Category: NFL

Raiders travel to Denver looking to play spoiler

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

photo credit: raiders.com Raiders come off practice field at Alameda facility on Thursday

OAKLAND — Sunday’s 34-20 loss to the Kansas City at O.co Coliseum not only dropped the Raiders to 5-7, but pretty much knocked Oakland from the AFC playoff race for the 13th consecutive season.

Raiders’ starting quarterback Derek Carr threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter (one returned for a touchdown by former Raider safety Tyvon Branch) to ice the game. All three interceptions led to 20 points for Kansas City.

Carr became the first Raiders’ quarterback to throw three interceptions in the fourth quarter since 1995, finished Sunday’s game 31-of-48 for 283 yards and two touchdowns.

Oakland heads to Denver Sunday looking to thwart the Broncos’ chances of locking up their fifth consecutive AFC Western division title, play a Broncos team coming off a key 17-3 victory in San Diego, but are banged up on both sides of the ball.

Linebacker Danny Trevathan and tight end Vernon Davis are dealing with concussions, safeties David Bruton Jr. (knee) and Omar Bolden (hamstring), and running back C.J. Anderson is hampered with an ankle injury. Denver was already playing without starting safety T.J. Ward, who might miss his second game due to an ankle injury.

Denver should get back veteran linebacker DeMarcus Ware back after a four-game absence due to a back injury. Denver’s defense No. 1 ranked defense didn’t miss a beat without Ware, collecting 11 sacks during Ware’s absence.

Linebacker Von Miller who will a be a free agent at season’s end, recorded two of Denver’s four sacks against San Diego.

Quarterback Brock Osweiler has won three straight games since taking over the starting role in place of the injured Peyton Manning. Despite just tossing 166 yards, Osweiler has steady the ship for the Broncos, who are currently the second seed in the AFC playoffs at 10-2.

Denver defeated Oakland 16-10 on Oct. 11 thanks in large part to a suffocating defense that forced three turnovers. Cornerback Chris Harris Jr.’s go-ahead 74-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter proved to be the biggest play of the game.

In three career games against Denver, Carr (0-3) has thrown four touchdowns and four interceptions.

Denver has outscored Oakland 121-41 in three straight home wins, will attempt to defeat Oakland for a ninth straight time.

With a win and a loss or tie by Kansas City in San Diego, Denver will win the division. A loss or tie by Kansas City would also give Denver the division.

 

Oakland Raiders podcast with Jeremy Kahn: Raiders could expect a challenge from Broncos Osweiler

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by Jeremy Kahn

photo credit: profootballzap.com of Denver quarterback Brock Osweiler

ALAMEDA–The Raiders (5-7) got a heartbreak loss last week to the Kansas City Chiefs (7-5) in a game that went back and forth but not matter Oakland lost it in the end on their home turf at the Oakland Coliseum. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr just couldn’t put the team in drive and the Chiefs just edged out the Raiders for the team’s seventh loss of 2015.

Now the Raiders get ready to play in Denver against quarterback Brock Osweiler and the Broncos. While Peyton Manning has been taking snaps in practice and has been said to be the number two quarterback it’s very unlikely that the Broncos will use him as he’s recovering from an injury.

Jeremy Kahn covers Raiders football for http://www.sportsradioservice.com click on to listen to his Raiders podcast

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Johnny Football surrounded by a bad team; still 49ers-Browns could play in a close game

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by David Zizmor

photo credit USA Today Cleveland quarterback Johnny Manziel warming up before game against Baltimore

SANTA CLARA–The San Francisco 49ers (4-8) are preparing for this weekend’s match in Cleveland (2-10) and the Browns starting quarterback Johnny Manziel got away with a lot of partying habits while in college but he won’t get away with anything like that in the pros. The Browns are trying to rear him as he’s been either benched or suspended for drinking and taking partying photos that went up on social media which led to dropping Manziel to third string quarterback at one point.

Manziel hasn’t really started an entire year’s worth of football over the last two seasons. Manziel has a lousy team around him. He’s playing for a 2-10 team right now their in the driver’s seat for the number one pick overall. Manziel certainly doesn’t have a ton of talent around him.

Cleveland has the worst running game in the league this is a team that completely stack themselves they force the pass without having to worry about the run. It’s a difficult situation for any quarterback. Cleveland has it’s general long history of having disappointing quarterbacks and disappointing play.

Listen to David’s 49ers podcast below with a look at Cleveland and the 49ers for this Sunday’s game at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Raiders, Crabtree agree to extension

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Michael Crabtree was going to be a sought after free agent at season’s end and the Oakland Raiders didn’t want to see that happen, by locking up Crabtree to a contract extension Wednesday according to an NFL.com report.

The two sides agreed to a four-year deal worth $35 million with roughly $19 million guaranteed. Crabtree signed a one-year, $3.2 million contract this past offseason after spending his first six years in San Francisco.

The deal is expected to be signed soon, according to ESPN’s Adam Kaplan who first broke the story.

Crabtree is on pace to have career highs in catches and touchdowns. The 28-year-old leads The Silver and Black with 66 catches and seven touchdowns, while pacing second behind rookie wide receiver Amari Cooper’s team-leading 920 receiving yards with 760.

Oakland (5-7) who are coming off a 34-20 home loss to division-rival Kansas City in Week 13, travel to Denver to take on the Broncos Sunday.

 

NFL podcast with Tony Renteria: NFL looking at two teams to move to L.A. mostly considering Rams & Chargers

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On the NFL podcast Tony talks about some of the key reasons why the St. Louis Rams are considering moving out of St. Louis, not enough ticket sales, the TV market not as big as L.A., that the game is just too expensive for some to attend, and the Rams want to get back to L.A. and the Southland customers has the money to support the team.

This week the Raiders might get help from the NFL an executive said. The league is open to the idea of building an Oakland Coliseum City that would feature a new stadium for the Raiders, retail shopping, housing, condos, and hotels. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaff said she wanted to consider using public funds for the project but would use property taxes to pay back such a venture.

The NFL made it clear they would not fund the project for the Raiders and the same for the Rams and Chargers in their stadium developments in Carson and Hollywood Park in L.A. Besides talk about the Raiders and a new stadium the Raiders are preparing for their match against the Denver Broncos this Sunday Tony sets that one up for you on the pod cast.

photo credit: AP of Oak Raiders Lee Smith (86) against the KC Chiefs on Sun 12-6-15 at Oakland Coliseum

Tony Renteria does the NFL podcast weekly at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Oakland Raiders post game report: Carr stalls in fourth

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By Jeremy Kahn

photo credit by NBC Sports: Kansas City Chiefs Jeremy Maclin

OAKLAND-With their playoff chances in sight, the Oakland Raiders went two steps backward after their thrilling win over the Tennessee Titans.

Jeremy Maclin scored two touchdowns, and former Raiders Safety Tyvon Branch returned a Carr interception 38 yards to the end zone and the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Raiders 34-20 at the Coliseum.

It was a tough day for Carr, as he threw three interceptions on the afternoon and the Raiders were unable to hold a 20-14 lead in the fourth quarter.

Carr did throw for 283 yards and two touchdowns, but the Raiders lost for the third time in their last four games and saw their record fall to 5-7 on the season.

Alex Smith threw two touchdowns and ran for a score, as the Chiefs raised their record to 7-5 on the season.

Lee Smith caught a touchdown pass from Carr to give the Raiders 20-14 lead, but Sebastian Janikowski missed the extra point, snapping a streak of 225 consecutive makes.

On the ensuing series, the Chiefs were forced to punt and the Raiders began driving down the field; however Carr was hit and fumbled the ball that was picked by Chiefs Linebacker Josh Mauga, who returned the ball 65 yards to the Raiders two-yard line.

Maclin then caught a touchdown pass from Smith, but punter Dustin Colquitt was unable to hold the snap and the game was tied at 20-20.

Carr then ended the Raiders next series, as Oakland native Marcus Peters returned it 58 yards to the Raiders 13-yard line.

Smith gave the Chiefs the lead for good, as he found Maclin for a 13-yard touchdown pass in the end zone.

Charles Woodson, playing in his 250th NFL game recovered a fumble and rambled 38 yards to the Chiefs 36-yard line. Four plays later, Carr found Michael Crabtree for a 25-yard touchdown pass and the Raiders took a seven-point lead into the locker room at the half.

The Raiders took an early 7-0 lead on the first series of the game, as Latavius Murray scored on a two-yard touchdown run.

Smith tied up the game on a three-yard run on the Chiefs first possession of the game following Murray’s touchdown run.

Niners Travel to Solider Field to Take on Surging Bears

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By: Joe Lami

The 49ers are coming off yet another loss. This time at the hands of the division leading Arizona. They hope that the 19-13 loss can be something to be built on, as many positives can be taken. Quarterback, Blaine Gabbert had a career day in which he passed for 318 yards and one touchdown. The defense also held the Arizona running offense to only 70 yards.

This week the Niners are matched up against the Chicago Bears. The 5-6 Bears are hoping that the home contest against San Francisco can bring them back to .500 on the season. This would be huge for them as they have been able to string off wins in three of their last four to turn their season around. They’ve also struggled at home with a record of just 1-4.  Jay Cutler is having himself a career year, passing for over 2500 yards and 14 touchdowns while only throwing six interceptions.

The 49ers are winless on the road (0-5) and have been outscored by an outstanding 176-71 margin.

San Francisco will see a familiar face in defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio, who was yet another departure from the terrible offseason in Santa Clara. Fangio is ready to shut down his former team but with Gabbert under center, he might not recognize the new 49ers offense. His defense is staying strong against the pass, allowing only 214 yards per game but on the run they’re 29th in the league.

Running back, Carlos Hyde has already been ruled out for the contest, not making the flight to Chicago. This means for the fourth straight game Shaun Draughn will be in the backfield for the Niners. Draughn has 146 yards on 43 carries so far this season in San Francisco and will be huge if the Niners want to have any chance walking out of Solider Field with a victory.

Prediction:

Chicago 21 San Francisco 17

Oakland Raiders podcast with Jeremy Kahn: Raiders will need that defense from last week against these Chiefs this week

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by Jeremy Kahn

photo credit: AP photo of Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack

ALAMEDA–The  Tennessee Titans got on the scoreboard to the lead early in the first half against the Oakland Raiders and the Titans were getting their confidence down but the Raiders came back and closed in on the Titans for the win. The Raiders faced off their last two games against two struggling teams the Detroit Lions who were 2-7 and who beat Oakland and are now 4-7 since.

The other is the that last opponent the Titans who were 2-8 and gave the Raiders a game last week and played up to the level. It was the Titans home field and they badly needed to get back into the win column. The Raiders pulled it off in the rain in Tennessee with some improved defense.

Jeremy Kahn does the Raiders podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com listen below for the latest

 

 

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: 49ers defense looked better last week despite losing many players in off season

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by  David Zizmor

photo credit: 49ers.clubs.nfl. com former 49ers Chris Borland

SANTA CLARA–What we’ve been noticing over the course of the season is there are two 49ers defenses, there is one 49ers defense that plays really well at home, there’s another 49ers defense that plays on the road and that one stinks. The Arizona game that was played at Levis last Sunday they looked pretty good the defense kept the Niners in the game.

That defense last Sunday didn’t give up too much although they weren’t able to pull out the win. They played admirably tough football and you can’t fault them too much for the loss and the Niners inability to move the football which has been a consistent problem on offense all season long regardless who the quarterback is.

Here’s the thing with the 49ers defense in the off season they lost so many players Chris Borland was a huge unexpected loss, Patrick Willis not quite as much, Willis leaves, Borland who would have been his replacement leaves, Justin Smith retires, they’ve had several other guys Aldon Smith with that whole other DUI debacle, Ray McDonald left for Chicago and now is out of football.

To hear the rest of the 49ers podcast click on below and listen for the 49ers podcast right here each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Raiders host Chiefs with playoffs at stake

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

photo credit: SB Nation of Charcandrick West running back KC Chiefs

OAKLAND — After starting the season 1-5 and looking like a mess, the Kansas City Chiefs are one of the hottest teams in the NFL, having won five in a row giving the Chiefs the first AFC wild-card spot at 6-5.

But the Oakland Raiders (5-6) are also playoff contenders, making Sunday’s match up at O.co Coliseum at 1:05 p.m. PDT in Week 13 that much spicier between these two AFC West rivals separated by just one game.

This is the first meeting between Oakland and Kansas City this season. Both teams see each other again in Week 17.

Kansas City defeated the Buffalo Bills 30-22 last Sunday at rainy Arrowhead Stadium thanks in large part to quarterback Alex Smith.

Smith completed 19-of-30 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns. For the season, Kansas City’s signal caller has tossed 12 touchdowns and three interceptions, but hasn’t thrown an interception in 283 attempts (last interception came in Week 3).

The Chiefs have not turned the ball over during their five-game winning streak, and can become the first team since the 2010 New England Patriots to have no turnovers in six consecutive games.

That Patriots team also won every game during their streak.

Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin caught nine balls for 160 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown catch from Smith in the second quarter.

With running back Charcandrick West (who took over the starting role after Jamaal Charles was lost on Oct. 11 with torn ACL) out with a hamstring injury, backup Spencer Ware shouldered the running load for the Chiefs.

In his first career start, Ware rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.

The Chiefs are dealing with a few injuries outside of the aforementioned West,  with offensive tackle Eric Fisher (neck) and center Mitch Morse (concussion), but the biggest injury could be on their defense.

Linebacker Justin Houston hyper-extended his knee last week and left the game. Houston is Kansas City’s top pass rusher and sets the tone for the defense, given his team-leading 7.5 sacks this season.

If Houston isn’t able to go Sunday, look for the Chiefs to utilize linebacker Dee Ford in Houston’s place.

Oakland went to soggy Nashville and came out with a 24-21 victory over the Titans to snap a three-game losing streak.

Derek Carr continues to establish himself as a premier NFL quarterback with each week in only his second year, completing 24-of-37 passes for 330 yards and three touchdowns. Carr found wide receiver Seth Roberts for the go-ahead 12-yard touchdown with 1:21 left in the fourth quarter.

Roberts finished a career-day with six catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Rookie wide receiver Amari Cooper added seven catches for 115 yards.

Carr’s 24 touchdowns has him on pace to pass to challenge Daryle Lamonica’s franchise record of 34 set in 1969, the Raiders’ final season in the AFL. Jeff George’s 29 touchdowns in 1997 is the most by a Raider since the team joined the NFL.

Safe to say that Carr has a strong chance at passing George this season.

Kansas City has won six of the previous seven meetings between the two teams.

Oakland defeated Kansas City 24-20 at O.co Coliseum last season, snapping a 16-game losing streak after opening the season at 0-10.