Category: NFL

Raiders are breathing down the Chiefs’ neck

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By Joe Hawkes
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — Don’t look now, but the Oakland Raiders are knocking on the door for the top spot in the AFC West.

With Kansas City losing to the Tennessee Titans, 35-32, in Nashville on Sunday to drop their record to 6-4, the Raiders (5-4) are just now a half-game back of the Chiefs for first place with six games left in the season for both teams.

The Raiders defeated the visiting Los Angeles Chargers, 26-24, on Nov. 7 in prime-time on FOX’s Thursday Night Football at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum to kickoff Week 10. Oakland’s defense performed tremendously under the lights, registering five sacks, three interceptions and one touchdown.

Kansas City already holds a victory over the Raiders, back in Week 2.

In that game, the Raiders jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter before the Chiefs scored 28 unanswered points behind four touchdowns by quarterback Patrick Mahomes as Kansas City held on for a 28-10 win.

Mahomes would throw for 443 yards on 30-of-44 passing with a 131.2 passer rating for the game

The two teams will meet again on Dec. 1 at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 13.

With the winless Cincinnati Bengals (0-9) coming into Oakland next Sunday for a Week 11 matchup, the Raiders are almost a shoe-in to win that game and apply even more pressure on the Chiefs.

Kansas City hosts the aforementioned Los Angeles Chargers on ESPN’s Monday Night Football on Nov. 18, which won’t be an easy game for them.

Mahomes looked very healthy playing for the first time since dislocating his right kneecap Oct. 17 against the Denver Broncos. His best play came with the pocket collapsing around him when he jumped up to throw over the linemen to wide receiver Mecole Hardman, who ran for a 63-yard TD with 11:54 left and a 29-20 lead.

Oakland, who were picked by many prognosticators to finish near the bottom of the division this year but the infusion of young, rookie talent on both the offensive side (running back Josh Jacobs and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow), and the defensive side (defensive lineman Clelin Ferrell and Max Crosby) has rejuvenated the Raiders.

Jacobs is running away with the AFC’s Offensive Rookie of the Year Award in my opinion, leading all rookies in rushing yards (811), rushing attempts (168), and touchdowns (7).

With all due respect to tight end Darren Waller, who leads the team in receptions (51), targets (65) and yards (588) and wide receiver Tyrell Williams, who leads the team with five touchdown catches, Renfrow has become quarterback Derek Carr’s security blanket. Carr loves to look for Renfrow with the game on the line.

Renfrow is second on the team in receptions (28) and targets (42) for 299 yards and two touchdowns. His second-career touchdown against the Lions in Week 9 was his first game-winner.

Coupled with the fact that Carr, whose engineered 19 fourth quarter comebacks (which includes two in the span of four days) has played some of his best football in his career, throwing for 2,202 yards with 14 touchdowns to just four interceptions with a career-high 104.4 passer rating, Oakland is a legit playoff contender.

Niners Pre-Game Notebook: Seahawks

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By: Joe Lami

The biggest game of the season is here for the 49ers as they host the (7-2) Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football. The last undefeated team in the NFL eyes its first 9-0 start since 1990 in what is quite possibly the biggest Niners game held at Levi’s Stadium.

Injuries
It’s crazy to believe that the Niners are still undefeated without both starting tackles and their pro-bowl caliber fullback, but they’ve done just that. Mike McGlinchy, Joe Staley, and Kyle Juszczyk are all expected to return come Monday. All three were held to limited practice on Friday, but Santa Clara remains optimistic.

Both George Kittle and Robbie Gould didn’t practice on Thursday and Friday. Kittle injured his knee in last Thursday’s win over the Cardinals. He won’t be ruled out until Saturday’s practice, but the faithful shouldn’t hold their breath.

Gould sustained a quad injury on Tuesday, and his status is still up in the air. Rookie, Chase McLaughlin, was brought in, in case Gould isn’t able to go. McLaughlin kicked four games for the LA Chargers earlier in the seasoning, finishing six of nine on field goals before being released.

Scouting the Seahawks
Russell Wilson is an early-season MVP favorite. He’s currently third in passing yards with 2,505 and leads the NFL with 22 touchdowns to just one interception. He’s been phenomenal and is by far the best quarterback the Niners have faced this season.

The one area he’s struggled in is getting pass protection, being sacked 22 times on the season, the ninth most in the NFL. The Niners front four need to be salivating towards getting after the quarterback because if they don’t, Wilson should be able to carve up the secondary. San Francisco has gotten to the QB the third most this season, with 30 sacks on the season.

Wilson’s main two targets this year and have been Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. Lockett’s caught for 767 yards and six touchdowns, while the rookie has hauled in 525 yards and five touchdowns.

Seattle’s the seventh-best team at rushing the football. Chris Carson has been their go-to man, averaging 4.4 yards per carry with three touchdowns.

Seattle’s defense is just as good at taking the ball away, although they’ve played one more game. Tied for fourth in takeaways with the Niners, they’re particularly good at forcing fumbles, recovering seven on the season thus far. They don’t rely on getting to the QB as much, recording only 15 sacks on the season.

Final Thoughts
The Niners and Seahawks appear to be an excellent matchup on paper. It’s a classic offense vs. defense matchup – the star QB vs. the best defense in the NFL. If the Niners can contain Russ Wilson, they should come out victorious. Seattle’s defense gives up yards and the possibility of the running game potentially getting better with the three hogs returning is promising.

As long as Garoppolo continues to move the ball, pick up first downs, and prevent the turnovers, the Niners should stay undefeated.

Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Raiders can postpone winning games until very late

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On the Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes:

#1 What is it with the Raiders and winning their games late? Is it like some kind of torture?

#2 Head coach Jon Gruden certainly knows how to pull out all the stops, and even late in the game, he runs a play with running back Josh Jacobs carrying for 18 yards with 1:08 left in the game.

#3 Thursday Night Football Raiders looked like they really stepped up their game. This was a nail biter throughout the whole contest.

#4 Josh Jacobs is having himself a season. How much has his rushing and scoring made a difference for the Raiders in winning games?

#5 Next Sunday, the Raiders will play their third consecutive home game after winning the first two against Detroit and now Los Angeles. The Raiders hope to take out Cincinnati on Sunday. Joe sets this game up.

Joe Hawkes does the Raiders podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Lami: 49ers expect McGlinchey, Staley, and Juszczyk to return

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On the 49ers podcast with Joe:

#1 49ers tackle Mike McGlinchey, who had arthroscopic knee surgery, should be returning soon. Talk about his return and how much he means to San Francisco.

#2 Left tackle Joe Staley (fibula) and Kyle Juszczyk (knee) have been working out and in practice on Tuesday. How close are they to returning?

#3 How much better would the 49ers be with three more offensive starters who missed 14 games?

#4 How fortunate are the 49ers, who lost two starting tackles and still are able to produce the way they have?

#5 Edge rusher Nick Bosa had one tackle and no quarterback pressures in Arizona last game, and against the Panthers, he had three sacks, one interception in a game that earned him the NFC Defensive Player of the Week.

Joe Lami is a beat writer for 49ers football and does the 49ers podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Jacobs gives the Raiders another late win, 26-24

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Photo credit: @iAM_JoshJacobs

By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND — Unless there is a chance that the Las Vegas Stadium is not done, this will be the last Oakland Raiders game versus a team from the AFC West.

Josh Jacobs scored on an 18-yard run with 1:02 remaining in the game, helping the Raiders to a 26-24 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers before a Thursday Night crowd of 51,954 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

The Raiders got off to a fast start, as Eric Harris intercepted a Philip Rivers pass on the Chargers initial series of the game and Derek Carr led the Raiders down the field and Daniel Carlson got the Raiders on the board with a 40-yard field goal.

Not even two minutes after the Carlson field goal, Harris picked off a Rivers pass for the second time in as many possessions and returned this one 56 yards to the end zone to give the Raiders a quick 10-0 lead.

Rivers regrouped to take the Chargers on a 16 play 77 drive to get within three, as he found Hunter Henry for a two-yard touchdown pass. That drive took eight minutes and 14 seconds to cut the Raiders lead down to 10-7.

Melvin Gordon III gave the Chargers the lead, as scored on a three-yard run; however, the Raiders were not behind for long.

Undrafted rookie Alex Ingold scored his first NFL touchdown, a nine-yard pass from Carr to give the Raiders 17-14 lead at the half.

Carlson extended the Raiders lead up to six on their first series of the third quarter, as he kicked a 22-yard field goal.

Michael Badgley kicked a 22-yard field goal to cut the Raiders lead in half at 20-17 late in the third quarter.

Rivers put the Chargers in front with 4:02 remaining in the game, as he found Austin Ekeler for a six-yard touchdown pass. This was the second drive for the Chargers that took over eight minutes off the clock, as the Chargers traveled 12 plays in 80 yards that took a whopping eight minutes and five seconds off the clock.

Unfortunately for the Chargers, that left too much on the clock for Carr and the Raiders, who drove right down the field and ended when Jacobs scampered thru the Chargers defense to give the Raiders the eventual game-winning touchdown.

Rivers and the Chargers got the ball back with just over a minute remaining in the game, and on eight plays including a penalty on fourth down, the Chargers traveled just five yards. Rivers went 0-for-7 on that final drive that ended when Karl Joseph intercepted a Rivers pass at their own 35-yard line that clinched the game.

Carr went 21-for-31 for 218 yards and a touchdown for the Raiders, who are now 5-4 on the season and one game behind the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.

Jalen Richard and Hunter Renfrowe each caught four passes for the Raiders, and Richard led the team in receiving yards with 43.

Jacobs continues to impress everyone, as he carried the ball 16 times for 71 yards and that game-winning touchdown.

NOTES: Carlson missed a 53-yard field goal and also missed an extra point after the Jacobs touchdown.

UP NEXT: After being on the road for 49 days, the Raiders will host their third straight home game, when the Cincinnati Bengals travel to the Coliseum on November 17.

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: Raiders go for two straight in Coliseum battle with Chargers on Thursday Night Football

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sfgate.com photo: Oakland Raiders running back Josh Jacobs (28) runs for a touchdown past Detroit Lions defensive back Miles Killebrew during the first half of an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019.

On Headline Sports with Tony Renteria:

#1 Fox Sports FS1 canned NFL analyst Cris Carter. Carter reportedly was fired for having a big argument with his bosses at Fox because he felt he wasn’t getting enough airtime on their primetime telecasts including on Thursday Night Football.

#2 Carter reportedly had a huge blow up and some of the issues were undisclosed but one of the issues that was disclosed was not getting enough airtime on Thursday Night Football and more analysis work on FS1.

#3 The Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr will lead the Raiders into battle tonight for Thursday Night Football as the Raiders aim to improve to 5-4.

#4 The Raiders are coming off a narrow 31-24 loss at the Oakland Coliseum it was a sweet win after the Raiders took two loses on the road to Texas and Green Bay.

Tony Renteria does Headlines Sports each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Raiders welcome division rival Chargers to the Coliseum for big primetime matchup

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Photo credit: raiderswire.usatoday.com

By Joe Hawkes
SRS Contributor

After playing for the first time at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum since Week 2, the Oakland Raiders look to build upon their Week 9 victory over the visiting Detroit Lions when they host their division-rival the Los Angeles Chargers Thursday in primetime to kickoff Week 10 in the NFL.

Kickoff is set for 5:20 p.m. PT and will be televised on FOX as part of Thursday Night Football. This will be the first meeting between the two franchises this season, which will be the 119th edition in the all-time series.

The Raiders (4-4), climbed to the .500 mark after defeating the Lions, 31-24 behind quarterback Derek Carr, who engineered his 18th career game-winning drive in the contest. Carr, who had his third-consecutive game this season in which he’s thrown two touchdowns and have a passer rating of 115.0, found rookie wide receiver Hunter Renfrow in the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown with 2:04 left in the game.

Running back Josh Jacobs rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns on the day. Jacobs, who became the first player in team history to be named NFL Offensive Player of the Month for October, is by far the leading candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year by leading all rookies in rushing yards (740), touchdowns (6), runs of 20+ (5), and 40+yards (2).

In the game, Jacobs would surpass Marcus Allen for most rushing yards in a single season by a rookie in team history, topping Allen’s 697 set in 1982.

With Jacobs’ two scores and touchdowns each by Renfrow and rookie tight end Foster Moreau, it was the first time in team history that rookies have scored four touchdowns in one game offensively.

Defensively, cornerback Daryl Worley’s second quarter interception in the end zone changed the momentum of the game, leading to a touchdown by Oakland’s offense right before halftime.

But Karl Joseph made the biggest play of the game, breaking up a pass on fourth down that would’ve tied the game and forced overtime. Joseph would finish with six tackles.

The Chargers (4-5) are coming into Thursday night off the heels of a 26-11 win over the visiting Green Bay Packers at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif.

Quarterback Philip Rivers completed 21-of-28 passes for 294 yards, with the scoring provided by two touchdowns from running back Melvin Gordon (20 carries for 80 yards), and four field goals from kicker Michael Badgley.

Rivers has thrown 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions, but has thrown for an NFL-high 2,609 yards this season.

Third-year wide receiver Mike Williams logged his first career 100-yard game, catching three balls for 111 yards against the Packers.

Defensive ends Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa was all over Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, sacking the future Hall of Fame signal-caller three times (each player recorded 1.5 sacks).

Bosa, who is being mentioned as a possible Defensive Player of the Year candidate this season, is third in the NFL in sacks with 8.5.

Following Thursday’s game, Oakland ill return to action in Week 11 against the Cincinnati Bengals to finish up their three-game stretch at home, while the Chargers return to Los Angeles to face the Kansas City Chiefs before their Bye Week.

Sportstalk podcast from Inca Aztec Restaurant in downtown San Jose: Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019

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photo from yelp.com: Inca Aztec Restaurant downtown San Jose home of the Sportstalk podcast on Wed. Nov. 6, 2019.

Cast: Jerry Feitelberg (host and Golden State Warriors beat writer), Mary Lisa Walsh (San Jose Sharks reporter), Marko Ukalovic (San Jose Barracuda reporter), and Amaury Pi-Gonzalez (That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary) and producer Lee Leonard.

Podcasting from Inca Aztec Restaurant at 95 South Market Street downtown San Jose, call 408-715-7042 for information or reservations. The magic culinary can best be described as a mix of Peruvian and Mexican influences. Inca Azteca Restaurant Bar is the union of two cultures. The South American Andean region of Peru and the most important territory of Mexico. During years of tradition, spectacular recipes are created and now Inca Aztec has the magic gastronomic experience. Our thanks to our hosts owners Rey and Alma and general manager Rolando.

Tonight on Sportstalk: Will the Sharks shake off the taste of losing as they have completed three games of their current six game homestand? The Sharks have lost in tough games, including in Boston 5-1, and most recently on Sunday 5-2 to the Vancouver Canucks. Also, join our conversation on the NHL and some the top teams in the league: Bruins, Sabres, Capitals, Islanders, Blues, Avalanche, Oilers, and Canucks.

Headline Sports podcast Pt. 1 with Barbara Mason: Warriors just a bad club or a rebuilding year?; Kings put together two wins in a row; plus more

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On the Headline Sports podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 Are the Warriors 2-5 just down on their luck or are they just outright a bad ball club since their offseason mass exodus?

#2 How much would would you allude to the Sacramento Kings’ struggle and their recent two straight wins? Were the wins looked at as encouraging for the Kings?

#3 The Cal Bears opened up their men’s basketball season against Pepperdine tonight at Haas Pavillion. The Bears are looking to have a much better season than they did last year.

#4 The San Francisco 49ers might be facing their toughest challenge this season yet when they host the Seattle Seahawks for Monday Night Football on Nov. 11th at Levis Stadium.

#5 The Oakland Raiders just got by the Detroit Lions with a 31-24 win on a Hunter Renfrow fourth quarter touchdown that help put the Lions away at the Oakland Coliseum.

Headline Sports with Barbara Mason is heard each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Can 49ers keep it going against Seattle on Monday Night Football?

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On the 49ers podcast with David:

#1 Monday Night Football at Levi’s Stadium next week is expected to bring lots of excitement as the 49ers face what could be their biggest challenge of the 2019 season against the Seattle Seahawks.

#2 How banged up can a team get as the 49ers played against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Oct. 27th and turned around and played just four short days later against the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 31st?

Listen to David’s 49ers podcasts every Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com