Category: NFL

NFL Thursday Night Week 5: Here’s Your Written Fantasy Football Prescription

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

DiehardFIN

by Dr. Vasu Vaddiparty

Week 5 of the NFL has a matchup of two teams who have played just ok to start the year. The Patriots, everyone’s gold standard has been nothing short of pedestrian the first 3 weeks but then, after the ugly upset in Detroit two Sunday nights ago, came back and showed the 1st place and previously undefeated Dolphins that they are not exactly conceding the AFC East yet with a 38-7 win in which all three phases played extremely well. Specifically, the defense who had been shell-shocked stepped up and held Miami to very little offensive production.

The Colts have started out 1-3 but have been very competitive in all four games including a big upset win at Washington who some believe could win the NFC East. The Colts had the lead vs. the Bengals in week 1 but the defense let them down. The Redskins win was very big. The Eagles loss was late in the 4th and because of Luck’s arm strength, not all the way back had to use their backup Brissett for late heave on the final play of the game. Last week, after coming back down 14 to send it to OT, they decided to forgo a punt and a potential tie to end up losing in OT to Houston.

The question here is can the Colts be competitive at New England a place that has been a house of horrors including the bludgeoning by the Pats in the AFC Championship game some years ago, that eventually lead to the whole “Deflate-Gate” situation. Ever since then the Patriots have made it a personal mission to go after the Colts every time.

The Thursday preview of Fantasy Football ramifications will be broken down below between the Patriots and Colts to get you a good jump on your week.

Colts

QB

Andrew Luck is certainly back and has shown the competitive fire when he was completely healthy in his first few years. Post-surgery has been a question mark of exactly how healthy he is. He’s had 4 pretty good games but the arm strength is not there. That was never more evident than the end of the game in week 3 vs. Philadelphia when they took him out on the final play of the game. Luck is a good choice because he doesn’t make mistakes and won’t cost owners negative points. The Patriots defense hasn’t been good all year until this last weekend. This is a spot where Luck could succeed but if there are other options I would use them. This could be a tough spot for Luck considering the history between the two teams and the way the Patriots played last weekend.

RB

This section of the Colt’s preview is going to consist of one sentence. Unless you have bye-weeks and injury, there are no options for the Colts from the RB standpoint. Wilkins and Hymes are the two main backs for Indy but these are clearly RB3 and RB4 options. Not to totally dump on them Hymes did have nine catches for 63 yards last week in the OT Loss vs. Houston. All in all, if you have to rely on the Colts RB for fantasy points then you can expect a loss without having to worry about other positions.

WR / TE

Receivers are a different story for the Colts because of Luck and his ability to find open receivers. They have had success in the air for the four weeks so far this season. TY Hilton has been Luck’s “go to” receiver, but he will not be available on Thursday night due to injury. He would be a 1.5 or WR2 on any fantasy team because Luck will look for him. Ryan Grant the former Redskins player is another option for Luck. Luck’s lack of arm strength enables the offense to get quick short passes out and this could be an option for a TE with the skill of Eric Ebron as a solid TE2. He has been a very good option through the first four weeks and should be a decent option.

Patriots

QB

Tom Brady, Tom Brady, Tom Brady. He is everyone’s QB1. While his numbers have not been great this year, he has the ability to pick up numbers. The running game has featured a few injuries and potential roadblocks to a decent running game. This could be a great spot for Brady to attack the Colt’s defense. Coming off a big victory last week vs. Miami and at 2-2 challenging for the division again should be enough motivation for Tom Terrific to have one of his great, or at least really, really, really good game. Not to mention whenever he is on National TV he always seems to rise to the top. Start him!!

RB

Rex Burkhead has been up and down and suffered an injury that caused him to miss last week vs. Miami and that has now landed him on the IR list. James White has been in the system for a few years. He has been effective but nothing more than a solid RB3 because there are other options that can be used. However, the star of the blowout last week was rookie RB Sony Michel. The rookie from Georgia is a quick, small load. 112 yards last week on 25 carries. Granted a lot of that was after the Pats established a big lead but he is an effective back and if the Patriots get out to a big lead again look for him to get a good workload going. He is a solid RB2 for your team.

WR / TE

Rob Gronkowski came out early last week against Miami with a non-serious injury. Bumps and bruises are starting to get in the way of fantasy football owners as well as bye weeks. Check your injury reports to find out what his status is. You may not know until near game time what Gronk’s status is but the faster we find out the faster the click to No. 1 TE button and start him. He’s the best TE or definitely top 3 so he’s a clear TE1 pending injury status. Phillip Dorsett has become a deep threat for Brady since the loss of Cooks from last year. The big question is how much will Josh Gordon be implemented into the offense. With the potential of Gronk being out feeling is that Gordon knowing the playbook better and the Colts secondary not playing very well could be another factor to make Gordon a starter on your team this week. WR1.5 or WR2 is the most likely spot for Gordon because of the ability for Tom Brady to utilize his entire offensive weapons.

Special Teams/ Defense

Both special teams and defenses have been shaky at best. Though the Colts has played pretty well before week 4’s OT loss vs. Houston. 34 vs. Cincinnati, 9 in a win vs. Washington, 20 vs. Philadelphia and 37 vs. Houston. Lots of yards and lots of points on defense has gotten them off to a 1-3 start. Not a good play on the Colts defense. The Patriots gave up 20 to a struggling Houston offense in a win, 31 given up to a so-so offense in Jacksonville in a loss, 24 to a Lions team whose offense is pretty good but a bad night overall. Last week looked the part for NE has they had all phases working but defensively was outstanding giving up 7 points and thoroughly stifling the Dolphins offense. This is a good play for the Patriots to start as a defense for the following reasons; it’s Thursday night football, a home game and finally the last game of domination against Miami.

Overall Matchup

Patriots are -10 with an over/under of 51. This might be a low number based on last Sunday’s game if, in fact, the Patriots are back from their dominant win over Miami. The Colts could find themselves in a tough spot coming off an OT Loss on Sunday and then trying to get ready for a potential Super Bowl contender only 3 days rest. This could be a bad spot for Indy and NE licking their chops. This is where Belichick and the coaches are the best prepared when it comes to preparing for two opponents at the same time.

Patriots 27

Colts 10

 

Don’t forget to listen to our Fantasy Football Doctors podcast with Dr. Charlie O. Mallonee and myself Dr. Vasu Vaddiparty on SportsServiceRadio.com for the rest of the NFL as it relates to Fantasy Football.

Any correspondence you may have can be sent to my twitter account @VPartySports or directly to Sports Service Radio.

49ers look to get back on track vs. winless Cardinals

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Photo credit: @49ers

By Jeremy Harness

The 49ers have been banged up all season thus far, but they have stayed competitive throughout, when it has seemed that all has been lost.

That should help, as they prepare to face the Arizona Cardinals, who have yet to win a game in this young season, Sunday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium, in a game featuring a pair of struggling teams that had lofty expectations heading into the season.

C.J. Beathard kept the 49ers in the game but ultimately could not bring his team to victory on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers, as a pair of interceptions–including one that put the brakes on the 49ers’ last drive of the game–proved to be his undoing.

He will look to improve on his performance at home Sunday afternoon, but he will have a rather-depleted lineup to work with. For starters, left tackle Joe Staley injured his knee against the Chargers, and he did not practice Wednesday because of it.

Meanwhile, running back Matt Breida was limited in practice on Wednesday with a shoulder injury he’s been dealing with, while guard Mike Person was limited with a knee injury of his own.

To add to all of that, receiver Dante Pettis also injured his knee early on in Sunday’s game and did not practice on Wednesday, while fellow receiver Marquise Goodwin is nursing hamstring and quadricep issues and was held out of Wednesday’s practice.

Like the 49ers, the Cardinals have a new starting quarterback in rookie Josh Rosen, who impressed the Arizona brass in his NFL debut in nearly pulling out the win against Seattle last Sunday.

For Arizona, star receiver Larry Fitzgerald is dealing with hamstring and back issues and did not practice on Wednesday, although he is expected to play Sunday. Also expected to play on Sunday are tight end Jermaine Gresham and tackle Andre Smith, and both were limited in practice

Raiders head to Southern California for AFC West matchup with Chargers

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Photo credit: @Raiders

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — The Raiders hit the road again, their third road game in the last four weeks, when they travel to StubHub Center to take on the Los Angeles Chargers in a classic AFC West battle. Kickoff for this Week 5 matchup is set for this Sunday, Oct. 7 at 1:05 p.m. PT.

Los Angeles owns a two-game winning streak over Oakland however, the Raiders own a 62-52-1 record over the Bolts. In their previous meeting last season, the Chargers took down the Silver and Black 30-10 in Los Angeles.

The Raiders (1-3) finally got into the win column last week, defeating the visiting Cleveland Browns in thrilling fashion 45-42 in overtime. With Oakland trailing 42-34 with 1:28 left in the game and with no timeouts, Raiders’ quarterback Derek Carr engineered a 6-play, 53-yard drive in 58 seconds that culminated in a 7-yard touchdown throw to tight end Jared Cook. It was Cook’s second score of the game. Carr would hit wide receiver Jordy Nelson for the 2-point conversion that would tie the game up at 42-42 heading into overtime.

On the final possession of overtime, Carr orchestrated an 11-play, 70-yard drive where he completed passes to four different receivers to setup undrafted rookie kicker Matt McCrane’s game-winning 29-yard field goal. It was Carr’s 14th game-winning drive in the fourth quarter and overtime, second-most in the NFL since Carr’s rookie season in 2014.

Carr finished the game completing 35-of-58 passes for 437 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions as the Raiders recorded 565 yards of total offense against the Browns (1-2-1), the most by any team this season.

Through four games, Carr has thrown six touchdowns and is third in the NFL in completion percentage (71.0) and fourth in passing yards (1,373), but has thrown seven interceptions, the most by any starting quarterback this season.

Against Cleveland, Oakland registered a 400-yard passer in Carr, a 100-yard rusher in running back Marshawn Lynch (who finished with 20 carries for 130 yards), and two-100 yard receivers in wide receiver Amari Cooper (8 catches for 128 yards and one touchdown) and the aforementioned Cook (8 catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns). It was the first time since 1964 that the Raiders achieved that milestone.

According to ESPN Stats and Info, the Raiders are the first team since the 2013 Denver Broncos to achieve the same milestone in a game.

Along with Minnesota and Tampa Bay, the Raiders have recorded a 100-yard receiver in four straight weeks this season, the only teams to do so in the NFL, according to NFL metrics.

Oakland is averaging 24.2 points per game, which ranks 13th in the NFL, but the Raiders rank second in total yards (441.8) and fourth in passing yards (333) per game.

Defensively, the Raiders forced four turnovers off Browns’ rookie quarterback, Baker Mayfield who made his first career start against the Silver and Black. Mayfield fumbled twice (losing both and recovered by defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins) and intercepted twice, one being returned 36 yards for the game’s first touchdown by second-year cornerback Gareon Conley in the first quarter.

Veteran linebacker Bruce Irvin and rookie defensive tackle Maurice Hurst each recorded a sack for Oakland, who will need to apply pressure to Chargers’ quarterback Philip Rivers. The Raiders rank 27th in total defense, but 31st in points surrendered per game (30.8).

Now in his 15th season, Rivers is off to a hot start for the Chargers and doesn’t appear to be slowing down.

Through four games, Rivers has passed for 1,156 yards with 11 touchdowns to just two interceptions while sporting a blistering 110.8 passer rating this season.

Rivers and the Chargers (2-2) picked up their second win of the season, defeating the San Francisco 49ers by a slim score of 29-27 last Sunday at StubHub Center. Rivers completed 25-of-39 passes for 250 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.

In his career against the Raiders, Rivers owns a 16-8 record. Rivers has thrown for 6,055 yards, 41 touchdowns and 18 interceptions in 24 games against the Silver and Black. The 41 touchdowns against Oakland are tied with the Denver Broncos for the most touchdown passes against one team for Rivers.

Running back Melvin Gordon had a productive day against San Francisco, rushing for 104 yards on 14 carries. Gordon also hauled in seven catches (tied for the game-high with wide receiver Keenan Allen) for 55 yards and one touchdown.

Gordon can do it all for the Chargers both as a runner and pass-catcher out of the backfield. In fact, Gordon is tied with Allen for the team lead in catches (24) and tied with wide receiver Mike Williams for the team lead in touchdown catches with three through four games.

The fourth-year running back from Wisconsin is the team’s leading rusher with 54 carries for 276 yards and two touchdowns.

Allen leads the team with 282 receiving yards this season.

In the past, the Chargers’ defense were headlined by defensive ends Melvin Ingram and Joey, but rookie safety Derwin James has become a force for Los Angeles this season.

The 6’2″, 215-pound James leads the team with 20 tackles, one interception and has recorded three of the Chargers’ eight sacks this season. The Chargers have been thrilled with the Florida State product the they selected him 17th overall in April’s draft.

Following Sunday’s game, the Raiders will travel to London, England for a “home” game against the Seattle Seahawks at Wembley Stadium in Week 6, the third straight season the Raiders will play in the United Kingdom.

The Chargers head to Cleveland to take on the Browns on Sunday, October 14 at 10:00 a.m. PT.

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Beathard was surprising against Chargers, can he get the win vs. Arizona?

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Photo credit: sfchronicle.com

On the 49ers podcast with David:

#1 The 49ers are the walking wounded after last Sunday’s 29-27 loss against the Los Angeles Chargers in Carson. The 49ers right tackle Mike McGlinchey (left knee), right guard Mike Person (sprained foot), center Weston Richburg (knee), Joe Staley scheduled for an MRI it was first thought Staley had a torn ACL, but was examined on Monday.

The 49ers released this list of injured players to the media on Monday:

#2 The 49ers tight end George Kittle had 125 yards, six catches and an 82-yard reception. It was noted that it was the longest reception in 49ers history, left linebacker Fred Warner had 10 tackles a career-high in a game for Warner.

#3 How big is this game at Levi’s for quarterback C.J. Beathard after throwing for 298 yards going 23-37, two touchdowns and two interceptions can he do it again?

David Zizmor does the 49ers podcasts each Tuesday for SportsRadioService.com

Niners Lose Close One 29-27 with Beathard

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Photo credit: sfchronicle.com

By: Joe Lami

CJ Beathard’s return to the starting role brought a similar outcome to the San Francisco 49ers, as they lost 29-27 to the Los Angeles Chargers.

49er faithful packed the stands of the StubHub Center in Southern California on Sunday only to see more injuries, missed tackles, and drops that continue to be the demise of the red and gold that included dropping an early 14-0 lead.

San Francisco lost both Joe Staley and Dante Pettis for the entirety of the game to knee injuries in the first half. Reports following the game appear to be good news for San Francisco, as they don’t seem to be as severe as initially feared. Both Staley and Pettis are scheduled for MRIs on Monday back in Santa Clara to confirm.

The back-breaking moment came on the second drive in the third quarter for San Francisco. Four straight pass completions and a penalty later, Beathard did a great job of airing the ball out; only to be let down by his receivers. Beathard looked into the direction of Garrett Celek inside the ten-yard line, but the tight end couldn’t handle the pass and popped it up for an easy pick. Trevor Williams nearly brought it back to the house but was tripped up at the 12.

The 49ers defense stood tall deep in their red zone and held LA to three points, but the ten-point swing gave the Chargers all the momentum with their 20th unanswered point to give them a 26-17 lead.

Beathard was mediocre in his 2018 debut, passing 23-of-37 for 298 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. His play by any means wasn’t the deciding factor in the loss. However, his play isn’t strong enough either to make up for the many glaring holes across most positions.

Tight end, George Kittle continues to be a bright spot despite who’s at quarterback. He connected with Beathard on the longest play of the day on an 82-yard touchdown. He finished with six catches for 125 yards and the score.

The defense helped him out early on too. On the first drive of the game, on an immediate third down, Antone Exum jumped a route and brought the ball back for his first career pick-six.

It was the only play the Niners really made against Philip Rivers, who finished 25-of-39 for 250 yards, three touchdowns, and the pick.

Just a day after being downgraded to questionable, Exum had his strongest performance as a Niner, finishing with the TD, while adding three pass deflections, and three tackles.

Minus Exum, the linebacking core continues to carry much of the weight for the 49ers. Fred Warner and Ruben Foster combined for ten and seven tackles respectively.

Coming into the week, tackles were a major concern for San Francisco, as they lead the league in missed tackles. It continued to be the storyline on Sunday too, as too many missed tackles led to big plays for LA.

Melvin Gordon gave the Niners fits, finishing with 104 yards on 15 rushes in the loss.

San Francisco needs to regroup and look forward to next Sunday, where the 49ers have a must-win game against the 1-3 Cardinals.

Niners fall late to Chargers 29-27, but Beathard does better than expected

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Photo credit: espn.com

By Jeremy Harness

The 49ers were certainly up against it facing a very good Los Angeles Chargers defense with a backup quarterback that has not shown much in his young NFL career, but C.J Beathard rose to the occasion. Well, sort of.

After going 1-4 last season as a starting quarterback before Jimmy Garoppolo took over, Beathard gave a very good account of himself on Sunday, keeping the 49ers in the game until the very end. However, the end result was another loss that dropped them to 1-3, this time going down 29-27 at the StubHub Center.

Beathard completed 23 of his 37 throws for 298 yards and a pair of touchdowns. However, he was also tagged with a pair of interceptions, the last one coming on the 49ers’ final possession of the game and thwarted a chance for at least a game-winning field goal, the interception coming as his arm was hit as he threw.

His main target on Sunday was tight end George Kittle, who hauled in six passes for 125 yards and a touchdown, with a few more of those catches putting the 49ers deep in Chargers territory and set up scores later. Pierre Garcon also got into the act, catching four balls for 52 yards.

However, they didn’t get much from their running game. Matt Breida was the leading rusher with 39 yards on nine carries, while Beathard was the second-leading runner with 19 yards on seven dashes.

The 49ers got out to a 14-0 lead when safety Antone Exum, who was questionable for Sunday’s game with a thigh bruise, picked off Philip Rivers and returned it 32 yards for a touchdown, and Kendrick Bourne caught a short touchdown pass in the back of the end zone.

However, the lead would not last long, as Rivers picked away at the lead before the two teams went into their respective locker rooms with a 17-17 tie at halftime.

The Chargers grabbed the lead when Rivers passed to Melvin Gordon for a 6-yard touchdown and would have had more if Beathard was not able to track down cornerback Trevor Williams after a long interception return. The Chargers still got the ball deep in 49ers territory, but the defebse was able to hold them to a field goal.

Later in the quarter, the 49ers struck quickly as Beathard found Kittle over the middle, and he made a couple of nifty moves and beat the Chargers secondary to the end zone for an 82-yard score to get the 49ers right back into the game.

Robbie Gould kicked a 33-yard field goal early in the fourth to give the 49ers the lead, but five minutes later, Caleb Sturgis came back with a 21-yard field goal to re-gain the advantage for the Chargers.

Meanwhile, the never-ending injury saga continues to haunt the 49ers. A week after losing Garoppolo for the season with an ACL tear in his left knee, the 49ers had two more key players leave Sunday’s game.

Rookie receiver-kick returner Dante Pettis suffered a knee injury on his first punt return of the game in the first quarter and did not return. One quarter later, left tackle Joe Staley also left the game with a knee injury of his own and did not return, either.

Raiders three-point stance: Three takeaways from Raiders’ OT win over Browns

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Photo credit: @theorganicfrost

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND, Calif — The Raiders can finally breathe a little bit after picking up win No. 1, defeating the visiting Cleveland Browns 45-42 in overtime in front of an announced crowd of 53,387 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Sunday.

It was a roller-coaster fourth quarter for the Silver and Black, who held a six-point lead with 10 minutes to go, but managed to let it slip away.

Cleveland scored two unanswered touchdowns, but the Raiders (1-3) managed to tie the game with 30 seconds remaining and force overtime where they won the game behind rookie kicker Matt McCrane’s 29-yard field goal.

McCrane missed a 50-yard field goal attempt on the Raiders’ first possession of overtime, but Oakland’s defense forced the Browns to punt and quarterback Derek Carr drove the Raiders into position to kick the eventual game-winning field goal.

Here are my three takeaways from the Raiders’ win over the Browns:

Derek Carr needs to tame the turnovers
Sure, Carr completed 35-of-58 passes for 437 yards and four touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions. In the four games he’s played this season, Carr has thrown two or more interceptions in three of them.

No other quarterback in the league has more interceptions than Carr, who leads the NFL with seven interceptions. According to ESPN Stats and Info, Carr has thrown four of those interceptions on first down.

I get it, Carr is going to take chances to make the big-play, but not every throw needs to be risky. The pair of interceptions that Carr threw today put the Raiders in tough spots.

With Oakland trailing 17-14 and looking for points late in the first-half, Carr tried to hit tight end Jared Cook that would’ve set Oakland up in field goal range, but the ball bounced of Cook’s hands and landed in Browns cornerback E.J. Gaines’s hands that thwarted any scoring chances for the Silver and Black.

Carr’s second interception came on Oakland’s first possession in the third quarter. Oakland was driving before Carr lofted a pass down the left sideline into double-coverage that was intended for wide receiver Martavis Bryant that would be picked off by cornerback Damarious Randall. Randall would return the interception 50 yards to set up Cleveland for an easy score.

Three plays later, Browns rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield found wide receiver Jarvis Landry for a two-yard score that gave Cleveland a 14-point lead.

Marshawn Lynch should be averaging 20 carries a game
With the NFL turning into a passing league with teams opting for multiple wide receiver formations, it was good to see a running back get 20 carries in a football game.

In the midst of Carr throwing the football 58 times, running back Marshawn Lynch rushed for 130 yards on 20 carries, his most productive game in four years. Lynch’s 52-yard blast down the Browns’ sideline late in the third quarter was vintage ‘Beast Mode’ as he alluded a bevy of Cleveland defenders before being brought down.

The run would setup a 29-yard field goal by Matt McCrane that cut Cleveland’s lead 28-24.

With each game, Lynch’s carries and workload has increased:

  • 11 carries for 41 yards and one touchdown in 33-13 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at home in Week 1.
  • 18 carries for 65 yards and one touchdown in 20-19 loss to the Broncos in Denver in Week 2.
  • 19 carries for 64 yards and one touchdown in 28-20 loss to the Dolphins in Miami in Week 3.
  • 20 carries for 130 yards in 45-42 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 4.

The Raiders need to give the ball to Lynch more as life for Carr will become that much easier. Simply put, feed the beast.

Oakland’s defense deserves a gold star for its efforts
The Raiders have been racked over the hot coals for the trading of premiere pass rusher in defensive end Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears a week before the start of the regular season, and rightfully so, but the effort and energy the unit played with today has to be recognized.

In the first three games, Oakland’s defense forced just one turnover before recording three on Sunday which kept the Raiders close throughout the game.

Second-year cornerback Gareon Conley delivered the game’s first score, by intercepting a Baker Mayfield pass that bounced off the hands of wide receiver Antonio Callaway and into Conley’s who returned the pass 36 yards for the touchdown.

Oakland forced a pair of second-half fumbles that set up the Raiders for scoring opportunities that kept the game tight. The Raiders did yield 487 yards of total offense to the Browns, including two long touchdowns, but did manage to force four turnovers (two force fumbles and two interceptions) off Mayfield.

Mayfield finished 21-of-41 for 295 yards and two touchdowns in his first-career start.

Linebacker Bruce Irvin and rookie defensive tackle Maurice Hurst each recorded a sack for Oakland.

Up next for Oakland: A trip to Los Angeles to take on AFC West rival the Chargers in Week 5, before flying over to London for a Week 6 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks.

McCrane’s field goal wins it for the Raiders in overtime 45-42

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By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND — Despite the fact that the Oakland Raiders and the Cleveland Browns entered the game with a combined record of 1-4-1, this was a heavyweight bout that went the distance.

Rookie Matt McCrane kicked a 29-yard field goal with 1:46 remaining in overtime, as the Raiders came back from a 14-point third quarter deficit to defeat the Browns 45-42 before a crowd of 53,387 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

McCrane, who missed a 50-yard field goal on the Raiders initial series in the overtime, but Derek Carr and the Raiders drove down the field after stopping the Browns on their only possession of overtime and the Raiders picked up their first win of the season.

It was a huge day for Carr, who went 35-for-58 for 437 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions.

The win by the Raiders spoiled the starting debut of the Browns number one pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Baker Mayfield, who went 21-for-41 for 295 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Mayfield’s first interception gave the Raiders their first points of the afternoon, as Gareon Conley returned the Mayfield pass 36 yards for a touchdown to give the Raiders an early 7-0 lead with 10:01 remaining in the first quarter

On their ensuing possession, the Browns took over eight minutes off the clock and settled for a Greg Joseph 25-yard field goal to get the Browns within four.

After the Joseph field goal, the Raiders began to drive down the field; however, the drive stalled at the 29-yard line and the Raiders were forced to settle for a 48-yard field goal off the infield dirt and the McCrane field goal went wide left.

On the first play after the missed field goal, rookie Nick Chubb took the handoff and ran 63 yards for the Browns.

Unfortunately, the Raiders could not do anything on their next series and were forced to punt the ball back to the Browns.

Just four plays into the drive, Mayfield found Darren Fells for his first NFL touchdown and after the subsequent two-point conversion, the Browns led 17-7.

Carr drove the Raiders right back down the field and the drive ended, when Carr found Amari Cooper for an eight-yard touchdown pass to get the Raiders within three of the visitors from Cleveland.

Joseph gave the Browns a 20-14 lead on their first possession of the third quarter, as he hit a 28-yard field.

Carr then was picked by Damarious Randall on the third play of the next drive and returned the interception 50 yards to the Raiders’ 31-yard line, and the Browns immediately took advantage of the turnover.

Rashaan Melvin was called for a 24-yard pass interference penalty that gave the Browns a first-and-goal at the Raiders seven-yard line. Two plays later, Mayfield found Jarvis Landry for a two-yard touchdown pass and after it looked like, the Raiders stopped Duke Johnson on the two-point conversion, it was reviewed and the call was overturned to give the Browns a 28-14 lead.

After another punt by the Raiders, the Browns could have put the game away; however, that plan went awry.

Rookie Mo Hurst hit Mayfield, who fumbled the ball and Johnathan Hankins recovered the ball on the Browns seven-yard line.

Two plays later, Carr cut the Browns lead in half, as he found Jared Cook for a seven-yard touchdown pass.

Over the next three possessions, the two teams kept punting the ball back to each other that is until McCrane hit a 29-yard field goal at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

Mayfield was then sacked again, and fumbled the ball and once again, and Hankins was all over it.

Carr then gave the Raiders the lead, when he found Jordy Nelson for a 19-yard touchdown pass to give the Raiders a three-point lead.

After another three and out by the Browns, McCrane kicked a career-long 44 field goal to increase the Raiders lead up to six.

The Raiders almost got the ball back on the kickoff, as McCrane recovered the fumble by Antonio Callaway; however, the call was reversed and the Browns took over.

It was Mayfield, who looked like the veteran and not the rookie, as he found Callaway for a 59-yard completion down to the Raiders’ one-yard line.

Carlos Hyde then scored on a one-yard run to give the Browns a one-point lead with 8:11 remaining in the game.

Once again, the Raiders were forced to punt the ball after a three-and-out, they shot themselves in the foot with penalties.

Dwayne Harris committed fair catch interference on Jabrill Peppers, to give the Browns the ball at their own 37-yard line.

Hyde then went 16 yards, and then six before Chubb took the handoff for Mayfield and scored from 41 yards out to extend the Browns lead to eight points.

“That was exciting. I’m happy for him, definitely. He fed off of me, I feed off of him. We gotta keep it going. I love when he breaks those runs,” said Hyde.

After the Browns successfully stopped the Raiders on fourth-and-one at the Browns nine-yard line, the Browns took over and were primed to run out the clock.

Unfortunately, the Browns were unable to run out the clock, as what looked like a first down on a Hyde run was overturned by the officials.

“I definitely thought that we had the first down. But they changed he call, We got to get it right there. If we’re going to win the game, we gotta get that one,” said Hyde.

The Raiders drove right down the field with no timeouts, and Carr found Cook for a seven-yard touchdown and the two-point was good to tie up the game with 30 seconds remaining in the game.

Mayfield and the Browns got the ball back, but Mayfield threw his second interception and then Carr kneeled on the ball to send the game into overtime.

The Raiders got the ball in overtime, but McCrane missed the 50-yard field goal and the Browns were unable to capitalize, as they went three and out to give the ball back to the Raiders.

Carr drove the Raiders down the field, and McCrane ended the game with the 29-yard field goal and Jon Gruden was a winner on the Raiders sideline for the first time since the 2001 AFC Playoffs.

NOTES: Donald Penn was forced to leave the game with a leg injury in the second half, while the Browns lost Safety Terrance Mitchell to a broken wrist in the first half.

UP NEXT: The Raiders head to Los Angeles, where the Raiders will face the Los Angeles Chargers at the Stubhub Center next Sunday at 1:05 pm PT.

NFL Week 4: Fantasy Football Doctors podcast has right prescription for you to win on Sunday

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

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hosts Dr. Vasu Vaddiparty & Dr. Charlie O

  • Is this the week Tom Brady and the Pats get it together on the field?

  • How will Aaron Rodgers fare versus the very tough and energized Buffalo Bills defense?

  • Who is going to start for Tampa Bay – Jameis Winston or Ryan Fitzpatrick?

  • Why has there been so much fantasy buzz this week about Eli Manning?

  • Will Matt Breida have a larger role in the 49ers offense with Beathard at QB?

  • Is the game where Marshawn Lynch has a real impact for the Raiders?

  • Should you take a chance and start Giovani Bernard?

  • Will this be the game that the Pats begin using Josh Gordon?

  • Doug Baldwin says he is ready to play – should you add him to your lineup?

Vasu and Charlie O have the answers to these questions and many more in this week’s podcast.

Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Raiders and Carr battle to get first season win–this time, at home against the Browns

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @NBCSRaiders

On the Raiders podcast with Joe:

The Oakland Raiders are winless 0-3. They’re coming on to face the Cleveland Browns at the Coliseum. Can the Raiders win one at home this Sunday? For Browns head coach, Hue Jackson, it’s a return of glory of sorts to face his former team, the Raiders, and to coach against them in Oakland. The Raiders’ Jordy Nelson went for 173 yards and six catches great game last Sunday against a rugged Miami club.

For the Raiders, there’s a different receiving star each week Jared Cook with 180 yards vs. the Rams in Week 1, wide receiver Amari Cooper with 116 yards vs. Denver in Week 2. For the Raiders quarterback. Derek Carr with 345 yards, 27-39 with one touchdown. Can Carr lead this team to their first victory this Sunday?

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