Originally published on SBReport.net on Dec. 30, 2012 Raider Nation members longing to see quarterback Terrelle Pryor get saw their wish come true on Sunday, as starting quarterback Carson Palmer remained out with a rib injury. Though a different quarterback was inserted behind center, the results were similar as the Raiders fell to the Chargers 24-21 in San Diego. The loss was the Raiders' eighth loss in their last nine games. Unlike the Raiders offense of the past two weeks, Pryor was able to provide a spark and lead the offense into the end zone, scoring 21 points. "He obviously provided a little bit of a spark so I think there's something to build on there," Raiders head coach Dennis Allen said following the game. Though Pryor finished just 13/28 for 150 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, he did suffer from his wide receivers dropping catch-able passes. Overall, Allen was pleased with what he saw from his quarterback. "I thought he did some good things," Allen said. "Obviously I thought there's still some work that needs to be done there." The second-year quarterback's speed proved to be beneficial numerous times as he was forced out of the pocket and forced to scramble. The speedy quarterback rushed the ball nine times for 49 yards and one rushing touchdown. Pryor's rushing touchdown came on a play that left Pryor rolling out to his left from the Chargers four-yard line and sliding into the end zone, to bring the Chargers lead to 24-14. The young quarterback looked comfortable and confident while on the field. Pryor handed the ball off twice and rushed the ball on a read option play in his first drive, resulting in a three-and-out. Pryor's first pass attempt came on the second drive as he was able to look around at his receivers and find a open Marcel Reece, who dropped the pass. Overall, the young quarterback showed play-making capability but did miss some throws to open receivers. Pryor seemed to have a tendency to loft a ball too often, as he did during his interception when he attempted to find Darrius Heyward-Bey in the end zone. Pryor's first career touchdown came when he found Heyward-Bey on a well thrown fade route in the corner of the end one in the first half. His second touchdown of the day came when he was able to scramble right and extend the play to find Denarius Moore in the end zone to bring the Chargers lead to just three. "The scramble there late in the game and [Pryor] hitting Denarius Moore there in the back of the end zone, that was a heck of a football play," Allen said of his quarterback's athletic play. But that was as close as the Raiders would get to the Chargers lead. With just under two minutes remaining in the game, the Raiders were forced to attempt an onside kick that failed, all but ending the game. The Chargers started the game off with a bang when Michael Spurlock returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, giving the Chargers the 7-0 lead just 12 seconds into the game. San Diego would extend that lead with a field goal later in the first quarter. But down just 10-7, the Raiders defense faltered as they left tight end Antonio Gates wide open for a touchdown to give the Chargers the 17-7 lead at the half. Pryor's interception came at a bad time as he had the Raiders driving to score but then lofted the ball too much to Heyward-Bey and was intercepted by Quentin Jammer. The Raiders attempted to mount a late comeback when they blocked San Diego's punt and recovered at the Chargers' 11-yard line, leading to Pryor's third touchdown of the game. Down 24-21 and under two minutes remaining in the game, Janikowski was unable to get the ball back to the offense as his onside kick attempt failed, allowing the Chargers to run out the clock for the victory. Raiders running back Mike Goodson and Chargers linebacker Takeo Spikes were ejected from the game early on after a scuffle in the first quarter. One positive that came from the scene was Pryor showing leadership by running into the scuffle and separating Goodson and getting in his face about it. The Raiders would have had a first-and-goal situation had Goodson not committed the penalty. Raiders head coach Dennis Allen walks off the field after finishing just 4-12 in his first season as an NFL head coach The loss gives the Raiders a 4-12 record, tied for third worst in the NFL, giving Reggie McKenzie and the Raiders the third overall draft pick after tie breakers.
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Originally published on SBReport.net on Dec. 23, 2012
The Raiders failed to get in the end zone for the second-straight game en route to a 17-6 loss on the road to the Carolina Panthers. Starting quarterback Carson Palmer left the game late in the first quarter after Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy hit him hard, making the game even tougher for a struggling Raiders offense. Palmer remained out for the rest of the game with a rib injury, finishing 3/3 for 31 yards. Head coach Dennis Allen turned to Matt Leinart with Palmer out instead of inserting Terrelle Pryor, who has become an obsession for much of Raider Nation. Leinart struggled to find any rhythm as he finished 16/32 for 115 yards and one interception. Pryor did enter the game on three separate occasions, one of which he threw his first NFL completion. Offensive coordinator Greg Knapp was unable to get Darren McFadden and the running game going as the Panthers kept McFadden to just 33 yards on 17 carries, a measly 1.9 yards per carry. Oakland had a chance to get into the end zone in the fourth quarter and potentially tie the game but Leinart’s screen pass to McFadden on fourth down was batted down by Hardy, the same man that knocked Palmer out of the game. Oakland’s inept offense only totaled 189 total yards and 12 first downs for the whole game. Meanwhile, Cam Newton and the Panthers were able to do just enough to earn their sixth victory of the season. Newton finished 18/29 for 170 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The former Heisman winner also rushed the ball 12 times for 60 yards and one touchdown. One bright spot for the Raiders was rookie linebacker Miles Burris who recorded his first NFL interception, snapping Newton’s streak of 176 pass attempts without a pick. Burris also had seven tackles and half a sack for the afternoon. The Raiders head into San Diego next week to finish off the season against the San Diego Chargers. With both teams already out of playoff contention, it wouldn’t be surprising if Allen and the coaching staff turn to some of their young players for the game in order to evaluated for the offseason.
Photo by Bob Carr
Originally published on SBReport.net on Dec. 16, 2012 The Raiders were able to stop their longest losing streak since 2007 by beating the Kansas City Chiefs without scoring a touchdown. All it took was five field goals from Sebastian Janikowski (20, 50, 57, 30 and 41 yards) and a shut out to beat the the lowly Kansas City Chiefs 15-0 on Sunday at O.Co Coliseum. While it wasn’t always pretty, Raiders head coach Dennis Allen knows you have to take a win when you can. “Obviously we want to score touchdowns and not be able to get field goals,” Allen said following the game. “At the end of the day, we’re trying to win football games and we were able to do that today.” With Dewayne Bowe out and Brady Quinn starting, the Raiders shut down Jamaal Charles and the Chiefs running game. The result was a Chiefs offense that had only 10 rushing yards, and only 119 yards of total offense all together. Charles had nine carries for 10 yards while Quinn finished 18/32 for 136 yards and one interception. I think we were able to play a real physical game,” Raiders defensive tackle Desmond Bryant said. “We play them twice a year and we kind of know what they’re trying to do in the running game and we were able to go out there and execute and stop the run.” The Chiefs’ inept offense didn’t record a first down until the third quarter when utility player Dexter McCluster hauled in an eight-yard reception for the first down. The same drive resulted in the Chiefs’ first plays executed in the Raiders’ territory. To make matters worse for the Chiefs, head coach Romeo Crennel went for it on fourth down on three separate occasions, not converting a single fourth down. Down just 12-0 in the third quarter on the Raiders four-yard line, Crennel decided to leave the offense on the field. Crennel stuck with his decision even after a delay of game, but Raiders defensive end Lamarr Houston got in the backfield and forced Quinn to check the ball down short of the endzone. The Raiders defense recorded four sacks on Quinn and consistently applied pressure on him to force him to dump the ball off short. “I like to think that we play a pretty physical brand of football and I think against a team with that kind of running game it kind of plays to our strengths, so we were able to go out there and play really physical and it gave us the edge on their o-line,” Bryant said. Oakland was able to get the running game going while the Chiefs struggled. Darren McFadden surpassed the 100-yard plateau with a 110 yard rushing effort. It was the first time McFadden rushed for over 100-yards since he last played the Chiefs on Oct. 28. Fellow running back Mike Goodson was able to give McFadden a break by having a big day of his own by rushing for 89 yards on just 13 carries. “It gives DMac a break. He takes a lot of carries, a lot of hits,” Goodson said of his ability to spell McFadden. “And once he’s out there fresh, he can go the distance on any run.” Palmer did what he need to by protecting the ball and throwing for 182 yards on 18/29 passing with no turnovers and no touchdowns. Quarterback Terrelle Pryor officially saw his first regular season action in the NFL, handing the ball off twice and throwing an incomplete pass. Pryor would not return as it was decided beforehand that he would only play one drive. On a different side of the story, a pigeon seemed to be unable to fly and spent nearly the entire first half marching around midfield. Players from both teams were seen trying to encourage the pigeon to leave the field but it wouldn’t budge. That thing is in between the defensive end and outside linebacker, I mean, that’s kind of deadly for that thing,” left guard Mike Brisiel said laughing. “I was trying to shoo it along and then I get bood for it. I turned around as soon as I heard the boos and was like ‘holy …’, they’re watching that thing.” The pigeon was eventually escorted off of the playing field during halftime. Oakland finishes up the season with two road games starting with the Carolina Panthers next Sunday. Originally published on SBReport.net on Dec. 7, 2012
Frustration continues to build in the Raiders organization as the continued the losing as they fell to the Denver Broncos 23-16 on Thursday night to extend their current losing streak to six games. “Extremely frustrating to rack up this many losses in a row and in the fashion we’ve done. It is just extremely frustrating.” The Raiders defense struggled in the beginning of the game as Peyton Manning carved up the defense for scores on Denver’s first three drives. Manning took advantage of the Raiders deferring to the second half by driving down the field 68 yards in 10 plays resulting in a touchdown pass to a wide open tight end Joel Dreesen in the end zone to start the game off with a touchdown. Manning used two more 10-play drives that each resulted in just field goals to give the Broncos the early 13-0 lead. While Manning was orchestrating scoring drive, Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer was struggling to get the ball moving. In what seems to be summing up his Raiders career, Palmer followed up a perfect throw with an imperfect throw. Palmer found rookie wide receiver Rod Streater for a 58-yard gain on a perfect ball into Broncos territory. As pretty as the throw was, the next throw was just the opposite. On the very next play, Palmer threw behind tight end Brandon Myers and was intercepted by veteran rookie Champ Bailey. The interception marked Palmer’s ninth game in a row with an interception, the most of any Raiders quarterback in franchise history. Oakland wasn’t able to score until the two-minute warning of the first half on a great call from offensive coordinator Greg Knapp. Palmer faked a throw to the right but came back left to find running back Darren McFadden on a screen pass that allowed him to walk into the endzone to bring the deficit to just 13-7. It was McFadden’s first game back after missing the past four weeks due to a high-ankle sprain, though the running back did leave the game after tweaking the same ankle late in the game. McFadden finished with just 11 carries for 52 yards, thanks to a 36-yard run he broke loose to start the third quarter. It appeared that the Raiders would have gained the momentum after a goal line stand that forced a field goal, but the tables quickly turned. After return man Mike Goodson took out a deep kickoff to only the eight-yard line, Broncos pass rushing specialist Von Miller was able to get around right tackle Khalif Barnes to force the fumble on Palmer and Denver recovered on the Raiders’ two-yard line. The Raiders were unable to stop them this time as Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno rushed the ball into the endzone to put the Broncos up 23-7. “[Miller] got a good pass rush and being in that situation, backed up like that, I’ve got to throw the ball out of bounds,” Palmer said of his fumble. “I didn’t have the guy that I wanted to throw it to open and I tried to pull the ball back and throw it to another guy. Obviously, looking back on it now, I wish I would’ve just chucked it out of bounds.” Barnes struggled much of the day against Miller, giving up a some pressures along with a false start and a couple of holding penalties. “He’s a good player,” Barnes said of Miller following the game. “He’s real flexible and has a variety of good moves and is pretty good at what he does. He’s pretty elusive and he’s good in the run and he’s good in the pass.” The Raiders were unable to overcome the deficit as they were only able to score one more touchdown during what was relatively garbage time. With a little over five minutes remaining, Palmer found wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey who eluded a tackle and scampered 56 yards for the touchdown. After a failed two-point conversion, the score sat at what would become a final of 23-13. The silver lining this week comes from the play of cornerback Phillip Adams, who took over for Michael Huff after he left with a wrist injury. Adams had a couple of nice plays including an interception in the endzone on Manning. It appears that his play the last couple of weeks has caught the eye of Allen and warrants more playing time. “I was real pleased with the way Phillip Adams played and Phillip has earned the right to get more playing time,” Allen said after the game. Allen returned to Oakland to coach the game Thursday night after heading to the Dallas area to make the decision to take his father off of life support. As hard as it was for him, he believes that his father Grady would want him to be back with the team and coaching them. “You know, I went home on Sunday and took my father off life support and that’s not easy to do. So, was it hard? Yeah, it was hard. But I know my father would want me to be here with this football team. And I wanted to be here with this football team. I’m sure you guys can imagine that wasn’t an easy situation.” Allen noted that he has received a great deal of support from the team, the organization, and from all over the NFL.
Photo by Bob Carr
Originally published on SBReport.net on Dec. 2, 2012 Oakland’s losing streak continued as they fell to the Cleveland Browns 20-10 on Sunday to extend their winless streak to five straight games. The Raiders offense was unable to capitalize on two interceptions by Browns rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden as they played from behind the entire game and were unable to catch up. The loss put the Raiders at 3-9, securing their seventh losing season in their last nine. The Raiders went 8-8 in each of the past two seasons and the loss to the Browns means that they will not reach the same record in 2012. Down just 13-10 in the fourth quarter, quarterback Carson Palmer under threw a pass that resulted in an interception that proved to be extremely costly. On 1st and 10 from the Browns 33-yard line, Palmer went for the touchdown to rookie wide receiver Juron Criner who was streaking down the sideline. Browns veteran cornerback Sheldon Brown took advantage of a poorly thrown ball and hauled in the interception to give Cleveland the ball on their own six-yard line. “We can’t turn the ball over right there. We’ve got all the momentum, we’re moving the ball, and we can’t have that self-inflicted wound right there. It it’s not there, we have to get rid of it. But we can’t make that mistake.” Rookie quarterback Weeden then orchestrated a flawless 14-play, 94-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown from running back Trent Richardson after eating up 6:04 off the clock. The score put Cleveland up 20-10 and all but secured a Cleveland victory. The lead proved to be too much to overcome as Palmer was only able to score a touchdown to tight end Brandon Myers that left only one second remaining on the clock but the Raiders still down by three. Myers hauled in 14 receptions for 130 yards and the one touchdown. Myers’ performance on Sunday tied Tim Brown for most receptions in a game in Raiders’ franchise history. But silver linings aren’t enough for Raiders head coach Dennis Allen at this point of a tough season. “Brandon [Myers] has done a nice job for us in the passing game,” Allen said. “Obviously, our quarterback feels comfortable with him. I’m not really looking for silver linings right now, but yeah, he’s done a nice job for us.” The Raiders offense struggled again in the first half as they were only able to put up three points for the half. The offense seemed to be able to get the ball moving but would stall without any points to show for it. “We move the ball a little bit but not quite enough to get points and it’s putting more pressure on our defense too,” Raiders center Stefen Wisniewski said. “We’ve gotta play fast and try and play with a lead. We haven’t done that in a long time.” One of the offense’s problems stem from dropped balls coming from multiple sources. Wide receiver Denarius Moore has had a tough couple of past games and dropped multiple passes Sunday. “Obviously you don’t want to have any dropped balls in the game, but there’s going to be dropped balls in this league,” Palmer said after the game. “There are going to be dropped balls in an environment like that when the balls are wet and the turf is really sloppy. But we’ve got to find a way to make more plays than we did today.” The Raiders defense continues to struggle with missed tackles and blown coverages. Cleveland was able to complete many big plays as a result of poor execution by Raiders defenders. Cornerback Ron Bartell was also amongst the players that struggled as well as he was burned by Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon for a 44-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Coach Allen took both Bartell and Moore out of the game after seeing multiple mistakes by them. “Yeah, we took him out there at the end. He dropped a couple of balls and we have to make plays when we get those opportunities,” Allen said. “Both of those guys, they understand that. It wasn’t from a lack of effort, but we’ve got to make the plays when we get an opportunity.” Un-drafted rookie wide receiver Rod Streater was able to seize the opportunity of getting some playing time when he adjusted perfectly under a deep ball from Palmer to haul in a 64-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter. Streater, who hauled in just 19 receptions at Temple University last season, has now hauled in 21 receptions for 233 yards and two touchdowns. He had three catches for 96 yards and one touchdown against the Browns. With just four games remaining on the schedule, rookie linebacker Miles Burris insists that this team will keep pushing themselves until the final second of the final game. “We’re still fighting, we’re going to keep swinging the rest of the season no matter what happens,” rookie linebacker Miles Burris said. “When adversity hits and it strikes, a man reacts in that situation; a man gets up and fights and that’s what we’re doing. It’s not sad everyday. Everybody’s still putting their work in and we are giving it our all. We just have to go out there and put everything on the field.” It was learned following the game that Allen was coaching with a heavy heart as he learned that his father was in serious condition with an illness. Allen is leaving town to be with his father but is expected to be back in Oakland Wednesday night before the Raiders host Peyton Manning and the Broncos on Thursday Night Football. Originally published on SBReport.net on Nov. 25, 2012
The Raiders were unable to halt their losing streak as they fell on the losing end of a heated battle against the Cincinnati Bengals that saw three players ejected. Things became heated in the fourth quarter when Bengals offensive tackle Andre Smith committed a false start just before the snap and Raiders defensive end Lamarr Houston dropped Andy Dalton for what would have been a sack. The simulated sack prompted offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth to shove Houston, sparking a brawl between all players on the field, and some from the bench. The scene even included Raiders defensive coordinator Jason Tarver on the field trying to help hold players back including his former 49er’s linebacker Manny Lawson, as well as former Raiders head coach Hue Jackson attempting to break up the brawl. When all the smoke settled, it resulted in the ejections of Whitworth, Houston and Tommy Kelly, who was ejected for entering the field from the bench. All this occurred one play after it seemed as if the Raiders had scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery that would have brought the Raiders deficit to just 27-17 with time to formulate a late-game comeback. Dalton found wide receiver Mohamed Sanu who was stripped by cornerback Joselio Hanson, who managed to dive and tip the ball to safety Tyvon Branch for what seemed to be a defensive touchdown for the Raiders. Upon a completion of a meeting among the referees, they determined that the Bengals had the option of taking the ball where it went out of bounds or nullifying the play because of an “inadvertent whistle.” “I thought it was a bad call. And like I said, it’s fourth down, it’s a dead ball,” Hanson said following the game. “You don’t give a team another chance. It’s tough enough to stop them on three downs and then give them a fourth. It’s tough to give them another chance.” The call changed the whole complexion of the game as the advantageous Bengals capitalized with a touchdown pass to tight end Jermaine Gresham to give the Bengals a 34-10 lead. “I feel like if we would’ve got that touchdown, we would have been down by ten with ten minutes left so we had a chance. But you know, things happen,” Hanson said. It was a rough homecoming for Palmer even without the odd sequence of events in the fourth quarter. Palmer finished 19/34 for 146 yards, one touchdown and one interception while continuously being hit hard by the Bengals stout defensive line. The Bengals set the tone when they applied pressure and recorded two sacks in Palmer on the Raiders first offensive series. Oakland’s only points came in the third quarter after the defense gave up 24 quick points in the first half. The Raiders porous defense once again caused the Raiders offense to play catch up. In fact, the Raiders were out gained 289 total yards to just 83 in the first half. “It’s just something we need to work on and watch the tape and focus on and just do our jobs,” Houston said of the first half defensive struggles. The defense was able to turn it around and forced three consecutive three-and-outs to begin the half while and shutting the Bengals out in the third quarter. “Our guys executed what they were being asked to execute better in that third quarter and we didn’t tackle well in the first part of the game,” head coach Dennis Allen said following the game. With the final score, the Raiders have now given up 172 points to their opponent during their current four-game losing streak. Being down for much of the game forced the Raiders to abandon the run as Marcel Reece finished with just 15 carries for 74 yards. The Raiders porous rush defense once again showed up as BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushed for 129 yards, one touchdown and 19 carries. The Raiders continuously took poor angles and missed tackles, much of it occurring in the first half. While the Raiders were able to limit Dalton to just 210 yards, he still found the endzone three times. “Not a lot went right from start to finish and obviously we this wasn’t the way we came here expecting to play but you’ve got to tip your hats off to Cincinnati, they were the better team. We’ve got to get better,” Palmer said of the game. Oakland heads back home to take on the Cleveland Browns back in O.Co Coliseum next Sunday.
Photo by Bob Carr
Originally published on SBReport.net on Nov. 18, 2012 The Oakland Raiders failed to get back into the win column as the New Orleans Saints came into town and came away with a 38-17 victory on Sunday. Oakland was unable to capitalize on a porous Saints defense and was only able to put 17 points on the board and never could catch up to the Saints. "We just couldn't keep up," Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer said following the game. "They scored pretty quickly and we tried to stick with the run game and we did adn we were doing a good job. To have a fullback-turned-tailback to run the ball the way we did the first half was really, really good to see." Meanwhile, Drew Brees orchestrated the Saints offense flawlessly as his team took an early lead and never let go. The Raiders defense has given up 135 points in the last three weeks. Brees continued his streak on the Saints' first drive of the game as he found his tight end Jimmy Graham wide open for a the game's first touchdown. Brees has now thrown a touchdown pass in 53 straight games. Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer struggled throughout the game as he finished 22/40 for 312 yards, two touchdowns and two costly interceptions. Palmer was first picked off by cornerback Malcolm Jenkins who took it all the way back to the endzone to give the Saints a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Palmer's second interception was just as costly as his pass soared through the hands of his tight end Brandon Myers and into the hands of a Saints defender. Palmer and the Raiders were unable to get into the endzone until late into the second quarter when the quarterback rolled out of the pocket to this right and kept the play alive long enough to find Myers, who was able to haul in the pass for the touchdown. Fullback-turned-running back Marcel Reece was a bright spot for the Raiders as he had 19 carries for 103 yards in addition to four receptions for 90 yards. Reece has been given a tough responsibility as he has taken over the running back job with high-ankle sprains sidelining Darren McFadden and Mike Goodson. The Raiders have only had two 100-yard rushers this year coming into the game. But all these stats mean nothing to Reece if the team doesn't get the victory. "Stats are really irrelevant when you don't get the W," Reece said. "The bottom line is if you don't win the stats are irrelevant. The numbers are irrelevant. I don't even know what they were, I don't care they were and I don't want to know what they were. I want to get in, watch the film and get ready for Cincinnati." Rookie wide receiver Juron Criner was also a bright spot for the team as the young wideout hauled in his first career touchdown when Palmer found him on a fade route for a three-yard touchdown late in the game. Already down 38-17, head coach Dennis Allen called an onside kick that failed and gave the Saints the ball back with only four minutes remaining. The Raiders defense still couldn't stop the Saints offense as they were able to get the necessary first downs and run the clock out to end the game while handing the Raiders their third-straight loss. Though frustration is growing with each loss, safety Mike Mitchell knows his team is committed to turning things around. "We are committed bunch but we've just got to be spot-on. We have to be spot-on. It's the National Football League. Everybody probably has a play today they want to take back, but you can't take it back. You just got to play better." Originally published on SBReport.net on Nov. 11, 2012
The Raiders were once again embarrassed as they were blown out in Baltimore 55-20 by the Ravens on Sunday. With Darren McFadden and Mike Goodson out with high-ankle sprains, the Raiders were unable to get the running game which caused the offense to become one-dimensional. Palmer finished 29-46 for 368 yards, two touchdowns and one interception as fullback Marcel Reece was the Raiders leading rusher with 48 yards on 13 carries. Just a week after getting embarrassed by Doug Martin and the Buccaneers, the Raiders defense was once again embarrassed giving up an NFL-season high 55 points. Though they were able to limit Ravens running back Ray Rice to just 35 yards, it was the secondary that couldn’t stop the Ravens as quarterback Joe Flacco threw for 341 yards, three touchdowns and one interception on 21-33 passing. The quarterback distributed the ball nicely, producing four receivers with greater than 50 yards receiving. Already down 20-3, the Raiders didn’t get their first touchdown until Palmer hit wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey who broke a couple of tackles and scampered 55 yards for a touchdown that cut the deficit to 20-10 with just 1:46 remaining in the second quarter. After not scoring in the first quarter for the first time this season, Heyward-Bey’s touchdown kept the Raiders streak going of scoring in the final two minutes of the first half every game. But the defense once again failed as they allowed the Ravens to come right back and score before the half ended, giving the Ravens a 27-10 lead heading into the second half. The Ravens offense proved to be too much to handle as the Baltimore continued to exploit a hurt Raiders secondary that became more banged up when safety-turned-cornerback Michael Huff injured himself while defending a pass in the end zone. Head coach John Harbaugh even ran up the score some when he attempted a fake field goal that saw punter Sam Koch tuck the ball and run into the end zone to put the Ravens on top 48-17 late in the third quarter. To add insult to injury, the Raiders allowed return man Jacoby Jones to return a kickoff return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to give the Ravens 55 points. Things don’t get easier for the Raiders as they host the the New Orleans Saints next week at O.Co Coliseum. Originally published on SBReport.net on Nov. 4, 2012 Oakland attempted another late-game comeback but fell short as the Buccaneers were able to hold off the Raiders to secure a 42-32 victory at O.Co Coliseum. After earning comeback victories against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Pittsburgh Steelers, Carson Palmer and the Raiders offense was unable to produce the same results against Tampa Bay’s defense. Down 28-10 at the end of the third quarter, Palmer was able to find his tight end Brandon Myers for a four-yard touchdown pass that cut the deficit to 28-17. The reception marked Myers’ first career NFL touchdown. But the Buccaneers quickly fired back in a way that became popular throughout the game. Rookie running back and Oakland-born running back Doug Martin rushed up the middle for a 70-yard touchdown run. Martin finished with a career-high 251 yards and four touchdowns on just 25 carries. Martin had touchdown runs of 45 yards, 67 yards, 70 yards and one yard. Raiders defensive end Dave Tollefson attributes the Raiders difficulties stopping the rush to execution. “Sometimes it isn’t scheme or even effort, it’s just a matter of getting something done, getting it finished,” Tollefson said after the game. Even after Martin’s third touchdown of the day Palmer and the offense refused to quit as they countered with a seven-play, 80-yard drive finishing up with another touchdown pass to Myers. Oakland was still down 35-24 and needed a big stop on defense after a failed onside-kick attempt that gave the ball to Tampa Bay on the Raiders 44-yard line. The stop was provided by veteran defensive tackle Richard Seymour as he dove on to a fumbled handoff between quarterback Josh Freeman and backup running back LeGarrette Blount. The fumble recovery gave the Raiders new hope as they took over on their own 35 yard line with 7:43 remaining. Palmer, as he did against Jacksonville and Pittsburgh, led the offense down the field as he orchestrated a 13-play drive that culminated in a 13-yard touchdown pass to fullback Marcel Reece. Reece hauled in eight receptions for 95 yards and one touchdown after only catching 10 balls through the entire first seven games. Rookie wide receiver Juron Criner came down with the important two-point conversion following Reece’s touchdown. Palmer used his lower-body strength to fight off a sack and get the ball to the back of the endzone to Criner, bringing the Buccaneers lead to just a field goal. With just under three minutes remaining, the Raiders defense once again came up big when they were called upon and forced a three-and-out to give the ball back to Palmer with a chance to tie or win the game. After being patient and taking what the defense gave him, Palmer pressed and looked for the deep ball to rookie Rod Streater two plays in a row. The first ball fell incomplete, but the second ball found Tampa Bay Buccaneer Ahmad Black who returned the ball 34 yards to Oakland’s 22-yard line. Palmer appeared to be under pressure and was forced to get the ball off quickly, a result of a porous offensive line that was once again less than stellar. “I think it was a combination of a few things. Carson had to get rid of the ball a littler quicker than he watned to,” Allen commented after the game. “I’m not sure exactly what happened on the route, but we’ll really have to look at the tape, but I do know Carson got rid of the ball a littler quicker than he wanted to.” Oakland’s inability to stop the run comes after they were allowing just 102 yards per game coming into the contest. The Raiders defense were able to contain Martin for the first half, limiting him to just 31 yards, meaning 220 of Martin’s 251 yards came in the second half. Allen attributes the poor rush defense to a combination of problems. “We didn’t tackle well. I thought they did a good job of blocking. I thought the runner did a great job of running,” Allen said. “I think we had an opportunity to make a few plays and missed some tackles, and when you miss tackles on that guy he takes them for big gains. That’s exactly what happened.” Middle linebacker Rolando McClain and cornerback Pat Lee had two big missed tackles on Martin that led to long touchdowns. McClain was able to fill the hole as he was assigned to do but completely whiffed on the tackle as Martin ran right by him for his first touchdown. Martin also escaped a tackle from Lee that led to Martin’s 70-yard touchdown. The Raiders were once again unable to run the ball, especially after the loss of Darren McFadden to an ankle injury in the first half. Though x-rays were negative, McFadden did not return to the field and his status for next week is uncertain. “He’s got an ankle. I’m not sure the extent to it. The x-rays were negative but we’ll have to obviously take a look at it and see where he’s at,” Allen said. The loss of McFadden as well as being behind most of the game forced Palmer to throw the ball 61 times, the second most in Raiders franchise history behind Rich Gannon’s 64 pass attempts in 2002 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Palmer finished 39/61 for 414 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. “When we’re down two tailbacks at one point and have Marcel [Reece], a fullback, in there playing. They’ve got a good pass rush, a good front four that [does] a lot of movement,” Palmer said of the negative aspects of becoming one-dimensional. “They’re very good players up there and they can kind of pin their ears back and get after you a little bit.” Amongst McFadden, Oakland also lost running back Mike Goodson (ankle), safety Matt Giordano (hamstring), and defensive tackle Desmond Bryant during the game. Bryant was taken to a local hospital prior to the second half as a precautionary measure for an irregular heartbeat. Next week doesn’t get any easier as the Raiders head east to take on Ray Rice and the Baltimore Ravens. Originally published on SBReport.net on Oct. 28, 2012
The Raiders defensive line was largely believed to be a strong point of the team heading into the season but has not performed up to expectations for the most part. Richard Seymour and the Raiders front seven were able to dominate the Chiefs offensive line and limit a struggling Chiefs offense. The Raiders defensive line was able to consistently apply pressure on Chiefs quarterbacks and stop Jamaal Charles and the Chiefs rushing attack. Starting quarterback Brady Quinn got knocked out of the game with a head injury when linebacker Rolando McClain rushed up the middle and hit Quinn on the Chiefs second drive of the game. McClain was able to force a fumble, the first of his career, but Quinn was able to recover. Defensive end Matt Shaughnessy was able to get to him on the next play and apply pressure that forced a poor throw that was intercepted by safety Matt Giordano. Quinn would not return to the game after being replaced by Matt Cassel. Overall, the Raiders defense sacked the Chiefs quarterbacks three times after coming into the game with just seven sacks on the season. They also recorded two interceptions to go along with a forced fumble and recovery. The offense got to a rough start with quarterback Carson Palmer throwing an interception on the first play from the line of scrimmage. Palmer looked to find Darrius Heyward-Bey deep down the left sideline but Heyward-Bey didn’t attack the ball and the pass was intercepted by former Raiders cornerback Stanford Routt. Attacking Routt became a habit for the Raiders offense as Palmer continuously looked to target whatever receiver Routt was covering. Both of the Raiders touchdown, one to wide receiver Denarius Moore and one to Darrius Heward-Bey, were with Routt in coverage. Palmer shook off his early interception to lead the offense to the red zone the next series, but the offense stalled there and the team had to settle for a field goal off the foot of Sebastian Janikowski for the early 3-0 lead. In fact, the Raiders had to settle for four field goals from Janikowski, who has hit 43 straight field goals from under 40 yards. Palmer and the offense were able to capitalize on a muffed punt by Chiefs return man Javier Arenas that gave the ball to the Raiders on the Chiefs 12-yard line. There, Palmer found Moore in the back of the end zone for the touchdown. The touchdown reception marked the third straight game that Moore has hauled in a touchdown. The score also gave the Raiders a 13-6 lead heading into halftime. Cassel and the Chief’s offense continued to struggle when Cassel fumbled the snap over to the Raiders on the opening play of the second half. Though the Raiders failed to get into the endzone, they were able to tack on another field goal by Janikowski. Running back Darren McFadden was able to get the running game going some in the third quarter as he found a big hole behind left guard Mike Brisiel for a 19-yard gain. Tight end Brandon Myers contributed with a nice block downfield that springed McFadden deep into the second level. McFadden finished with 114 yards on 29 carries to go with four receptions for 23 yards. Four plays later, Palmer was able to find Heyward-Bey on a comeback route who put a move on Routt and got to the end zone to put the Raiders up 23-9. Oakland’s defense recorded its second interception on the ensuing drive when Pat Lee made a nice diving catch to record the interception on the Raiders own two-yard line. Kansas City’s first touchdown of the game didn’t occur until about three minutes remained in the game when Cassel found utility player Dexter McCluster on a screen for a 10-yard touchdown to cut the Raiders lead to 26-16. But the Raiders and McFadden were able to run the clock out from there, not allowing the Chiefs offense to get the ball back and securing the Raiders 26-16 victory. The win marked the sixth straight contest between the two teams at Arrowhead Stadium that the Raiders have been victorious. Palmer finished just 14/28 for 209 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. The Raiders were able to limit the penalties this week, finishing with just two penalties for 20 yards. A key to the win was the Raider ability to prevent the Chiefs rushing attack. The Chiefs finished with just 102 rushing yards, 53 of which came from quarterback scrambles. Oakland looks to make it three in a row as they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week. |
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