Category: NFL

Oakland Raiders-San Diego Chargers post game wrap: Silver and Black going to the playoffs

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Oakland Raiders running back Latavius Murray (28) is held out of the end zone during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Diego Chargers Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

By Jeremy Kahn

Well, the 14-year wait for the Oakland Raiders to return to the playoffs is finally over, and the lone player left from that era scored the game-winning points.

Sebastian Janikowski, who was drafted with the 17th pick in the 2000 draft and is the last player left from the team that lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII kicked a 44-yard field goal with 2:40 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Raiders defeated the San Diego Chargers 19-16 at Qualcomm Stadium.

In what was a road game looked like the Oakland Coliseum, as the Raider Nation made the trek down to San Diego for what could be the last Raiders game in San Diego, as the Chargers may move to Los Angeles next season.

The eventual game-winning drive started on their own 34-yard line, and were helped out by two big plays.

Latavius Murray ran thru a big hole and gained 27 yards for a huge first down. Then Derek Carr threw a 22-yard pass that setup Janikowski’s game-winning field goal.

Just prior to the Janikowski field goal, Carr helped out his own cause, as he was able to pickup a key first down at the Chargers 21-yard line.

Carr was originally ruled out at the 22-yard line, a yard short of the first down line marker; however Jack Del Rio challenged the spot and the call was reserved.

Carr then threw an incompletion, and he was then sacked to setup Janikowski for the game-winning field goal.

Reggie Nelson clinched the victory, as he intercepted a Philip Rivers pass with 1:37 remaining to clinch the victory.

Janikowski made four field goals overall, as he also hit 21, 45 and 33 yards.

Rivers gave the Chargers a 16-13 lead, as he found tight end Hunter Henry from seven yards out, but Josh Lambo missed the extra point.

Janikowski tied up the game with 8:38 remaining, as he kicked 21-yard field goal.

Carr ended up going 19-for-30 for 213 yards with a touchdown and a interception, and added five carries for five yards.

Michael Crabtree scored the only Raiders touchdown, as he was on the receiving end of a 19-yard touchdown pass from Carr.

Crabtree was originally out of bounds, but after a review, the call was reversed, as he got both feet in.

Falcons Will Have No Problem With 49ers

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Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) sets up to pass during an NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams on December 11, 2016. The Falcons defeated the Rams 42-14. (Kevin Terrell via AP)

By: Joe Lami

Every week, the San Francisco 49ers seem to find another way to hit what we think is rock-bottom. Last week better have been it for the Niners, after an embarrassing overtime loss to the New York Jets, in which they lead by 14 at the half and by 11 going into the fourth quarter. But 47 total net yards in the second half will cause that embarrassment, even if you’re playing the Jets.

This week, they travel back east for a surprisingly start against the (8-5) Atlanta Falcons. Led by Matt Ryan, who bounced back with an outstanding season that has him already surpassed 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns, the Falcons are trying to stay atop the NFC South standings.

They will be without Julio Jones for the second straight week, but it won’t matter against the second worst team in the NFL. Expect Ryan to throw the ball early, and when the 49ers can finally stop the pass, running back, Devonte Freeman will pick up the ground game to get the passing game back. It’s been a formula that has worked all season against the 49ers, and it should work again for Atlanta.

Expect it to be close in the first half, as the 49ers are surprisingly not terrible in the opening 30-minutes, but are by far the worst team down the stretch of the game. When Chip Kelly was asked about this phenomenon, he said he looked at it on a game by game basis, which means that nothing will change if he doesn’t see the pattern that has occurred over the longest losing streak in franchise history.

With only three games left in the season, the 49ers might start looking towards Christmas Eve to see if they get a present wrapped as a win against the Rams.

Oakland heads to San Diego with playoff berth on the line

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AP file photo – In a Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016 file photo, Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Kansas City, Mo. It could be a remarkable scene Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016 when the Oakland Raiders, closing in on their first playoff berth since their Super Bowl season of 2002, face a fading Chargers franchise that could be in the death throes of its 56-season run in San Diego. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga, File)

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND, Calif — One more step, and the Oakland Raiders can end 14 years of misery and disappointment.

With a win over the Chargers in San Diego, Oakland can punch their ticket to the playoffs since the team’s last playoff appearance in 2002. That season ended with a trip to Super Bowl XXXVII where they lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in San Diego.

Oakland (10-3) is tied for first place in the AFC West and has a two-game lead in the wild-card race with three games to go.

Can you believe it? It was just two years ago that the Silver and Black were just an abysmal mess, sitting at 0-10.

The Raiders saw their six-game winning streak snap by the Chiefs 21-13 in Kansas City last Thursday night.

Quarterback Derek Carr continues to have his issues with Kansas City, but the loss wasn’t entirely on his shoulders.

Carr completed just 17-of-41 passes for 117 yards, but the third-year signal caller was victimized by drops from wide receiver Seth Roberts and a missing on a potential game-tying touchdown deep down the middle to Amari Cooper in the third quarter.

Cooper’s led all Oakland wide receivers with five catches for 29 yards. Cooper, who eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight season, enters Sunday’s matchup with 1,010 receiving yards and ranks sixth in the league with 73 catches.

With San Diego decimated by injuries (the Chargers have 18 players on injured reserve), this is a game where Carr, Cooper, and fellow wide receiver Michael Crabtree (71 catches, 806 receiving yards, and 7 TDs) can do some damage and get Oakland’s offensive fluidity back on track.

Khalil Mack is the center of the universe in Oakland’s 30th ranked defense, and is no doubt the leading candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.

Mack is tied for third with Washington defensive end Ryan Kerrigan with 11 sacks and has recorded one sack in eight consecutive games. Mack also has 61 tackles, five forced fumbles, and one interception (a pick-6) on the season.

San Diego (5-8) is mercifully looking for the season to end and maybe playing Oakland for the last time at Qualcomm Stadium.

After San Diego voters shot down a stadium proposal last month, the Chargers inch closer to moving to Los Angeles when the NFL owners unanimously approved a tenant-lease contract between the Chargers and Los Angeles Rams on Wednesday.

The Chargers have until Jan. 15 to exercise an option to relocate to Los Angeles.

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is on pace for his eighth 4,000-yard passing season with 3,589 yards and fifth 30-touchdown passing season with 27 touchdowns, but Rivers has been a turnover machine with a league-high 17 interceptions.

Rivers was solely responsible for five turnovers — three interceptions and two strip-sack fumbles in San Diego’s 28-16 loss at Carolina in Week 14.

As a team, San Diego has a league-worse 30 turnovers this season.

Running back Melvin Gordon, who is on the brink of his first 1,000-yard rushing season with 997 yards on the ground, is out for Sunday’s game with a hip injury. Gordon was carted off the field against Carolina.

With top wide receiver Keenan Allen lost for the season in Week 1 with a torn ACL, Tyrell Williams has become Rivers’ favorite deep-threat.

The second-year undrafted wide receiver from Western Oregon has been one of the brighter spots for San Diego this season, leading the team in catches (55), receiving yards 905, and tied for touchdowns (6).

Williams has three 100-yard receiving games this season, one of them was a five-catch, 117 yards and a touchdown against Oakland in Week 5.

Wide receiver Travis Benjamin, who signed with San Diego in the offseason, also recorded 117 receiving yards on seven catches in Oakland.

The Raiders, who have had trouble this season covering the tight end, must account for future Hall of Famer in Antonio Gates and rookie Hunter Henry who both scored against the Raiders.

Oakland has won the last three meetings against San Diego, most recently a 34-31 affair at the Oakland Coliseum on Oct. 9. Carr threw for 317 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, while Rivers passed for 359 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions.

 

 

 

NFL podcast with Tony Renteria: More reasons than not to keep Raiders in Oakland; Vegas would be a big mistake

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Former professional football players Ronnie Lott, right, and Marcus Allen speak at a media conference Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. The Alameda County Board of Supervisors has approved a $1.3 billion stadium project that might keep the Oakland Raiders in Oakland. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

A lot of NFL owners are old school in the philosophy that you don’t move a franchise and now former Oakland Raider Ronnie Lott has formed a group and said he can do something for the Raiders and save them from moving out of Oakland it’s questionable if Las Vegas would be an option in the near future. As long as the city of Oakland is moving forward and their willing to move in that direction and it would be doubtful that the franchise is going to move.

Your fighting two different elements here, one the gambling element, lot of owners are very traditional in their thought process. You don’t put a franchise in Vegas because they could damage the overall shield of the NFL. The Raiders are an original AFL team in Oakland they moved to Los Angeles once already and moved back to Oakland in 1995 and they’ve sold out every game this season.

Tony Renteria does the NFL podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Categories NFL

Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Raiders after loss to KC looking to put it all together against San Diego Sunday

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AP photo: Oakland Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) runs on a reception against the Kansas City Chiefs during their NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Oct. 23

If the Oakland Raiders can go down to San Diego and pull out a win this Sunday their in the playoffs for the first time since 2002. It’s amazing where this team has come from since 2002 but really in the last two years. Under the direction of team general manager Reggie McKenzie. Oakland head coach Jack Del Rio is a quality coach who brought in the top talents of the Khalil Macks, Derek Carrs, the Amari Coopers, the Michael Crabtrees the quality football players. It’s really one of the huge reasons why their where their at on the way to making their first playoff appearance since 2002.

In that last loss on Thursday Night Football Crabtree and Cooper were not their usual elite level selves in that game the Kansas City Chiefs defense was extraordinary but the Raiders found their real success right before halftime when they scored and that really changed for them. Derrick Johnson the Chiefs linebacker who left the game with a torn Achilles he was a huge part of the Chiefs defense on Thursday.

Joe Hawkes Beamon does the Raiders podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

 

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Lami: 49ers plague by injuries will take their walking wounded to Atlanta this Sunday

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sfgate.com photo: Kilgore was here San Francisco 49ers center Daniel Kilgore (67) will sit out the rest of the season with a knee injury his second injury in three years in 2014 Kilgore suffered a broken leg

The San Francisco 49ers in their last game against the New York Jets had 27 total net yards in the second half and conservative play calling in that second half you could have blamed it on injuries. If you look at that entire game there were injuries up and down the field. The field was not in good condition at Levis on Sunday. Torrey Smith got a concussion Daniel Kilgore went down with the 49ers 12th injury his final one as Kilgore is done with the season.

The look of the game in the second half after they lost the 17-3 lead they were going to lose after the Jets tied up the game 17-17 in the fourth quarter. It was just wait for one bad thing to happen after another and sure enough the Jets were able to put a drive together towards the end of the game. There was that fourth and one in overtime when head coach Chip Kelly decided to run up the middle once again with Carlos Hyde even though it didn’t work in the second half. Daniel Kilgore suffered a season ending knee injury the 12th injury for the 49ers this season.

Joe Lami give you the latest analysis on the 49ers each on the podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: So who takes the blame here Kelly, Baalke, or York?

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AP photo: San Francisco head coach Chip Kelly after the game against the New York Jets last Sunday at Levis Stadium in Santa Clara

The way this season has gone for the San Francisco 49ers Chip Kelly is head coach by all accounts by the way it’s suppose to work. The burden falls on the head coach he’s the guy who gets the blame when things go bad and gets praise when things go well. Kelly will get some blame but I can’t think of specifically anything that happened or any play calling that he did or didn’t do that would make you say “oh my goodness we lost a game because of him” there hasn’t been no moment like that.

Yeah sure Kelly hasn’t coached circles around anyone but everybody still wishes that former head coach Jim Harbaugh were here as we all know he was a winning coach. In terms of planning and play calling in terms of motivating and coaching guys Kelly hasn’t done anything that caused the 49ers to lose games. He’s not an awful coach he had a few successful seasons in Philadelphia.

David Zizmor does the 49ers podcasts each week for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

49ers can’t close the deal, lose 23-17 to the Jets in overtime

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By Morris Phillips

SANTA CLARA–This time, with the finish line in sight, the 49ers fell short in a most agonizing manner.  That they lost for a 12th consecutive week is-at least for now–a completely different story.

According to Coach Chip Kelly, the game against the Jets devolved into a battle of attrition.   Coming in, Kelly’s 49ers were already without stalwart tackle Joe Staley, a critical piece to their protection packages and their running game.  Then during the game, center Daniel Kilgore, tight end Vance McDonald and receiver Torrey Smith were all lost to injuries, further weakening a 49ers’ offense blessed with a 17-3 halftime lead, but running out of steam fast.

“Yeah, that’s on me as the play caller, but I just really wasn’t confident,” Kelly explained, when asked if his play calling grew too conservative in the 49ers’ painful 23-17 overtime loss to the Jets.   “You lost Vance, you lost Torrey.  You’ve got two new guys in there on the offensive line.  I was making sure we were good with protection.   They were bringing a lot of zero blitzes.  You’ve got to get the ball off quick.”

Whether the ball got off quick, or not, it wasn’t done effectively. Colin Kaepernick responded to his benching the previous week by starting fast, completing his first seven passes as the 49ers turned a pair of lightning-quick drives into a 14-0 lead.  But the rest of Kap’s afternoon didn’t go well.

How poorly? Check the descending numbers:

The 49ers managed just 47 yards in total offense after halftime.  After an 11 of 15 first half, Kaepernick was 4 of 11 in the second half, and none of the four completions went for a first down.

Kaepernick was 0 for 3 passing in the third quarter.  One of those misses was actually a drop by Blake Bell on the half’s first play, a well-thrown pass by Kaepernick that would have gone for a big gainer had Bell held on.  Kelly referenced the drop in his thoughts on how things bogged down after halftime.

The 49ers managed just 22 yards offense in the fourth quarter.   Kaepernick threw for only 17 yards after the break. And with the game tied in the final minute, the 49ers gained just three yards on their final possession of regulation, forcing a punt that could have set up the Jets for a game-winning field goal.

Overtime gave the 49ers one, final shot, but they did little.  After Carlos Hyde’s final carry went for 25 yards, and provided hope, the 49ers gained just eight yards on their last four plays.  Two of those four were in completions from Kap’s arm.

Did the Jets turn the heat up at halftime, make a telling schematic change?  Actually, no. This was all on the 49ers.

“We didn’t do much, we stopped the run,” Jets’ coach Todd Bowles admitted. “We put some pressure on (Kaepernick) on third down.”

“We didn’t really make any adjustments,” Leonard Williams, a member of the Jets’ highly touted, but underproductive defensive line, said. “It was a matter of finishing.   That is what we did in the second half.”

In fact, as the Jets were taking advantage of the 49ers wilting defense, they were leaving the door open as well.  On the game’s final possession in overtime, the Jets quickly crossed midfield, then put kicker Nick Folk in position to win it.  But on 2nd and eight, from the 49ers 23, the Jets committed a critical false start penalty that cost them five yards.

But the reprieve was short-lived for San Francisco.  Bilal Powell, on for the injured  Matt Forte (who departed after just three carries in the first quarter), gained nine yards on the next play, then 19 on the final play, as he broke several tackles on his way into the end zone.

Powell finished with 145 yards on 29 carries, neutralizing the 193 yards rushing produced by the 49ers’ Carlos Hyde.

He did a gentleman’s job,” Bowles said.  “If it wasn’t for him I don’t know if we would have even won this game.  He single handedly, from my point of view at least, broke every tackle he could break.  He caught every ball.  He ran.  He blocked.”

Defensively,  the 49ers got strong games from Aaron Lynch and DeForrest Buckner, who contributed to the 49ers’ six sacks of Bryce Petty, making just his second NFL start.  But like their teammates, the pair looked gassed at the finish.  Time of possession went decidedly to the Jets 41 minutes to 24.

The 49ers travel to Atlanta next week where they will meet the NFC South-leading Falcons.  The Falcons had their way on Sunday, leading the Rams 42-0 in the third quarter, before settling for a 42-14 win.

Similarities Draw Between Last Week and This Week for 49ers

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AP photo: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) looks for some daylight in the snowy banks of Soldier Field last Sunday against the Chicago Bears. Kaepernick and the 49ers should get better weather this Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons at Levis Stadium

By: Joe Lami

SANTA CLARA–For the second straight week, the San Francisco 49ers have another great opportunity to capture a win, as they go up against a struggling team with a backup quarterback. The New York Jets provide a very similar matchup to what the Chicago Bears brought to the table last Sunday. All eyes will be on the running game and if San Francisco’s defense can come through against Matt Forte.

The biggest problem came on the offensive side of the ball and having zero passing game in the bad weather. Colin Kaepernick finished the day completing one pass for four yards and it gave the Bears the expectation of San Francisco’s tenacity of running the football. With such a one-dimensional offense on the field, San Francisco put themselves in a hole that they couldn’t climb their way out and once Chicago started to get going, they didn’t stand a chance.

It wasn’t until Barkley got going that the floodgates opened, as he finished with 192 yards through the air, but by opening up the passing game, San Francisco also led susceptible to the ground, allowing another 100-yard rusher to Jordan Howard and his three touchdowns.

The second half will continue to be the telling sign of how the outcome will turn out. San Francisco hasn’t put together a full 60-minute contest since week one and if they continue to struggle in the second half, they will continue the franchise’s longest losing streak.

Hill helps Chiefs to victory 21-13

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AP photo: Tyreek Hill (10) wide receiver of the Kansas City Chiefs blows past Taiwan Jones (22) of the Oakland Raiders after a second half kick off at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Thursday Night Football

By Jeremy Kahn

You know when ever the Oakland Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs meet on the football field you know that it is a big deal.

In the rivalry that had been going on since 1960, there is a now a new player involved in one of the NFL’s greatest rivalries and his name is Tyreek Hill.

The rookie returned a Marquette King punt 78 yards for a touchdown, and then caught a 36-yard touchdown pass from former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, helping the Chiefs to a 21-13 victory over the Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium.

With the victory, the Chiefs moved into a first-place tie with the Raiders in the AFC West with three games to play; however with tiebreakers, the Chiefs are in first place, since they swept the season series from their longtime rivals from Oakland.

The Raiders, who entered the game as the number one seed in the AFC, ahead of the New England Patriots due to a tiebreaker have dropped to fifth and number one wild card seed along with another division rival in reigning Super Bowl Champion, the Denver Broncos.

On the evening, Smith threw for 261 yards, along with that one touchdown and an interception, as the Raiders committed three turnovers against the Chiefs.

Charcandrick West scored on a touchdown run, while tight end Travis Kelce caught five passes for 101 yards, as the Chiefs defeated the Raiders for the seventh time in their last eight meetings.

Despite the victory, the Chiefs did suffer one huge loss to their vaunted defense, as linebacker Derrick Johnson tore his left Achilles’ tendon in the second quarter and will be out for the remainder of the season.

Derek Carr went just 17-for-41 on the night, as he was unable to get into a groove on a cold Kansas City night, where with the wind chill factor, temperatures were down to the single digits on the Arrowhead Stadium field.

Latavius Murray led the Raiders in rushing with 103 yards and a touchdown.

Hill became the first rookie since Gale Sayers in 1965 with touchdowns on the ground, through the air, a kickoff and punt return in the same season.

Following the Johnson injury, the Raiders drove down the field in 13 plays for 92 yards in a drive that consumed over six minutes for their only touchdown of the game, when Murray scored from one yards with 14 seconds remaining in the first half.

With the Chiefs leading 21-10 coming into the third quarter, Smith literally gave the Raiders a chance to comeback on the third play from the scrimmage out of the locker room.

Smith threw an interception, but the Raiders were held to just a field goal by Sebastian Janikowski. On the Chiefs very play from offense, Smith was hit by Khalil Mack and was strip-sacked by the Raiders; however the Chiefs held the Raiders to a field goal attempt.

The usually reliable Marquette King was unable to get the hold down and the Chiefs staved off the Raiders rally to take over on downs.

With just over two minutes remaining in the game, the Raiders began what looked like it could be a possible game-tying drive ended when Carr’s fourth down pass was batted down on fourth-and-six after the Raiders were penalized for a illegal formation on the previous play.