Category: Oakland Raiders

Oak Raiders face Dolphins in Miami on Sunday Night Football

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Photo credit: @zesty_raiders

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND — The Raiders conclude a two-game road trip with a visit to the Sunshine State when they face the Miami Dolphins in prime-time on Sunday Night Football at Hard Rock Stadium. This is the first matchup between Oakland and Miami since 2014 with the Dolphins routing the Raiders 38-14 at Wembley Stadium in London.

The Raiders haven’t played in Miami since 2012 and are currently riding a five-game losing streak to the Dolphins since 2008, with the all-time series tied 16-16-1.

Oakland (3-5) fell to the Buffalo Bills 34-14 in Orchard Park last Sunday. Instead of flying across country to Oakland to prepare for the Dolphins, the Raiders opted to travel to Sarasota, Fla. and stay at the IMG Academy for the second straight year.

Raiders starting quarterback Derek Carr threw for 313 yards on 31-of-49 passes with one touchdown and two interceptions. Carr took the offense on the opening drive of the game 81 yards in 13 plays that resulted in a 1-yard touchdown run by fullback Jamize Olawale, but didn’t score their second touchdown of the game until the fourth quarter.

Running back DeAndre Washington led the team in rushing with 26 yards, but also was the leading receiver with eight receptions for 62 yards and a 4-yard touchdown catch from Carr. Washington was Oakland’s bellcow Sunday due to the absence of starting running back Marshawn Lynch.

Lynch was suspended for one game after making contact with an official in Oakland’s win over their arch rival, the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7, didn’t play Sunday against the Bills, who drafted Lynch in 2007 out of California.

Lynch is expected to play Sunday.

Wide receivers Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper combined for 10 receptions for 131 yards, but didn’t find the end zone. Crabtree led Oakland with 83 yards, while Cooper totaled just 48 yards after exploding for 210 yards and two touchdowns on 11 receptions against Kansas City.

After posting 505 yards of total offense in Week 7, Oakland had just 331 yards of total offense in Week 8.

Bills running back LeSean McCoy ran all over Oakland’s defense, rushing for 151 yards on 27 carries and a touchdown. McCoy’s 48-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter proved to be the death-blow for Oakland in rainy Western New York on Sunday.

Miami (4-3) were pummeled 40-0 by the Ravens, in prime-time, on Thursday Night Football in Baltimore. Quarterback Matt Moore who started in place of Jay Cutler, who was out with cracked ribs, looked shell-shocked against an aggressive Ravens’ defense.

Moore threw for 176 yards on 25-of-44 passes and two interceptions, both of which were returned for touchdowns by the Ravens. The Dolphins were held to just 196 yards of total offense in Baltimore. Miami enters Week 9 game against Oakland with the NFL’s worse scoring offense, averaging just 13.1 points per game and the 31st ranked rushing offense averaging a ghastly 76.4 yards per game.

Cutler is expected to suit up against Oakland Sunday. On the season, Cutler has thrown for 995 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions with a 78.8 passer rating. Now in his 12th season, the veteran signal-caller actually retired prior to this season and was set to work in the broadcast booth for FOX television, but was persuaded by Dolphins head coach Adam Gase to return to football.

With Gase as his offensive coordinator, Cutler enjoyed one of his best seasons of his career in 2015 while with the Chicago Bears, throwing for 3.659 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 15 games.

The trading of starting running back Jay Ajayi to the Philadelphia Eagles at the trade deadline Tuesday for a fourth-round pick was head-scratching.

2016 was the third-year running back’s best season, rushing for 1,272 yards and eight touchdowns on 260 carries for the playoff-bound Dolphins. Ajayi had three games in which he rushed for at least 200 yards last season and was the heartbeat for Miami’s offense.

This season, Ajayi has rushed for 465 yards on 138 carries, but zero touchdowns. The Dolphins will look to give more opportunities to second-year running back Kenyan Drake and fourth-year pro Damien Williams, who have accounted for just 57 yards on 22 carries.

Oakland’s shaky secondary must find ways to slow down Miami’s wide receivers in Jarvis Landry and Kenny Stills.

Landry is one the league’s most explosive play-makers, leading the Dolphins with 50 receptions for 398 yards. Landry’s 50 receptions ranks second in the NFL behind Pittsburgh wide receiver Antonio Brown’s 57, while his three touchdown catches ranks second on the Dolphins.

Stills leads Miami with four touchdowns on 25 receptions for 313 yards.

Miami have one of the league’s best defenses, ranking seventh in the league in total yards surrendering just 306.3 yards per game. The Dolphins have given up just 27 third-down conversions, which are the second-fewest in the NFL. They also make it hard for opposing offenses to pick up first downs, allowing just 130 first downs this season, good for eighth-fewest in the league.

Cameron Wake is the Dolphins top pass rusher, registering six of Miami’s 15 sacks this season.

Following Sunday night’s game, the Raiders return to the Bay Area for their bye week. After the Silver and Black’s bye week, Oakland travels to Mexico City for a “home” game against the New England Patriots at Estadio Azteca in Week 11.

The Dolphins will be on prime-time again next week when they head to Charlotte to take on the Carolina Panthers on Monday Night Football on Nov. 13.

Turnovers cost Raiders on the road 34-14; Bills improve season record to 4-4

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Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy (25) runs with the ball as Oakland Raiders middle linebacker NaVorro Bowman (53), safety Shalom Luani (26) and cornerback T.J. Carrie (38) try to bring him down during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017, in Orchard Park, N.J. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND — After a huge come-from-behind victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oakland Raiders headed out on the road for a two-game road trip and their first stop was not a good one.

Rookie linebacker Matt Milano returned a fumble 40 yards to the end zone, helping the Buffalo Bills defeat the Raiders 34-14 at New Era Field.

The Milano fumble was one of four Raiders turnovers on the afternoon, as the Raiders have now lost four out of their last five games since beginning the season with a 2-0 record.

Tyrod Taylor also threw a six-yard touchdown pass to former Raiders wide receiver Andre Holmes. Taylor also scored on a one-yard run, as they improved their record to 5-2 on the season.

LeSean McCoy picked up a season-high 151 yards and also scored on a 48-yard touchdown run to help the Bills to the 20-point victory.

The Bills are now 4-0 at home, their best start at home since they started 5-0 during the 1995 season.

This is the best Bills start during their 17-year playoff drought, the longest drought by any team in the four major sports.

Derek Carr went 31-for-48 for 313 yards passing and a four-yard pass to DeAndre Washington. Carr also threw two interceptions on the afternoon. Following a Jamize Olawale touchdown run, the Raiders failed to get on the board on their next eight possessions.

Those next eight drives ended with four punts, three turnovers and they were unable to score at the end of the first half.

Without the suspended Marshawn Lynch, the Raiders gained just 54 yards on the ground.

NOTES: With their next game in Miami against the Dolphins, the Raiders will stay on the east coast for the next week and will be in Sarasota, FL. until they head to Miami before their Sunday Night matchup.

Rookie Shalom Luani started in place of Karl Joseph, who missed the game due to a groin injury and Dexter McDonald started for David Amerson, was out of the game with a foot injury.

Oakland Raiders Podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Raiders begin this week the first of four away from the Oakland Coliseum

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Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor (5) runs with the ball against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Rich Barnes)

By Joe Hawkes Beamon

ALAMEDA–The Oakland Raiders after three straight home games will begin a one month hiatus away from the Oakland Coliseum which includes trips to Buffalo (Oct 29), Miami (Nov 5), Bye week (Nov 12), and Mexico City where they’ll be the home team against the New England Patriots (Nov 19) before returning to the Coliseum on Nov 26th to face Denver.

The Raiders went 1-2 during their three week homestand. Their headed to Buffalo this weekend and the Raiders will be playing in Miami on Nov 5. The upcoming game in Buffalo with the time change losing three hours going back east it’s never easy starting a ball game at 10AM. The Raiders match up this weekend against one of the surprise teams in the AFC.

The Bills are 4-2 they have a good coaching staff, a good veteran staff, a home field advantage and a great improved offense with  Tyrod Taylor as starting quarterback. Le Sean McCoy the Bills running back has been one of the key reasons for the Bills successes. Tight ends Charles Clay, Nick O’Leary have also been helping out big.

The Oakland Raiders podcasts can be heard weekly with Joe Hawkes Beamon at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Raiders travel to Buffalo for Week 8 matchup with Bills Sunday

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Photo credit: @BNBlitzNow

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND — After having 10 days off, the Raiders get back on the football field this Sunday as they travel east to take on the Buffalo Bills in a key matchup for Week 8.

Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m. ET or 10:00 a.m. PT for all you (including me) west coasters.

Last Thursday night, the Silver and Black got back into the win column with a 31-30 comeback victory over their bitter rival, the Kansas City Chiefs. Oakland (3-4) were down six late in the fourth quarter before starting quarterback Derek Carr engineered an 11-play, 85-yard drive in 2:25 that resulted on a 2-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Michael Crabtree as time expired.

Kicker Giorgio Tavecchio’s PAT on the next play proved to be the difference maker, snapping Oakland’s four-game losing streak following a 2-0 start.

In the process, Carr earned his NFL-leading 12th comeback victory since 2015. Carr completed 29-of-52 passes for 417 yards and three touchdowns with 101.2 passer rating.

Amari Cooper had a career-night, hauling in 11 receptions for 210 yards and two touchdowns of 38 and 45 yards. Cooper’s 210 yards ranked second in single-game franchise history to Art Powell’s 247 yards in 1963.

Cooper was named the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Week for his offensive outburst against the Chiefs.

Just to put Cooper’s performance in a bigger perspective: after recording five catches for 62 yards and one touchdown in Oakland’s 26-16 victory in Tennessee in Week 1, Cooper struggled, recording just 13 catches for 84 yards and no touchdowns in Weeks 2-6.

Tight end Jared Cook made big plays also against a good Chiefs defense, catching six passes for 107 yards, including a 27-yard reception on the Raiders’ final drive to setup Oakland at the Kansas City 1-yard line.

On defense, newly signed middle linebacker NaVorro Bowman led Oakland with 11 tackles on the night.

During pregame introductions, Bowman was greeted with a loud ovation from Raider Nation. Bowman spent his first seven seasons with the San Francisco 49ers where he was voted to three Pro Bowl teams (in 2012, ’13, ’15) and four All-Pro teams (in 2011-13, ’15).

Oakland will head into Buffalo without the services for starting running back Marshawn Lynch, who has been suspended by the NFL for one game after making contact with an official during Thursday’s contest.

Lynch was ejected in the first half after he ran onto the field and made contact with an official after trying to separate Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters from a scrum that broke out. The Raiders starting running back was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and ejected.

Lynch and Peters are cousins from West Oakland. Peters actually testified on Lynch’s behalf at his appeal hearing, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Buffalo (4-2) is coming off a 30-27 victory at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7.

Bills starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor completed 20-of-33 passes for 268 yards and one touchdown with a 98.5 passer rating. Taylor is a mobile quarterback that can give the Raiders problems as he can make plays in the running game too.

Running back LeSean McCoy racked up 91 yards on 23 carries and two touchdowns against Tampa Bay. Not only does McCoy lead the Bills with 370 yards rushing on 110 carries this season, but he’s Buffalo’s top receiver, leading the team with 32 catches and his second behind tight end Charles Clay with 220 yards receiving through six games.

Clay leads Buffalo with 258 yards receiving.

Defensively, Buffalo ranks fourth in the NFL in points surrendered, allowing just 16.8 points per game. Oakland’s offense ranks 15th in the league, scoring 22.1 points per game.

Buffalo ranks seventh in the league in stopping the run, allowing just 84.5 yards rushing per game.

Buffalo’s secondary is one of the strongest in the league, led by safety Micah Hyde who is tied for the league lead with four interceptions. Hyde signed a five-year, $30.5 million deal with Buffalo in the offseason after spending his first four seasons with the Green Bay Packers.

Sunday’s game in Buffalo marks the first of a two-game swing through the AFC East for Oakland. The Raiders travel to Miami to take on the Dolphins in Week 9.

Oakland is already 1-0 against the AFC East this year, after blasting the New York Jets 45-20 in Week 2 in the Raiders’ home opener.

The Raiders have won two of the last three meetings with Buffalo (in 2014 and ’16), while the Bills last defeated Oakland in 2011.

 

 

 

 

Raiders win it on the final play of the game edge out Chiefs 31-30; Lynch ejected for contact with official

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Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch (24) makes contact with back judge Greg Steed (12) during the first half of an NFL football game between the Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017. Lynch was ejected after the play. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND-If you thought the ending of the Oakland Raiders game against the Los Angeles Chargers was nerve wracking, fast forward a little over 96 hours later.

Derek Carr found Michael Crabtree for a two-yard touchdown pass with no time remaining in the game and Giorgio Tavecchio’s extra point gave the Raiders a 31-30 come-from-behind victory over the Kansas City Chiefs before a crowd of 55,090 at the Coliseum.

The Carr to Crabtree touchdown ended an 11 play 85-yard drive in 2:25, giving the Raiders the win for the ages.

Carr began to drive the Raiders immediately, following an offensive pass interference penalty on Johnnie Holton. Following the penalty, Carr found Amari Cooper for 39-yard pass play; however, the Raiders began to falter and looked like it was going to be another hard-fought loss to a division rival.

On fourth-and-11, Carr found Jared Cook for a 13-yard pass play to the Chiefs 29-yard line. After back-to-back incomplete passes, Carr found Cook for what looked like a 29-yard touchdown pass; however, the play was overturned and Cook was marked down at the one-yard line and that is the bizarreness began.

Carr found Crabtree for a one-yard touchdown pass; however, it was nullified due to an Offensive Pass Interference call on Crabtree with seven seconds remaining.

After an incomplete pass to Cook with three seconds remaining was overturned due to a defensive holding penalty on Ron Parker, the Raiders got the ball on the Chiefs five-yard line with no time remaining in the game.

Since the game is not able to end on a defensive penalty, the game went on and it looked like the game was over, as Carr’s pass to Cordarrelle Patterson fell to the ground; however, for the second consecutive play, the Chiefs were called for a defensive holding, this time on Eric Murray.

Carr finally got the Raiders in the end zone on the third play of the drive with no time remaining on the clock, as he found Crabtree to tie up the game and Tavecchio’s subsequent extra point gave the Raiders a wild one-point victory.

It was a huge night for Carr, who went 29-for-52 for 417 yards and three touchdowns in his second game back after missing the 30-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens due to broken bones in his back.

After being in a huge rut to start the season, Amari Cooper broke out if his slump in a big way, as he caught 11 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns.

Cook caught six passes for 107 yards, while Crabtree caught three passes for 24 yards, including the game-winning touchdown pass with no time remaining in the game.

DeAndre Washington led the Raiders on the ground in rushing, as he carried the ball nine times for 33 yards. Jalen Richard also carried the ball nine times for 31 yards and Marshawn Lynch carried the ball just twice for nine yards before being ejected from the game in the second quarter after touching Line Judge Julian Mapp.

It also appeared that Lynch left the sidelines to break up a skirmish with Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters, who went to McClymonds High School.

Lynch, of course is a 2004 graduate of rival Oakland Technical High School, the two perennial powerhouses in the Oakland Athletic League.

Navarro Bowman made his Raiders debut just three days after signing with the team after being released by the San Francisco 49ers.

In his debut, Bowman led the team with 11 tackles, and Reggie Nelson added eight from his safety position.

Alex Smith went 25-for-36 for 342 yards with three touchdowns, including a 64-yard touchdown pass to Tyreke Hill and a 63-yard touchdown pass to Alex Wilson, who caught the ball after it was tipped by Keith McGill.

Hill ended up with six catches for 125 yards and that one touchdown.

Rookie sensation Kareem Hunt carried the ball 18 times for 87 yards.

Sports Headlines Podcast with Tony Renteria: Raiders face must win against Chiefs tonight it’s Win Big or Go Home

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Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) warms up before an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By Tony Renteria

The rivalry between the Oakland Raiders-Kansas City Chiefs goes all the way back to the 1960s in the AFL with two great teams. The rivalry doesn’t always necessary go on the field for the Chiefs and the Hunt family were the ones who were able to broker the merger with the NFL in Dallas in a Dallas airport parking lot and at the same time edging out then AFL Commissioner Al Davis.

For the tonight in the Oakland Coliseum the pressure is on the Raiders (2-4) to make hay after so much hype that Las Vegas oddsmakers went as far as to predict the Raiders to get to the Super Bowl. That’s gone by the wayside with four straight loses starting with Washington, Denver, Baltimore, and San Diego. The Raiders have heard and can see for themselves the many complaints and pressure regarding their offense. With quarterback Derek Carr throwing two picks against San Diego last Sunday and losing two straight games at home.

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

 

Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Frankly put if Raiders don’t win tonight their playoffs chances go out the window

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Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch (24) runs against the Los Angeles Chargers during an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 15, 2017. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Joe Hawkes Beamon

OAKLAND–The last game that the Raiders played against the Los Angeles Chargers was a very close game in a one point decision 17-16 and losing by a field goal and they came into that game with a four game losing streak. They missed by an extra point it was really a tie game but running back Marshawn Lynch rushed for 13 times for 63 yards and running back Cordarelle Patterson rushed for 55 yards, carried three times and scored a touchdown. The Raiders made it close but couldn’t seal the deal.

The Kansas City Chiefs come in tonight at the Oakland Coliseum if the Oakland Raiders don’t win this one tonight against a 5-1 Chiefs team the Raiders can almost be assuredly confident that they won’t make post season it would be hard tasking to come back from a 2-5 record.  Not too many teams have been able to come back from a record like that and the Raiders at the beginning of the season were expected to make post season this year.

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

 

Raiders prepare for short turnaround with KC Chiefs rolling into Oakland for Thursday Night Football

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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith (11) runs the football during an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Oct. 15, 2017, in Kansas City, Mo. The Steelers defeated the Chiefs, 19-13. (Ryan Kang via AP)

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND — If I told fans of the Silver and Black if their beloved Raiders would be sitting at 2-4 after the first six weeks of the season, many of them would want to toss me in a garbage can and roll me down a hill.

Well, the Raiders are 2-4 and their  2017 NFL season is circling the drain in a major way.

With the Kansas City Chiefs (5-1) traveling to the Black Hole this week for the first of two meetings with Oakland this season on Thursday Night Football at 5:25 p.m. PT, the second game is Dec. 10 in Kansas City, this is a true must win game for the Silver and Black if they have any chance of saving their season.

Oakland is coming off a tough 17-16 loss at home to the visiting L.A. Chargers Sunday, their fourth-straight loss following a 2-0 start to the season. It was also the fourth-straight game that the Silver and Black was held under 20 points in a game.

After missing Oakland’s 30-17 loss at home in Week 5 to the Baltimore Ravens with a back injury, starting quarterback Derek Carr returned to action for the Silver and Black against the Chargers in Week 6, completing 21-of-30 passes for 171 yards with a touchdown but threw two interceptions. Carr threw a 23-yard touchdown to wide receiver Michael Crabtree, who led the team with six catches for 52 yards on 10 targets.

Running back Marshawn Lynch recorded 63 of Oakland’s 109 rushing yards on 13 carries. Wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson took a handoff and blazed past the Chargers’ defense for a 47-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Defensively for Oakland, linebacker Bruce Irvin recorded his second sack of the season to go along with six tackles. Cornerback TJ Carrie led Oakland with eight tackles. Oakland allowed 343 yards of total offense to the Chargers, with most of the damage coming from running back Melvin Gordon.

Gordon was the Chargers’ offense, with a 150 total yards (83 rushing and 67 receiving) on 34 touches (25 rushes and nine catches) and two touchdowns (one rushing and one receiving). Second-year tight end Hunter Henry gave the Raiders fits on Sunday, hauling in five catches for 90 yards.

With the addition of four-time All-Pro linebacker NaVorro Bowman to the defense, the Raiders are hoping that the middle linebacker position will be stabilized for the rest of the year.

Bowman, a seven-year pro out of Penn State, requested his release from the San Francisco 49ers on Friday after losing playing time, signed a one-year deal worth $3 million on Monday.

Kansas City was the last team to lose a game this season after dropping a 19-13 contest to the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 6, giving the Steelers their third straight win over the Chiefs in the last two seasons, counting last year’s meeting in the playoffs.

Strangely, Sunday’s matchup between Pittsburgh and Kansas City was eerily similar to their playoff game in January, an 18-16 Steelers’ win on Kansas City’s home turf.

Chiefs starting quarterback Alex Smith completed just 19-of-34 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown, a 57-yard pass to wide receiver De’Anthony Thomas in the fourth quarter that pulled Kansas City within 12-10 with 6:13 left in the game.

Pittsburgh shut down the NFL’s hottest offense, limiting the Chiefs to 251 yards of total offense and holding the NFL’s top scoring offense per game (32.8) to just 13 points.

Smith leads the league in passer rating (119.2), second in touchdown passes (12) and is third in passing yards (1,637). Kansas City’s signal-caller has yet to throw an interception in 202 passes this season.

The Steelers also held the NFL’s top rusher, rookie running back Kareem Hunt, to just nine carries for 21 yards.

But Pittsburgh sliced up a very good Chiefs defense by racking up 439 yards of total offense. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for 252 yards on 17-of-25 passes with a touchdown and one interception. Eight of Roethlisberger’s completions went to wide receiver Antonio Brown, who hauled in 155 yards and a 51-yard touchdown catch that put Pittsburgh up 19-10 in the fourth quarter.

Running back Le’Veon Bell found gaping holes in the Chiefs’ run defense, carrying the ball 32 times for 179 yards and a touchdown. Bell also rushed for 170 yards against Kansas City in the playoffs.

The Chiefs have great playmakers in cornerback and Oakland native, Marcus Peters and fellow cornerback Terrance Mitchell. Peters and Mitchell each have two interceptions this season for a Chiefs secondary that have five for the year, pacing 13th in the NFL.

Veteran linebacker Justin Houston leads Kansas City with 5.5 sacks, ranking seventh in the NFL.

Kansas City sits on top of the AFC West, while Oakland is sitting in the basement of the division. With a win for Kansas City, it could be the final nail in the coffin of the Raiders’ season as it will drop the team to 2-5 and put the season on life support.

But, win on Thursday night on primetime, and it could put the team back on course.

Kansas City has won the last five-straight games against Oakland, with the Raiders’ last victory over the Chiefs, coincidentally, on Nov. 20, 2014, which was a game on Thursday Night Football.

The 0-10 Raiders defeated the 7-3 Chiefs 24-20 in a rainy game in Oakland.

Thursday night’s game will conclude Oakland’s three-game homestand, with Oakland’s next game coming in Buffalo on Oct. 29.

 

 

 

 

Novak’s field goal wins it as Chargers edge Raiders 17-16

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Los Angeles Chargers kicker Nick Novak (9) kicks the game winning field goal from the hold of Drew Kaser against the Oakland Raiders during the second half of an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 15, 2017. (AP Photo/D. Ross Cameron)

By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND-When the Los Angeles Chargers and the Oakland Raiders get together on the football field, you know it is going to be a battle to the end.

Well, this most definitely came down to the end, as Nick Novak kicked a 32-yard field goal with no time remaining in the game and the Chargers defeated the Raiders 17-16 before a crowd of 54,685 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Novak’s game-winning field goal came after Marquette King pinned the Chargers on their eight-yard line after a 58-yard punt.

On the first play of the drive, Phiilp Rivers found tight end Hunter Henry for a 34-yard pass play out to the Chargers 42-yard line. After a two-yard run by Melvin Gordon, it was the combo of Rivers and Henry once again, as Rivers found the big tight end for a 23-yard pass play out to the Raiders 33-yard line and put the Chargers into field goal range.

Gordon, who was terrific both on the ground and catching the ball, gained seven yards and brought the game to the two-minute warning.

Following the two-minute warning, Gordon became the bell cow, as he carried the ball on four straight possessions all the way down to the Raiders 10-yard line.

After two kneel downs by Rivers, Novak, who missed a 48-yard field goal on the Chargers second series of the game kicked the game-winner and sent them to their second straight win and the reeling Raiders to their fourth straight defeat.

Rivers was terrific on the afternoon, as he 25-for-36 for 268 yards passing and a touchdown to Gordon.

As for Gordon, he carried the ball 25 times for 83 yards and a touchdown, and he also caught nine passes for 67 yards and a touchdown.

“He’s a good running back, but it wasn’t nothing we couldn’t handle. They just got the best of us,” said David Amerson.

After missing just one game with multiple broken bones in his back, Derek Carr returned to the starting lineup for the Raiders.

In his return to the lineup, Carr went 21-for-30 for 171 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

Carr gave the Raiders an early 7-0 lead, as he found Michael Crabtree for a 23-yard touchdown pass that saw Crabtree hit the pylon as he scored.

“Specifically, on Derek, I thought he did OK. It’s good to have him back, I know that. He missed threw a couple of things, but I thought for the most part he was fairly sharp,” said Jack Del Rio.

Crabtree ended the day with six catches for 52 yards, while Amari Cooper broke out of his slump, as he caught five passes for 28 yards.

Cordarelle Patterson caught one pass for five yards, but it was his 47-yard touchdown run on an end around with 7:51 remaining in the game that gave the Raiders a 16-14 lead; however, rookie Giorgio Tavecchio missed the extra point, as Jon Condo’s snap was high and that missed extra point was huge in the outcome of the game.

Tavecchio gave the Raiders a 10-7 lead at the half, as he nailed a 44-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.

After a scoreless third quarter, the Chargers took their first lead of the game, as Gordon scored on a six-yard pass from Rivers that gave them a 14-10 lead.

That lead lasted all of two minutes and 28 seconds, as Patterson scored on a 47-yard touchdown run that brought Raider Nation to their feet.

Unfortunately, in the end, it was the Novak field goal in the final seconds that doomed the Raiders and sent them to their fourth straight defeat.

NOTES: After a short week, the Raiders return to the Coliseum field on Thursday night, as they take on the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Chargers return to Los Angeles, and will face the Denver Broncos on October 22 at Stubhub Center.

These two teams will meet on December 31 at the Stubhub Center in the regular season finale for both teams.

Oakland Raiders Podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Carr to start Sunday will be watched carefully by coaches and medical staff/ Game could be move to LA due to poor air quality

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USA Today file photo: Oakland Raiders Jon Feliciano (76) will be starting at right guard on Sunday in place of injured Gabe Jackson

Oakland Raiders Podcast with J Hawkes:

1 The Raiders right guard Gabe Jackson will be sitting out due to a foot injury for this Sunday’s game in Oakland. Raiders offensive coordinator Todd Downing  who said he will be going with Jon Feliciano who will be in Jackson’s place.

2 Downing said that Feliciano has well rounded ability to not only fill in for Jackson but also he can play back up center

3 Feliciano played a key role in helping Oakland’s running game as the Raiders gained 100 yards for the first time in three weeks

4 Raiders quarterback Derek Carr is expected to start on Sunday against the LA Chargers. The Raiders will be monitoring Carr’s health status (injured back) and see if he can throw the whole game.

5 Air quality monitored game could move to LA: NFL spokesman Michael Signora said the league is monitoring the air quality for this Sunday’s upcoming game with the Chargers and Raiders. Signora said that the league is monitoring how bad the smoke from the Napa/Sonoma fire is and according to J Hawkes the air quality in Oakland is just plain bad for breathing.

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