Category: Oakland Raiders

Raiders, Chargers get set for battle in San Diego

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — With the losing streak (dating back to last season) reaching 15 games, the Silver & Black will look to end the continuous losing as they head to San Diego for an AFC West battle with the Chargers Sunday. Kickoff is at 1:05 p.m. PDT.

Oakland (0-9), were demolished at home by the reigning AFC Champion Denver Broncos 41-17 in Week 10. Offensively, the Raiders were in a funk, finishing with 222 total yards and 10 first downs while only managing to convert 5-of-18 (27%) on third down.

Raiders signal caller Derek Carr struggled, completing 30-of-47 passes for 192 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. According to CSNCalifornia.com Raiders Insider, Scott Bair, the coaching staff thought about pulling Carr in the fourth quarter with the game out of hand.

“I should be out there no matter what, good, bad or ugly,” Carr said. “For a long time, it was ugly. For me, it was really important to continue to finish. I’m all about finishing, so it was really important to me to go out there and finish. I’m glad that they kept their guys in, because I would have been mad if they weren’t. I wanted to go out there and compete one last time and just try and correct the things we’d been trying to correct all game.”

Defensively, Oakland showed a glimmer of hope early in the game forcing two turnovers (both interceptions) off of Broncos’ quarterback Peyton Manning that helped Oakland take a 10-6 lead in the second quarter. But, it was short-lived.

Manning regrouped and took apart Oakland’s 24th ranked defense, tossing for 340 yards and five touchdowns while completing 31-0f-44 passes.

“They’re looking for the gold at the end of the rainbow and it hasn’t been there,” Oakland’s interim head coach Tony Sparano said after the game. “We have to stay the course and believe in the things that we’re doing and we’re getting better as a football team. I know this is not an indicator of that.”

Sunday won’t get any easier for Oakland, especially against a Chargers team that are coming off an embarrassing 37-0 Week 9 drubbing at the hands of the Miami Dolphins in South Florida.

San Diego (5-4), are looking to complete a sweep of the season series over Oakland. The Bolts defeated the Raiders, 31-28 in Oakland on Oct. 12. Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns.

For the season, Rivers has 20 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. It is Rivers’ ninth consecutive season with at least 20 touchdown passes.

Players to Watch

Oakland, LB, Sio Moore. Moore has emerged as one of the few bright spots on a Raiders defense that has been bitten hard by the injury bug. The second-year outside linebacker is tied with teammate Miles Burris for the team lead with 61 tackles. Moore recorded seven tackles in the Week 6 loss to the Chargers.

San Diego, RB, Branden Oliver. Oliver torpedoed the Raiders back in Week 6, rushing for 101 yards on 26 carries including the game-winning one-yard touchdown run with 1:56 left to play.

 

Manning dismantles Raiders

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By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND-After a tough start to his afternoon against the Oakland Raiders, Peyton Manning showed he is one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play in the National Football League.

In less than 17 minutes of play, Manning threw five touchdown passes and the Denver Broncos came back from a early 10-6 deficit to defeat the Raiders 41-17 at the Coliseum.

With the loss, the Raiders have now lost 15 games in a row, with their last win coming against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium on November 17, 2013.

Early on, when he was not looking good, Manning threw two interceptions; however they all changed when Manning found former CAL star C.J. Anderson on a short pass that Anderson turned into a 51-yard touchdown pass that gave the Broncos the lead for good at 13-10.

Both Emmanuel Sanders and Julius Sanders reeled in two touchdowns each for the Broncos, who bounced back from against the New England Patriots with a convincing win over their longtime rivals.

Only playing three quarters, Manning went 31-for-44 for 340 yards.

Anderson finished the afternoon with 90 yards on the ground, and 73 thru the air, while Demaryius Thomas caught 11 passes for 108 yards.

Derek Carr threw the ball 47 times on the afternoon, completing 30 of them for 192 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

The Raiders run game was non-existent, as a team they carried the ball a total of 15 times for 30 yards rushing.

Darren McFadden led the Raiders with 14 yards rushing on seven carries, while Maurice Jones-Drew carried the ball three times for just 10 yards.

When Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 41-yard field on the Raiders first possession of the game, it was the Raiders first lead over the Broncos since Tim Tebow was the Broncos quarterback during the 2011 season.

Raiders commentary: Lack of experienced guys will have to step up when Broncos come calling Sunday

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by David Zizmor

ALAMEDA–We’ve been saying it for weeks now that the Oakland Raiders (0-8) despite their last four straight loses look a little more confident in themselves and that has a lot to do with the change in the coaching staff. Whatever former head coach Dennis Allen was doing it wasn’t sticking and whatever Allen was doing on game day wasn’t meshing with what they were doing during the week.

A lot of what we heard that was going on amongst the Raiders coaching staff during the Allen reign is that they would plan to do one thing during the week and then when things went south on game day they would completely switch up and move onto something that they haven’t prepared for. This is one of the reasons why they looked so bad.

What the Raiders are doing now is their putting together their game plans and their sticking to their game plans this is not a particularily difficult concept but you’d be surprised at how many coaches don’t do that. There’s a time and place for going off script but to do it consistantly when things go awry and that’s kind of a recipe for failure which the Raiders were doing.

The big problems that the Raiders have beyond the coaching staff is the talent level on the team. You really got to squeeze hard to get talent out of these guys because their just not that talented of a group. The free agents that the Raiders signed in the off season really haven’t been major contributors LaMarr Woodly and Justin Tuck two guys who have had a lot of past success under their belt.

Woodly and Tuck were expected to come in and provide leadership and contribute quite a bit on the field they just haven’t done that. That’s left a lot of playing time for younger guys who are inexperienced and that are not just as particularily talented. The Raiders are trying to find guys they could go forward with it’s not just next week or next season but for the future.

We keep saying Khalil Mack right linebacker he’s the most obvious pick and you might look at Sio Moore at linebacker but there’s not a ton of talent from this team that would start on other teams in the NFL. It’s just that simple. The Raiders have to face Denver this week, the Broncos are coming off a big loss to the New England Patriots in a nationally televised game.

That was one of the worst games that Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has played as a Bronco during the regular season. The Raiders and the Broncos they don’t like each other and the Broncos are a very talented team and their not going to come into Oakland caring whether the Raiders have done anything last week and their coming into the Coliseum looking to put their stamp on this team and reassert themselves after the drubbing they took last week.

David Zizmor covers the NFL for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

photo credit: sjmercurynews.com

49ers commentary: Which 49ers team will show up this Sunday?

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by David Zizmor

SANTA CLARA–The San Francisco 49ers after their bye week on October 26th got some rest for the players who were injured and who came back. They were looking like they were coming back and they just beat the Rams on October 13th 31-17 which was on Monday Night Football. So at that point there was no way to anticipate that the 49ers would be in the middle of a struggle.

I looked at the 49ers last game they looked really bad and the offensive line in particular was terrific but at the same time the Niners were bad. While the 49ers are not a Super Bowl team this season but they haven’t looked anywhere close to looking that bad either. The way the defense performed it was disappointing, but the offense was not that bad.

When it comes down to it they were facing a team that had a very good coach last Sunday in the Rams Jeff Fisher whom they played twice a year and the Rams didn’t win by much 13-10 in their last meeting. They came into that game having somewhat of an idea of what to expect. The Rams are not somewhat familar with the 49ers even though they play them twice in the last few seasons.

The Niners have to feel somewhat embarrassed for last week and a lot of times it happens. When you get embarrassed one week a lot of times you come back with a wake up call and the following week you come back. If anyone remembers back in the 1994 Super Bowl season for the 49ers they had a fantastic team but in week four the Niners had a humiliating loss to the Eagles they lost to them 41-8.

Not only was the score awful former 49ers head coach head coach George Siefert pulled out starter Steve Young out with eight minutes left in the game. Young was not pulled out for the last play but the last eight minutes. Young was so livid over that decision he was seen on the sidelines shouting, screaming, and yelling at Siefert they just went balistic.

After that game the Niners got everything together and just went on a tear through the league then they won the Super Bowl. I’m not saying the Niners are going to win the Super Bowl that certainly is a possibility but this team is not as bad as it looked last week. With the offensive line you had to look at the tape and you figure what they did wrong and they need to get themselves together.

Let’s face it they faced a team that haven’t been amazing this year but they have a decent defense and New Orleans does not. While the Superdome is certainly a difficult place to play when the Niners went there before. 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has been there before and they feel like they can get around the dome. It’s not going to be an easy game on Sunday but they put together the offense because they’ve been playing quite well in past weeks.

David Zizmor covers the NFL for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

photo credit: google images

Looking for win No. 1, Raiders host Manning, Broncos Sunday

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — After a hard-fought 30-24 loss to the reigning Super Bowl Champion Seahawks in Seattle in Week 9 that dropped Oakland to a league-worst 0-8, the Silver & Black will have a tougher time trying to grab win No. 1 when their AFC West rival, the Denver Broncos, roll into Oakland for a Sunday tilt at O.co Coliseum.

Kickoff is at 1:05 p.m. PDT and can be seen locally on television in the Bay Area on CBS/KPIX Channel 5, and can be heard on KGMZ 95.7 the Game.

Offensively, Oakland has had it’s problems running the ball this year, averaging a league-worst 66.1 yards per game and have scored only two rushing touchdowns. Running back Darren McFadden has both touchdowns on the ground.

Quarterback Derek Carr completed 24-of-41 passes for 195 yards, throwing two touchdowns and two interceptions, one of those interceptions was returned 35 yards by linebacker Bruce Irvin for a touchdown that pushed Seattle’s lead to 14-3 in the first quarter. Carr’s second interception was made by Pro Bowl cornerback, Richard Sherman toward the end of the first half.

“This thing is starting to turn,” interim Oakland coach Tony Sparano said after the Silver & Black’s 14th straight loss dating back to last season. “We’re playing better and better here as we go on. We’ve just got to get all phases to play better, so that we can get the feeling of what it’s like to be in their locker room right now.”

Defensively, the Raiders surrendered 326 yards of total offense and held Oakland native Marshawn Lynch to just 67 yards rushing, but it was Lynch’s powerful three-yard touchdown run in the first quarter where he bulldozed his way into the end zone that still have fans talking.

Lynch added another touchdown in the second quarter that gave Seattle a 21-6 lead at halftime.

With a banged up secondary (cornerbacks Carlos Rogers, D.J. Hayden, Chimdi Chekwa and T.J. Carrie all didn’t practice Thursday), Oakland could definitely be in for a rough Sunday afternoon against future Hall of Fame quarterback, Peyton Manning and the fifth-ranked Denver Broncos offense.

Manning and the Broncos (6-2) are coming off an embarrassing 43-21 loss on the road against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Foxborough last Sunday, and Manning was critical of his play after the game.

“Well, I don’t usually stink, but I stunk today,” said Manning. “I don’t make any excuses.”

The Broncos signal caller completed 34-of-57 passes for 438 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions, but the Broncos were done in by Brady’s four touchdown passes and Julian Edelman’s 84-yard punt return for a touchdown.

If Manning thought his performance against the Patriots was terrible, then Oakland is expected to see an “ugly” Manning performance on Sunday.

In two victories over the Raiders last season, Manning completed 87 percent (57-of-65) passes for 640 yards (2nd only to the 726 yards passing against Kansas City in two games last year) and seven touchdowns (tied for most after Manning’s seven touchdown performance in Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens) according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Players to Watch

Oakland, FS, Charles Woodson. Woodson is still playing at a high level, leading a Raiders’ secondary that has been decimated by injuries this year. Now in his 17th season, Woodson leads the team with two interceptions, and is tied for third with 50 tackles.

Don’t forget, Woodson beat out Manning for the Heisman Trophy in 1997, but Manning was drafted ahead of Woodson No. 1 overall to Indianapolis, while Woodson went to Oakland at No. 4 that year.

Denver, WR, Emmanuel Sanders. Everyone knows Demaryius Thomas (third in the NFL among wide receivers with 54 catches for 894 yards and six touchdowns). Get to know Sanders.

After spending his first four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sanders is off a great start to in his first year in the Mile High City. Sanders hauled in 10 catches on 16 targets for 151 yards against the Patriots, after torching the San Diego Chargers for nine catches on nine targets for 120 yards in Denver’s 35-21 victory.

San Antonio Raiders?

Per Raiders Insider CSNCalifornia.com’s Scott Bair, the San Antonio News reported Thursday that a group led by former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros are heading to the Bay Area to gauge team owner Mark Davis about moving to the Alamo City.

The News Express reports that Raiders officials toured the Alamodome and deemed NFL-ready and usable while a new stadium is built.

“We’re going to present San Antonio’s strengths and assets in the most persuasive way possible,” Cisneros told the newspaper. “We have a very, very good opportunity to set it forth in a way the Raiders can digest.”

Stay tuned.

 

 

 

 

 

Raiders commentary: Heading to Seattle 0-7 all the Raiders might remember of this trip is the 12th man ringing in their ears

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by David Zizmor

ALAMEDA–The Oakland Raiders have to travel up to Seattle to face the World Champion Seahawks this Sunday and to play in one of the most difficult stadiums in all of the NFL to win at Century Link Field. The Hawks are a little pissed off because they’ve been slumping of late. The Hawks are in second in the NFC West and the Raiders are looking for a win.

This meeting with Oakland couldn’t have come at a better time for Seattle and it couldn’t come at a worse time for the Raiders. The Raiders really don’t need difficult games and they need an easy game but they really don’t have any left on the schedule until maybe late in the year.

Looking at the Raiders their 0-7 and last week’s game against the Browns looked to be an opportunity for the Raiders to win, it wasn’t a sure thing but Cleveland is a slightly lesser opponent than some of the teams the Raiders have coming up one their schedule. The Raiders laid an egg they stayed close a little bit but Cleveland pulled away late.

Here the Raiders go on the road to Seattle and the Raiders have really struggled on the road and they haven’t won on the road in more than a year. The Raiders have a really bad losing streak going right now and Seattle is not a place where you would expect them to break that streak.

I know I might sound a like a broken record and I say this each week but this is not a good raiders team. It’s kind of a bad reflection on former head coach Dennis Allen’s coaching ability up to this point and of course he’s not with the team anymore. Allen as the head coach helped dig the hole that got them into this winless position before Tony Sparano took over.

It’s also a poor reflection on Raider general manager Reggie McKenzie and his ability to build a roster. For the three years the Raiders have been trying to tear this team down and they’ve tried to build this team up into something resembling a competitive franchise. The Raiders really haven’t done that, their first round pick Kahlil Mack looks like he’s a keeper.

Quarterback Derrick Carr seems to be a decent quarterback for the future to the point the Raiders might not have to consider taking one of next year’s draft. Besides those guys there’s not a lot of talent. There’s not a lot of above average talent. You can’t win in the NFL if you don’t have impact players on either side of the ball.

David Zizmor covers the NFL for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

photo credit: google image

Oakland to face tough test in Seattle for win No. 1

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Still in search of win No. 1 this season, the Oakland Raiders heads to the Pacific Northwest Sunday to face the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. Kickoff is at 1:25 p.m. PDT.

The Silver & Black are coming off a disappointing 23-13 Week 8 loss to the Browns in Cleveland.

Raiders (0-7) quarterback Derek Carr completed 34-of-54 passes for 328 yards and a touchdown with 7 seconds left in the game, but three costly turnovers (highlighted by running back Darren McFadden’s third quarter fumble) that sealed Oakland’s 13th straight loss dating back to last season.

Worse, it was Oakland’s 16th straight loss in the Eastern time zone dating back to 2009.

“Anytime you come out on the road and you turn the ball over three times, you’re not going to win,” interim coach Tony Sparano said. “You’re not going to win anywhere.”

Seattle (4-3), are coming off a tough 13-9 victory over the Carolina Panthers, led by quarterback Russell Wilson.

Wilson didn’t have the greatest of games (completing 20-of-32 passes for 199 yards and an interception), but engineered a nine-play, 80-yard drive, that ended with a 23-yard touchdown strike to tight end Luke Wilson (no relation) down the middle of the field with 47 seconds left to play in the game.

“He truly is an extraordinary player in the fourth quarter,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “He finds a way to make the play that we need to make.”

The victory snapped a two-game losing streak for Seattle.

Oakland’s 31st ranked offense  will need to limit the turnovers against a Seahawks defense that ranks 5th overall in total defense if they even think about having a horse racer’s chance at knocking off Seattle at CenturyLink Field. The Silver & Black have only gotten into the red zone 11 times all year, so scoring opportunities need to be taken advantage by Carr and the offense.

This is the defending Super Bowl champs at their house with great players all over the field. It’ll be a challenge and something I’m looking forward to.”

Players to Watch

Oakland – QB, Derek Carr – There is no question that all eyes will be on Carr Sunday facing the “Legion of Boom” and the 12th Man. Carr will need to get the ball out quick against a Seahawks defense that rotates its defense line a bunch, but be smart when passing the football with cornerback Richard Sherman and free safety Earl Thomas lurking.

Seattle – SS – Kam Chancellor – The days of “Enforcer” safety may be coming to an end with the new league rules on player safety, but don’t tell that to Chancellor. The 6’3″, 232-pound Chancellor is an intimidating player that relishes at delivering big (mostly legal) hits to anyone who comes across the middle.

 

 

 

 

Raiders nipped by Browns, remain winless

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Turnovers loom large in Oakland’s loss at Cleveland

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

CLEVELAND — Brian Hoyer completed 19-of-28 passes for 275 yards and a touchdown, as the Cleveland Browns forced three turnovers to upend the Oakland Raiders 23-13 Sunday afternoon in Week 8 action.

Andrew Hawkins caught a game-high seven passes for 88 yards, including a four-yard touchdown pass from Hoyer to push Cleveland’s lead, 16-6 at 14:51 mark in the fourth quarter.

Browns’ strong safety Donte Whitner leveled Raiders’ running back Darren McFadden late in the third quarter, forcing McFadden to fumble which was recovered by cornerback Joe Haden to give Cleveland the ball clinging to a 9-6 lead. Haden led Cleveland with eight tackles.

Running back Ben Tate finished with 15 carries for 26 yards and a touchdown for Cleveland (4-3), who bounced back after falling to the Jaguars 24-6, in Jacksonville in Week 7. Cleveland was horrendous on third down, converting 2-of-12 opportunities, while gaining 15 first downs.

Paul Kruger sacked Raiders quarterback Derek Carr three times, and recorded a forced fumble.

Oakland (0-7) have now lost their 13 straight game dating back to last season, but this loss is tough to swallow.

Whenever Carr wasn’t under pressure, he actually threw the ball well, completing 34-of-54 passes for 328 and a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Andre Holmes in the fourth quarter to make the score 23-13.  Oakland controlled the time of possession, 34:52 to 25:08, but fumbled the ball four times, two by Carr.

The Raiders’ 32nd ranked running attack had its moments, but still couldn’t muster its first 100-yard runner of the season with the aforementioned McFadden finishing with 59 rushing yards on 12 carries. Oakland ran the ball early well in the game, but appeared to abandon the run as Cleveland’s defense started to clamp down as the game wore on.

With Cleveland leading 3-0 in the first quarter and Oakland’s opening drive stalled, the Raiders outsmarted themselves by faking a field goal that lead to place kick holder Matt Schaub throwing an interception to Browns safety Tashaun Gipson.

That was the sign of things to come for Oakland who remains 0-for-2014, and may have squandered one of their best chances to win a football game this season.

The Silver & Black continue their two-game road trip with a voyage to the Pacific Northwest to take on the Super Bowl Champion, Seattle Seahawks in Week 9.

Seattle gritted out a 13-9 victory over the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte Sunday to improve to 4-3 behind quarterback Russell Wilson’s 20-of-32 passing for 199 yards, one touchdown and one interception performance.

Coupled that with games divisional games against Denver, San Diego, and Kansas City, Oakland could be 0-11 by Thanksgiving.

Defensively, linebackers Sio Moore and Miles Burris each recorded nine tackles to lead Oakland.

 

 

 

Raiders commentary: Oakland looking for that first victory against Hoyer and the Browns

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by David Zizmor

ALAMEDA–The Cleveland Browns (3-3) have been okay this year that’s saying something good about the Browns because they always find a way to mess things up. They had a decent run this year, they really have a strong offensive line. They added running back Ben Tate from free agency he’s been a pretty strong running back. The Browns have tight end Jordan Cameron whose been dinged up a bit the real surprise has been quarterback the starter Brian Hoyer a former Ohio State quarterback a local guy.

Fans really love to see Hoyer do well as he’s a former Ohio Buckeye and he’s starting for the Browns. Hoyer has been surprsingly good, he’s not a guy whose going to go to the Pro Bowl but this is a guy whose not getting the minimum salary per year but he’s one of the lowest paid quarterbacks in the NFL.

He’s been pretty successful because he doesn’t have much of a track record and the guy everyone thought Hoyer would be throwing to is the best receiver in football Josh Gordon whose been suspended all year. Gordon hasn’t been on the field yet and he won’t be back until mid November. The Browns have a serviceable offense and they have some pretty good guys on defense.

There still the Cleveland Browns there’s always somnething going on, they seemed to look good for a couple weeks and then they take two steps forward and then they take one step back, then they take one step forward and take two steps back. They find a way to disappoint everyone in Cleveland which as far as Cleveland sports teams go this is par for the course.

This is a team that the Oakland Raiders (0-6) are capable of beating, the Browns aren’t so good that they could just assume their going to win. The Raiders as we’ve seen in the last few weeks have been making these games competitive and staying in these games late. You saw it a couple of weeks ago against the Chargers they took San Diego right to the limit.

The Chargers won only on a field goal, with Arizona they had a little bit of an easier time and the Raiders were only one score behind at the beginning of the fourth quarter they were hanging in there. The problem is the Raiders are always going to have is they just don’t have the talent. So it’s really about working hard avoiding mistakes, avoiding penalties and if they can do that they can hang in some of these games.

Cleveland isn’t so talented that their going to blow the Raiders off the field so that helps, the Raiders will have to play a really, really good game this Sunday and on the road and a place to win like Cleveland that’s always going to be difficult. They can pull it off and they have to avoid any mistakes and they have to have really good games with their skill guys.

David Zizmor covers the NFL for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

photo credit: google images

Raiders fly to Cleveland with Sunday date with Browns

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Still in search of win No. 1 on the season, the Silver and Black head to Cleveland to take on the up-and-down Browns Sunday. The game can be seen locally in the Bay Area on CBS/KPIX Channel 5 at 1:25 p.m. PDT.

Quarterback Derek Carr completed 16-of-28 passes for 173 yards, with no touchdowns and no interceptions, in Oakland’s 24-13 loss to the visiting Arizona Cardinals last Sunday at O.co Coliseum.

Scoring-wise, Oakland was led by two Sebastian Janikowski  field goals and a one-yard touchdown run by running back, Darren McFadden. McFadden rushed for 48 yards on 14 carries, leading the Raiders’ ground game.

Defensively, free safety Charles Woodson recorded his 58th career interception, and rookie linebacker Khalil Mack led the team with a game-high 10 tackles (1 assisted),  but Oakland never seemed to get on track against Arizona.

Outside of strong safety Usama Young’s sack, Palmer threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns on 22-of-31 completions. Not only did Oakland lose their 12th straight game dating back to last season, but loss key pieces to their defenses.

The aforementioned Young tore his ACL and MCL in his left knee and, starting defensive end LaMarr Woodley tore his biceps. Both players are going to be lost for the season, adding to Oakland’s dreadful season that just gets bleaker by the minute.

At 0-6, Oakland is off to its worst start in 52 years.

But could Sunday’s trek to Northeast Ohio be Oakland’s best chance at securing their first win of the season?

At 3-3 in a hotly contested AFC North, the Cleveland Browns are an enigma.

A team that throttled the Pittsburgh Steelers at home 31-10 in Week 6 behind quarterback Brian Hoyer’s 217 passing yards and a touchdown, Cleveland looked horrible in a 24-6 loss in Week 7 at winless Jacksonville. The Browns were 0-of-2 from inside the red zone for the game and

Cleveland is one of those teams that makes you want to believe in them and take them as a serious playoff contender this year, but wets the bed against a team that on paper, they should’ve beaten.

Jacksonville rookie running back Denard Robinson steamrolled Cleveland’s 32nd ranked rushing defense for 127 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown.

Oakland’s 32nd ranked rushing offense should be chomping at the bit ready to run the ball Sunday.

Something has to give right?

Players to Watch

Oakland: RB, Darren McFadden – Toss in McFadden’s backfield mate, Maurice Jones-Drew as well. The playbook should be run heavy against the Browns and both McFadden and Jones-Drew should find running lanes against a porous Cleveland run defense.

Cleveland: WR, Travis Benjamin – With Cleveland’s passing game just ho-hum on the outside without dynamic wide receiver Josh Gordon (suspension), Benjamin and speedy WR Andrew Hawkins have provided the Browns a tourniquet at the position. Hawkins leads Cleveland in catches (29) and receiving yards (382), while Benjamin leads the team with three touchdown catches.