before being benched at halftime of last game in favor of undrafted rookie Matt Simms. The former second-round draft pick Smith had six interceptions and no touchdowns in those two and a half games. Ryan has since reinstated Smith as the Jets starting quarterback, making the change short-lived. Smith is averaging just 188 yards per game while completing just 54.7 percent of his passes and throwing eight touchdowns and nineteen interception in his 12 starts. Smith's rookie road bumps help contribute to a Jets offense that struggles to score points, averaging just 15.6 yards per game, second to worst in the league. The Jets struggles on offense can also be attributed to their lack of offensive weapons. Wide receiver Jeremy Kerley leads the Jets in receptions and receiving yards with 28 receptions for 347 yards. The Jets primarily use a running-by-committee attack to attempt to get points on the board. Though the Jets are averaging 124.7 rushing yards per game (10th in the NFL), running back Chris Ivory, their leading rusher, is averaging just 46.9 yards per game. Instead, the Jets attempt to rely on their defense to keep them in games. Undrafted rookie Matt McGloin and the Raiders offense face a defense allowing just 333.8 yards per game, 12th in the NFL. Much of the Jets success on defense stems from their number-one ranked rush defense, allowing a measly 77.0 yards per game this season. The Raiders are currently plagued with injury problems at the running back position, making their rushing attack even more difficult to execute. Darren McFadden is likely out with an ankle injury, Jeremy Stewart out with a knee and ankle injury, and recent standout Rashad Jennings is recovering from a concussion suffered during last game. With so many injuries, the Raiders have turned to running back-turned-cornerback Taiwan Jones in practice this week. Allen and the coaching staff hope that they will have Jennings at full strength for Sunday's game as he has been a pleasant surprise this year, out-producing fellow running back McFadden. In fact, Jennings' 596 total yards (448 rushing yards, 148 receiving yards) exceeds all other players in the month of November. Starting left tackle Jared Veldheer returned last week from his torn tricep injury to face one of the toughest defensive ends in the league, DeMarcus Ware. Veldheer did a stellar job on Ware, but won't have any easier of a matchup this week as he will be primarily in charge of blocking Jets DE Muhammad Wilkerson. Wilkerson is currently seventh in the NFL for most sacks with 10 on the year. The Raiders offensive line will need to keep McGloin upright and give him enough time if they hope to get the passing game going. It is likely that McGloin and the coaching staff will look to attack rookie cornerback Dee Milliner who has already been benched three times this season for his poor play on the field. According to Advanced NFL Stats, Milliner is ranked the 97th overall cornerback by their system. In other words: he hasn't lived up to the hype that got him drafted ninth-overall in April's draft. With Antonio Cromartie opposite of Milliner, there's no doubt the Raiders should target Milliner early and often. Wide receiver Denarius Moore looks to be doubtful for Sunday's game with his shoulder injury, giving last week's standout Andre Holmes another opportunity. McGloin and Holmes looked to have good chemistry last week as the tall 6-foot-4 wide receiver hauled in a career-high seven receptions for 136 yards. Holmes has earned McGloin's trust with his ability to go up and make a play on the ball wherever the young quarterback puts the ball. It'll be interesting to see if the Raiders put quarterback Terrelle Pryor in the game at all after being active for the last two games but not earning any playing time. There has supposedly been a package of plays for him to come in and run since McGloin has been named the starter but the coaching staff has chosen against inserting him in there. The Raiders and Jets last met in 2011, with the Raiders victorious by a final of 34-24. DE Lamarr Houston • Needs three sacks to enter the top 20 in Raiders team history. K Sebastian Janikowski • Has now converted on 155-consecutive PAT attempts. • Needs just 48 points to reach 1,500 for his career. • Needs one game played to tie Gene Upshaw for second-most games played in Raiders history. RB Rashad Jennings • Has already surpassed his career-high with 588 rushing yards on the year. • Has already surpassed his career-high with 833 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 259 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. 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. 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. 24, 2013 The Oakland Raiders (3-6) take their two-game losing streak south to take on a struggling Houston Texans (2-7) team who has lost their last seven games. The Texans looked to continue their recent years of relative success by winning their first two games, though have encountered frustration by losing seven games in a row coming into Sunday's matchup with the Raiders. Houston has turned to rookie quarterback Case Keenum to handle duties under center while veteran Matt Schaub is forced to watch from the bench. Keenum has given the Texans an added dimension with his ability to open up the offense and drive the ball down field. Since being named the starter before Houston's week 7 match-up, the young quarterback has thrown for 822 yards, seven touchdowns and zero interceptions in three games. Keenum's strong play has helped veteran wide receiver Andre Johnson re-emerge as one of the league's top wide receivers. The Raiders defense will need to keep an eye on Johnson who is third in the league in receptions with 62, to go along with 850 receptions yards (4th in the league). Oakland's secondary will also need to keep an eye on DeAndre Hopkins, who seems to be developing into the number-two wide receiver that Houston has been desperately seeking for quite some time to alleviate pressure from Johnson. Hopkins has put together a solid rookie year thus far, already with 37 receptions for 539 yards and two touchdowns. The Texans will be facing their first game after star running back Arian Foster has been placed on Injured Reserve after needing back surgery. Third-year running back Ben Tate will get the start instead, having rushed for 455 yards this season and one touchdown, holding a 4.42 yards per carry stat. The Raiders defense is coming off a game in which they were unable to stop Giants running back Andre Brown and their rushing attack last week. Brown rushed for 115 yards and one touchdown on 30 carries last week. Though it isn't Foster back there, Tate is experienced and is hungry to show his worth. The Raiders defense will have to do a better job at defending the rush this week. Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor has remained out of practice this week with his sprained right knee, making it look like un-drafted rookie Matt McGloin will get the nod as the starter in Houston. Pryor tried to play through the injury last week but was largely ineffective without his greatest weapon: his speed and athleticism. Though Pryor returned to practice on Thursday, it will ultimately be up to the coaches to decide if he is ready to return under center. Should they choose McGloin to start on Sunday and rest Pryor's knee, it would mark the first NFL start for the former Penn State quarterback. McGloin looked solid in training camp and preseason, enough so that the team ultimately chose him over fourth-round pick Tyler Wilson to make the final roster. McGloin was also ultimately chosen over Matt Flynn to be the backup to Pryor when the team released Flynn during the season. McGloin made his NFL debut in the blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles after Pryor had left with his knee injury. McGloin settled down nicely in his second drive, finishing 7/15 for 87 yards and leading the Raiders to a late 71-yard touchdown drive. Unfortunately for McGloin, the young rookie will be facing the pass defense in the league statistically, giving up just 166.6 passing yards per game. McGloin does not possess the same kind of athleticism as Pryor, but has good pocket awareness and has the ability to read defenses relatively well while using solid footwork to drive the ball. One thing to watch though will be his ability to drive the ball on deeper routes, as that was one attribute in question during the draft evaluation process. The Raiders make-shift offensive line will need to contain J.J. Watt and the Texans defensive line in order to give McGloin some time to locate an open receiver. Watt has 6.5 sacks on the year but is always a threat to breakout and is capable of batting the ball down at the line of scrimmage. We most likely won't know who is starting at quarterback until the team's final injury report is released on Friday. Running back Darren McFadden appears to still be out with his hamstring injury as well, meaning Rashad Jennings will get the start for the second straight game. Jennings filled in nicely last week with 20 carries for 88 yards, after rushing for 102 the week before. The Raiders and Texans last met in a memorable game at Reliant Stadium on 10/9/2011, just one game after the death of longtime, iconic owner Al Davis. The Raiders were able to hold on to a 25-20 victory with safety Michael Huff intercepting Schaub in the end zone to secure the win. Fittingly, the Raiders only had ten men on the field on defense. Milestones to watch for: WR Jacoby Ford • Needs 20 kickoff return yards to pass George Atkinson for seventh place on the Raiders’ all-time KOR yards list. DE Lamarr Houston • Needs four sacks to enter the top 20 in Raiders team history. K Sebastian Janikowski • Has now converted on 147-consecutive PAT attempts. • Needs just 59 points to reach 1,500 for his career. 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 83 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 493 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. 7, 2013
The Oakland Raiders (3-5) head to New York to take on the Giants (2-6) after an embarrassing 49-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles where the defense witnessed quarterback Nick Foles throw for a record-tying seven touchdown passes. Like the contest against the Eagles, the Raiders have not faced the Giants since 2009 when they traveled to New York and returned after a drubbing that day as well, falling 44-7. But that was 2009, and the Giants certainly aren't looking like the same team that they were four years ago coming into the contest with just two wins after nine weeks. The Giants come into the game struggling to find any rushing attack and are averaging just 69.9 rushing yards per game, third-worst in the NFL. After losing Ahmad Bradshaw to free agency in the offseason, the Giants hoped that young running back David Wilson would be able to carry the load. Wilson suffered a herniated disc in his neck and has been out since, forcing the team to turn to veterans Peyton Hillis and Brandon Jacobs. Both Jacobs and Hillis have largely proven ineffective in their place. The Giants will be getting help in their offensive backfield by getting Andre Brown on the active roster for the first time this season after he broke his leg in the preseason. Brown appeared in 10 games last season and averaged 5.3 yards per carry. The Raiders linebackers and defense will need to keep some strong gap-discipline in order to maintain their sixth-best rush defense. Much of the Giants' demise stems from their struggling quarterback Eli Manning and his passing attack. Manning, in his 10th year, has a 55.7-percent completion percent while throwing for 2,167 yards, 10 touchdowns and a league-leading 15 interceptions. Manning's inability to protect the football has helped lead to the Giants' league-worst turnover ratio at -12. Much like they needed to do last week with DeSean Jackson, the Raiders secondary needs to contain wide receiver Victor Cruz and limit any big plays. Ranking just 26th in the league in pass defense, the Raiders defense is susceptible to giving up lots of yards threw the air as became apparent last week. There's no doubt that the Raiders defense needs to be much improved this week after such an embarrassing performance against the Eagles last week, giving up 542 total yards. One way to disrupt the Giants offense is to get into the backfield and disrupt the ball carrier or quarterback, something they were unable to do last week. Despite New York's offensive line has been banged up for much of the season, Manning has largely been able to stay off his back as he has been sacked just 19 times. The Raiders enter the game tied for 13th in the league with 23 sacks on the season. Though the Raiders offense gained 560 yards last week, they were largely ineffective in trying to get into the end zone, scoring just 20 points in the contest. The Giants defense isn't quite what it has been previous years but it still is strong at defending the rush, allowing 102.3 rushing yards a game, ranking in the top ten. To make things tougher for the Raiders, the offense will once again be without running back Darren McFadden who suffered a hamstring injury once again last week. In place will be Rashad Jennings who filled in nicely last week and rushed for 102 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries. Should Jennings be able to revive the rushing attack, things will open up more the Terrelle Pryor and the Raiders passing game. Pryor and his receivers are averaging just 197.8 yards per game through the air, third-worst in the NFL. The Eagles defense is allowing 242.0 passing yards per game, giving Pryor another favorable match-up to get the aerial attack on the right track again. The Raiders will remain on the road and travel to Houston to take on the struggling Texans in week 11. MILESTONES TO WATCH FOR: WR Jacoby Ford • Needs 20 kickoff return yards to pass George Atkinson for seventh place on the Raiders’ all-time KOR yards list. DE Lamarr Houston • Needs four sacks to enter the top 20 in Raiders team history. K Sebastian Janikowski • Has now converted on 142-consecutive PAT attempts. • Needs just 67 points to reach 1,500 for his career. 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 128 receiving yards to reach 2,000 for his career. QB Terrelle Pryor • Is currently first amongst all quarterbacks with 485 rushing yards. Pryor could eclipse the Raiders’ single-season mark of rushing yards by a quarterback with just 44 more yards. Rich Gannon set the mark in 2000 with 529. WR Rod Streater • Needs 499 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. 1, 2013 Following their first post-bye week win in a decade, the Raiders look to build a winning streak (3-4) as they host the Philadelphia Eagles (3-5) at O.Co Coliseum on Sunday. The matchup marks the first meeting between the two squads since 10/18/2009, when the Raiders were victorious 13-9 on their own turf. Former Raiders running back Justin Fargas eludes Eagles defenders Though Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor struggled throwing the ball last week finishing 10/19 for just 88 yards and two interceptions, his athleticism electrified the raucous Raider Nation in attendance as he scampered into the record books with his 93-yard touchdown run on the first play from the line of scrimmage. Pryor led the game with 106 rushing yards, accounting for 194 of the Raiders 279 total yards. Pryor and the Raiders rushing attack face a tough battle this week the Eagles are ranked ninth in the NFL in defending the rush, allowing just 99.5 yards per game. The good news for Pryor lies in the face that the Eagles allow a whopping 302.3 yards per game through the air en route to being second to last in the league. In fact, Eagles' head coach Chip Kelly's defense is giving up a total of 401.8 yards per game, the second most in the NFL. Pryor and his receivers hope to be able to get the passing game back on track as they are averaging just 176.0 yards per game, the worst in the NFL. Denarius Moore and his fellow receivers will need to find ways to separate from the Eagles corners Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher to allow Pryor a chance to find them. On defense, the Raiders have to prepare for a Kelly's high-powered offense that he brought over from the University of Oregon upon hiring during last offseason. Kelly has built an offense that is ranking fifth in the NFL with 397.1 yards per game, while finding success in the running game and averaging over 150 rushing yards a game. The Eagles rushing attack is led by fifth-year running back LeSean McCoy, who currently leads the NFL with 733 rushing yards on the year. The Raiders currently possess the sixth-best rush defense in the league, allowing just 89.9 yards per game, and the team will have to do everything they can to keep those kind of numbers intact. Nick Roach and the Raiders defense will need to make sure they maintain their gap discipline in order to contain the shifty back. Defensive backs will also have to be quick to come up and help bounce runs outside and limit the amount of yardage to McCoy. In the passing game, Raiders corner Mike Jenkins and the secondary will need to keep an eye on the speedy Cal alum DeSean Jackson and not let him break free for a big play. Though he has been limited this week with a "tweaked" ankle, Jackson is more than capable of exploding for a big play. The speedster has 45 receptions for 673 yards and five touchdowns this season. Jackson's 673 receiving yards on the year is sixth most in the NFL. The Raiders defense will look to apply pressure on Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, who appears to be replacing Mike Vick as the starting quarterback after Vick suffered a hamstring injury last week. The Raiders have found an ability to rush the passer and has tallied eight sacks over the last two weeks, including four against the Steelers last week. Sunday's matchup marks the 11th time the two squads have met during the regular season, with the series tied at 5-5. Milestones to watch for: WR Jacoby Ford • Needs 20 kickoff return yards to pass George Atkinson for seventh place on the Raiders’ all-time KOR yards list. DE Lamarr Houston • Needs four sacks to enter the top 20 in Raiders team history. K Sebastian Janikowski • Has now converted on 140-consecutive PAT attempts. • Needs just 75 points to reach 1,500 for his career. RB Darren McFadden • Needs eight rushing yards to move into seventh place on the Raiders’ all-time rush- ing list. • 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 210 receiving yards to reach 2,000 for his career. QB Terrelle Pryor • Is currently first amongst all quarterbacks with 391 rushing yards. Pryor could eclipse the Raiders’ single-season mark of rushing yards by a quarterback with just 139 more yards. Rich Gannon set the mark in 2000 with 529. WR Rod Streater • Needs 97 receiving yards to reach 1,000 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. INJURY REPORT Oakland Raiders Questionable: WR Andre Holmes (hamstring), OT Menelik Watson (calf) Out: OL Andre Gurode (quad), S Tyvon Branch (ankle), OT Tony Pashos (hip) Philadelphia Eagles Probable: RB Chris Polk (shoulder), WR DeSean Jackson (ankle), P Donnie Jones (left foot), OT Jason Peters (shoulder/finger), DE Cedric Thornton (knee), LS Jon Dorenbos (groin), QB Nick Foles (concussion), LB Connor Barwin (back) Questionable: WR Damaris Johnson (ankle), LB Casey Matthews (hip), S Patrick Chung (shoulder) Doubtful: LB Jake Knott (hamstring) Out: QB Michael Vick (hamstring) Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Oct. 25, 2013 The Oakland Raiders (2-4) return home to O.Co Coliseum to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers (2-4) after a much-needed bye week. The bye week gave the Raiders a chance to get their wounded offensive line to get healthy, though the team was only able to get one of their injured offensive lineman back to the practice field. Center Stefen Wisniewski returned to the starting unit this week after missing the last two games with a knee injury. Wisniewski returning to the offensive line has been called "huge" by Dennis Allen and it is, as it allows emergency center Mike Brisiel to return to his starting position at right guard. The offensive line will need to have a better outing than the Chiefs game, in which quarterback Terrelle Pryor found himself sacked on the ground nine times. Unfortunately for the Raiders, right tackle Tony Pashos remains doubtful to return to the playing field on Sunday with his hip injury. The injury means that Matt McCants will likely be the Raiders starting right tackle once again. Luckily for Pryor and the Raiders offense, they're playing a defense that doesn't quite compare to the Chiefs defense. Long known for their stellar defense, the Steelers' defense has not lived up to its previous seasons in the turnover department and rush defense. The Steelers also only have eight sacks on the season, second to lowest in the NFL. Though they are allowing just 22.0 points and 306.8 yards per game, the Steelers have just two takeaways through six games. This bodes well for Pryor and gives him a chance to right the ship again after throwing three interceptions in his last start. Pryor and the offense need to protect the ball and not give Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers' offense extra opportunities. The best way for Pryor to prevent interceptions is to keep an eye on the Steelers' Pro Bowl safeties in Ryan Clark and Troy Polamalu. The Steelers defense hasn't presented the same stout rush defense that it has in the year's past. Darren McFadden and the Raiders rushers will look to get a rushing attack going against the Steelers defense that is allowing 109.3 rushing yards per game. The Raiders still possess a strong rushing attack, averaging 129.2 rushing yards per game. Pryor remains the Raiders leading rusher with 285 yards on the ground. The Raiders will look to continue their recent success in defending the rush against rookie running back Le'veon Bell. Bell is coming off of a 19-rush, 93-yard game against the Baltimore Ravens. The Raiders have been solid against the Rush the last three weeks, allowing just 89.3 yards per game over the period. The strong ability to stop the rush is good enough to rank sixth in the NFL over the span of the three weeks. The Raiders are the only team in the NFL that has not allowed a 20+ run. The longest run the Raiders have given up was the 19-yard touchdown run to Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. Charles Woodson and the Raiders secondary will need to contain speedster wide receiver Antonio Brown and try to eliminate the big play. Brown leads the Steelers in receiving with 548 yards and two touchdowns on 47 receptions. Oakland and the Steelers have met 20 times in the regular season, with the Raiders leading the series 11-9. The Steelers have not won in Oakland since 1995, though the Raiders haven't won a game coming off of a bye week since 2002. The Raiders will remain in Oakland following the game as they take host another home game next week when they take on the Philadelphia Eagles. Milestones to watch for: WR Jacoby Ford • Needs 20 kickoff return yards to pass George Atkinson for seventh place on the Raiders’ all-time KOR yards list. DE Lamarr Houston • Needs five sacks to enter the top 20 in Raiders team history. K Sebastian Janikowski • Has now converted on 134-consecutive PAT attempts. • Needs just 78 points to reach 1,500 for his career. RB Darren McFadden • Needs 39 rushing yards to move into eighth place on the Raiders’ all-time rushing list. • Needs 475 receiving yards to eclipse 1,500 yards for his career WR Denarius Moore • Needs 242 receiving yards to reach 2,000 for his career. QB Terrelle Pryor • Is currently third amongst all quarterbacks with 285 rushing yards. Pryor could eclipse the Raiders’ single-season mark of rushing yards by a quarterback with just 245 more yards. Rich Gannon set the mark in 2000 with 529. WR Rod Streater • Needs 142 receiving yards to reach 1,000 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. INJURY REPORT: Oakland Raiders Probable: CB Tracy Porter (shoulder), Stefen Wisniewski (knee) Questionable: LB Kaluka Maiava (hamstring) Doubtful: OL Andre Gurode (quad), OT Tony Pashos (hip), OT (Menelik Watson (calf) Out: S Tyvon Branch (ankle) Pittsburgh Steelers Probable: T Kelvin Beachum (ribs), T Marcus Gilbert (quad), DE Brett Keisel (ribs), TE Heath Miller (not injury related), WR Jericho Cotchery (abdomen), DE Cameron Heyward (illness), LB Jarvis Jones (concussion), LB Lawrence Timmons (hand), LB Lamarr Woodley (knee), G Ramon Foster (thumb) Out: WR Markus Wheaton (finger), TE Richard Gordon (toe) |
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