Tag: Derek Carr

Raiders head to Mile High for regular season finale

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

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OAKLAND — After dispatching the visiting Buffalo Bills 26-24 at O.co Coliseum in Week 16 behind two touchdown passes from rookie quarterback Derek Carr and four field goals from Sebastian Janikowski and extending the Bills playoff drought to 15 years, the Raiders travel to Denver Sunday to take on the AFC West champion Broncos in both team’s regular season finale.

Oakland (3-12) dominated the time of possession over the Bills (8-7), 33:47 to 26:13, and rushing yards, 140 to 13.

After starting the season 0-10, the Raiders are 3-2 in their last five games with victories over Kansas City, San Francisco, and now, Buffalo.

“I can’t say enough good things about this team,” interim coach Tony Sparano said. “I love the guys in that locker room. They’re fighters. Anytime somebody counts them out, they bounce back. It’s a great sign of character.”

Defensively, Oakland got key contributions from middle linebacker Miles Burris, who recorded a team-high nine tackles (4 solo) and cornerback D.J. Hayden, who had six tackles.

With Oakland trailing Buffalo, 7-0 in the second quarter behind Bills rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins’ 42-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter and Buffalo driving into Oakland’s territory, veteran safety Charles Woodson out-muscled Bills tight end Scott Chandler for the ball to record his 60th career interception. Woodson’s interception, proved to be the play that provided Oakland with the momentum to carry them through the rest of the game.

“This team has never really gotten down to the point where we were ready to give up,” safety Woodson said. “It’s always been an upbeat attitude with the guys on the team, and it shows out there each week.”

There is no doubt that Woodson has played at high level this year at age 38, leading the team in tackles (106) and interceptions (4), to go along with eight pass defensed and a sack.

Woodson, along with rookie linebacker Khalil Mack (tied for the team lead with four sacks), were named as alternates in the upcoming Pro Bowl. According to Pro Football Focus, Mack rates as the the best 4-3 outside linebacker in the NFL.

Fullback Marcel Reece was named a starter for the Pro Bowl, his third overall.

Denver is coming off gut-punching 37-28 loss in Cincinnati before a national televised audience where quarterback Peyton Manning threw a season-high four interceptions.

“I shouldn’t have thrown it,” said Manning, who was 28 of 44 for 311 yards with two touchdowns. “Four interceptions, you’re not going to beat many good football teams.”

With the loss, Denver (11-4) are locked in as the No. 2 seed as New England wrapped up home-field advantage throughout the AFC Playoffs. Denver also failed to clinch a first-round bye.

 Players to Watch

Oakland, QB, Derek Carr

There is no doubt that Carr is the Raiders’ quarterback of the future, and his play has definitely gotten better as the season gone on. Carr leads all rookie quarterbacks in passing yards (3,112) and touchdown passes (20). If it weren’t for Cincinnati rookie running back Jeremy Hill (199 carries, 1,024 rushing yards, 9 TDs) and New York Giants’ rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (79 catches, 1,120 receiving yards, 11 TDs) Carr would be walking away with the NFL Rookie of the Year award.

Denver, QB, Peyton Manning

Manning appeared mortal against Cincinnati with his season-high four interceptions, prompting many pundits to question whether Manning was injured. The Bengals was up in the future Hall of Famer’s grill, confusing Manning with an array of pressuring blitzes and knocking him down throughout the game. Rarely does Manning play poorly in back-to-back weeks and with the playoffs just one week away, one will expect Manning to have a bounce back performance. In Denver’s 41-17 demolishing over Oakland in Week 10, Manning threw for 340 and five touchdowns.

Raiders to host Bills in home finale

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Raider Nation will get to see their team at home for the last time this season when the Silver & Black host the very tough Buffalo Bills Sunday at O.co Coliseum at 1:25pm PDT. Oakland looks to rebound from a 31-13 defeat to the Chiefs in Kansas City in Week 15.

Oakland battled Kansas City tough, trailing the Chiefs 10-6 early in the third quarter but the roof caved in on Oakland as Kansas scored three unanswered touchdowns.

Chiefs’ running back Knile Davis ran in a score from 3-yards out, then after a fumble by Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, quarterback Alex Smith found tight end Travis Kelce for a 20-yard touchdown. Then Smith hooked up with Davis on a quick go-route for a 70-yard touchdown that ended Oakland’s day.

“You just can’t blame one area,” Carr said after Oakland’s (2-12) 10th straight road loss. Oakland fell to 0-2 in Missouri this season, who were dusted 52-0 in St. Louis in Week 13 by the Rams.

Carr finished the day 27-of-56 for 222 yards passing, and one touchdown late in the fourth quarter when the game was out of hand. Oakland’s signal caller was sacked four times.

Buffalo (8-6) kept their AFC playoff hopes alive with a gut-wrenching 21-13 home victory over the Green Bay Packers, thanks in large part to the Bills’ fifth-ranked defense.

Bacarri Rambo came off the bench to replace backup safety Duke Williams and made life miserable for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, intercepting Rodgers twice on back to back drives, while defensive end Mario Williams forced a Rodgers’ fumble into the end zone for a safety with 1:51 left in the game.

Buffalo’s defense held Rodgers in check, limiting the Packers quarterback to 17-of-42 passing for 185 yards and the two interceptions.

“It was a testament to what we do,” said defensive tackle Kyle Williams after Buffalo’s win. “We’ve played against great quarterbacks, so the only expectation that we had was to play well and win a football game.”

Players to Watch

Buffalo, WRs, Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods

The Bills’ top pick in 2014 (No. 4 overall), has had a tremendous season for Buffalo leading the team in catches (59), yards (850), and touchdowns (5). His 14.4 yards-per-catch ranks in the Top-10 among rookie wide receivers.

Woods has taken some of the pressure off Watkins with his 54 catches, 608 yards receiving, and three touchdowns. If Oakland decides to double team Watkins, Woods could hurt the Silver & Black’s secondary.

Oakland, RB, Latavius Murray

Murray finished with just 12 carries for 52 yards on Sunday in Kansas City, but did have a nice 25-yard run after getting the start over running back Darren McFadden. Oakland must establish the run to support Carr and it starts with Murray, who has recorded 49 carries for 301 yards and two touchdowns this season. His 6.1 yards-per-carry are tops on the team.

 

 

Raiders off to KC looking for seconds

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — After a dominating performance on both sides of the ball in a 24-13 victory over their cross-bay rivals the San Francisco 49ers at O.co Coliseum last Sunday, the Raiders look to take that momentum into Kansas City Sunday against their arch rival the Chiefs.

Oakland (2-11) earned their first win of the season with a 24-20 victory over Kansas City in Week 12 at the Black Hole and would like nothing more to take the season series from the Chiefs.

Raiders’ signal caller Derek Carr played more like a 10-year veteran than a rookie, completing 22-of-28 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns against the 49ers No. 2 ranked defense that gave up two touchdown drives of 80 yards and rarely pressured Carr.

Carr completely outplayed 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who didn’t fair too well against a Raiders defense that sacked Kapernick five times, two apiece by rookie linebacker Khalil Mack and defensive tackle Antonio Smith.

“This week it was preached to us just how important this game was,” Smith said after the game. “This week more and more of us became true Raiders, knowing what the heritage is about, knowing what this game was about, how important it was to this city.”

Safety Charles Woodson sealed the victory (and possibly San Francisco’s playoff chances) in style with a fourth quarter interception.

Kansas City (7-6), are coming off close 17-14 loss to the Cardinals in Arizona last Sunday, their third straight loss dating back to their first encounter with Oakland on Nov. 20.

Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith completed 26-of-39 passes for 293 yards one touchdown and an interception. Running back  Jamaal Charles finished with 10 carries for 91 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown run. Charles’ second touchdown (an 18-yard toss from Smith), gave Kansas City a 14-6 halftime lead only to see the lead slip away.

Oakland could have some trouble against a Chiefs team that is No. 5 overall in defense, and No. 2 against the pass and who are desperate to end their three-game losing streak and stay afloat in a tight AFC playoff race.

Players to Watch

Kansas City, OLB, Justin Houston.

Houston has been nothing less then stellar for Kansas City this season. With 16 sacks (a career-high), Houston is tied with Baltimore outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil for the most in the NFL. The fourth-year pro from Georgia recorded a sack the last time Oakland saw Kansas City.

Oakland, QB, Derek Carr.

There is no question that Carr is Oakland’s quarterback for the next five-to-10 years. That should be music to the ears of Raider Nation, who’ve had 18 different starting quarterbacks since Rich Gannon in 2003. Carr leads all rookies in touchdown passes (17) and passing yards (2,676).

Raiders, 49ers play for Bay Area Bragging Rights

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Sunday’s “Battle of the Bay” match up between the 1-11 Oakland Raiders and 7-5 San Francisco 49ers will feature two teams who are very thirsty to get back into the win column as the season hits the fourth quarter.

The Raiders fell hard last week in St. Louis 52-0, their worst loss since 1961 where the Raiders fell to the Houston 55-0. That season, Oakland finished 2-12.

Quarterback Derek Carr had arguably his roughest day as a pro. The rookie signal finished 24-of-39 for 173 yards passing, with two interceptions, while being sacked by an aggressive Rams defense three times before being replaced by Matt Schaub in the fourth quarter.

Schaub didn’t fare to well either, finishing 5-of-9 for 57 yards passing, including an interception that was returned for a 43-yard touchdown by cornerback, Trumaine Johnson. Schaub was also sacked three times.

“It had nothing to do with what Derek did or didn’t do,” head coach Tony Sparano said after the game. “It was just the scenario. I had to be honest with myself at that point and take him out of the game and not risk him potentially getting hurt. I made the decision, and it was the right decision.”

“I was pretty hot,” Carr said after the game. “I was upset, but (Sparano) explained why. It’s hard, because I’m so competitive. I want to play. He explained we have to be smart, too, and understand we still have four games left. We can’t risk anything with the situation the way it was.”

Defensively, Oakland couldn’t stop a Rams rushing attack that ripped the Silver & Black for 172 yards on the ground, 117 of those rushing yards came from rookie running back, Tre Mason.

Mason’s 89-yard touchdown in the second quarter after a Rams’ false start penalty pretty much doomed Oakland’s day.

“I really don’t have any words to describe what this feels like,” defensive end Justin Tuck said. “If I sound dumbfounded, that’s because I am.”

After being considered a Super Bowl favorite the last three seasons during the Jim Harbaugh era, San Francisco is uncharted territory where they may not make the playoffs and a huge overall could be forthcoming at 4949 Centennial Boulevard in the offseason.

San Francisco is coming off an embarrassing 19-3 home loss on Thanksgiving Night to their bitter NFC West rival, the Super Bowl Champions Seattle Seahawks in front of a national televised audience.

49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick didn’t play well, completing 16-of-29 passes for a season-low 121 yards including two interceptions to 49ers’ nemesis, cornerback Richard Sherman. Sherman’s first interception came on San Francisco’s first possession and his second, came on the 49ers’ last possession.

“We didn’t play well,” Kaepernick said after the loss, “They were bad throws. Our receivers won. I didn’t make the throw on those. Those were my fault…We didn’t execute.”

With the pressure of winning ever increasing for Kaepernick and the 49ers, they better not take the Raiders lightly, even if the 49ers are considered the heavy favorites. Kansas City came to Oakland three weeks ago as heavy favorites and left O.co Coliseum on the short end.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the series is tied 6-6 in the regular season, but have met 39 times in the preseason with San Francisco holding a 20-19 record in those games.

Players to Watch

San Francisco, RB, Frank Gore. Gore is arguably the heartbeat of the 49ers. At 31 when the lifespan of an NFL running back is in decline, Gore is defying the odds rushing for a team-high 712 yards on 181 carries (on pace for his eighth 1,000 yard season; fourth straight), but is only averaging a career-worse 3.9 yards per carry with two touchdowns. With Gore only mustering 29 yards on the ground in the loss to Seattle, Gore should get a lot of carries against one of the worst run defenses in football.

Oakland, RB, Latavius Murray. Murray didn’t play in Oakland’s loss in St. Louis as Murray was recovering from a concussion he suffered in Oakland’s 24-20 victory over Kansas City in Week 12 at O.co Coliseum. Murray provides the Silver & Black with a faster ground game than what veterans Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden have provided Oakland this season.

 

Raiders look to make it two in a row, face Rams in St. Louis

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — No longer searching for the first win 2014, the Raiders will look to pick up their second win of the season as they hit the road to St. Louis to take on the Rams Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome. Kickoff is set for noon CST (10:00 a.m. PST) and can be seen locally on CBS/KPIX 5.

Oakland (1-10) took down their AFC West rival Kansas City Chiefs 24-20 last Thursday in front of a nationally televised audience to kickoff Week 12. With the win, Oakland snapped a 16-game losing streak dating back to last season.

Offensively, quarterback Derek Carr put the Raiders on his back. The rookie signal caller engineered a 17-play, 80-yard, game-winning drive that ended with Carr tossing a nine-yard touchdown to wide receiver James Jones. The drive chewed up 7:21 of the fourth quarter.

Carr finished the game 18-of-35 for 172 yards.

“Amazing. Hopefully there’s many more to come,” Carr said after Oakland’s victory, “because I like this feeling better than the other one, that’s for sure. I’m glad that this finally came. I’ll be able to enjoy it.”

The Silver & Black’s poor rushing attack got a huge boost from Latavius Murray. Murray rushed for 112 yards with two first quarter touchdowns, one from 9o-yards out that gave Oakland a 14-3 lead in the second quarter. The second-year running back was knocked out of the game with a concussion on his fourth carry, so who knows what numbers Murray would’ve finished with if he could’ve stayed in the game.

Defensively, Oakland was led by their 38-year-old leader free safety Charles Woodson.

Woodson, finished second on the team with seven tackles (one assisted) and  a sack, becoming the first person in NFL history with 50 interceptions and 20 sacks. The 17-year veteran from Michigan was also named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.

St. Louis (4-7), are coming off a heartbreaking 27-24 loss to the San Diego Chargers last week on the road where the Rams squandered a 17-6 third quarter lead.

Rams quarterback Shaun Hill completed 18-of-36 passes for 198 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

Rookie running back finished with 62 yards on 16 carries, after beating up the Denver Broncos for 113 yards yards on 29 carries for a Rams 22-7 victory in Week 11 at home.

Offensively, St. Louis doesn’t score many points, only averaging 19 points per game. But where the Rams lack in offense, their defense can get after the quarterback and make tackles.

Defensive end Robert Quinn leads the team with six sacks, but rookie defensive tackle Aaron Donald is second with five sacks.

Quinn has a knack for getting to quarterbacks, after registering two of the eight Rams’ sacks on San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback Colin Kaepernick in St. Louis’ 13-10 victory in Week 9.

Oakland should not sleep on Rams linebackers James Laurinaitis and Alec Ogletree.

These two linebackers are always around the ball and are sure tacklers, with Ogletree leading the club with 75 tackles (68 assisted), while Laurinaitis is second with 70 (59 assisted).

Players to Watch

Oakland, RB, Latavius Murray. If Murray is able to be cleared to play Sunday, he has to be in the starting lineup. Murray clearly has added life to a morbid running game that was getting absolutely nothing from Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden. Again if Murray didn’t take a nasty hit from Chiefs free safety Kurt Coleman in the second quarter, Murray might still be running through Kansas City.

St. Louis, TE, Jared Cook. Cook leads the Rams with 37 catches and 473 yards, but just one touchdown. The Rams like using two tight end sets, so keep an eye on backup tight end, Lance Kendricks. Kendricks may just have 22 catches on the season, but he leads the Rams with four touchdown catches.

 

 

0-10 Raiders host Chiefs Thursday in primetime

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — With Derek Carr limited in practice with a quad injury, along with several players dealing with injuries, the Raiders will have to get healthy in a hurry with the Kansas City Chiefs coming to town for Thursday Night Football to kickoff Week 12. This will be the first time that the two AFC West rivals have seen each other this season when the ball kicks off at 5:25 p.m. PDT at O.co Coliseum.

The Raiders are coming off a tough 13-6 loss to another AFC West rival, the San Diego Chargers in Week 11 where the defense harassed Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers all day, even injuring the Chargers signal caller at one point.

Rookie linebacker Khalil Mack recorded his first career sack, one of two on the day (the other by defensive tackle Antonio Smith, his first as a member of the Silver & Black).

Safety Charles Woodson led the team in tackles with 11 (three assisted), and Oakland’s 32nd ranked defense kept the Chargers’ 17th ranked offense at bay yielding only 300 yards of total offense, and one touchdown (a Rivers 22-yard toss to wide receiver Malcolm Floyd on the Chargers third play from scrimmage following a Carr fumble).

But, the offense couldn’t muster any type of chemistry.

Carr played a mediocre game, completing just 16-of-34 passes for 172 yards and couldn’t get the Raiders into the end zone. Oakland managed just three first downs and had four 3-and-outs in the first half. Matter of fact, Oakland didn’t get into the red zone until 5:05 left in the fourth quarter, but came up empty what essentially would be the final drive of the game.

The running game? Well, the running game was still a no show with the exception of running back Latavius Murray.

Murray showed flashes of what he could do when given an opportunity, racking up 43 yards on four carries, one for a 23-yard gain. All career highs.

The tandem of Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden managed just 27 yards on 12 carries combine. According to Raiders interim head coach Tony Sparano, Murray will get more time running the ball.

“He played a little bit more yesterday and he’s going to continue to do that,” Sparano said. “I like what I’ve seen out of him so far. So in a roundabout way, I’m saying yeah, you’re going to see more of him.”

But running the ball could be tough for Oakland, especially against a Kansas City team who hasn’t given up a rushing touchdown all season, and that can be credited to their intimidating nose tackle, Dontari Poe all 6’3″, 346 pounds of him.

“He’s a real handful,” Sparano said. “He really is.”

The Chiefs are coming off a 24-20, come-from-behind victory against the reigning Super Bowl Champions Seattle Seahawks Sunday at Arrowhead.

Quarterback Alex Smith was his usual efficient self, completing 11-of-16 passes for just 108 yards through the air but it was the play off their Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles on offense that set the tone for Kansas City.

Charles ran through the vaunted Seahawks defense, rushing for 159 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. The seventh-year running back out of Texas appeared to find running lanes against a Seahawks team that was missing it’s star defensive tackle Brandon Mebane, gone for the season with a hamstring injury.

At 7-3, Kansas City is tied with the Denver Broncos for first place (with Denver currently holding the tiebreaker over the Chiefs following a 24-17 home victory in Week 2) in the AFC West and with a Week 13 home date against the Broncos, Kansas City better not overlook the Raiders.

Oakland would like nothing more than to spoil Kansas City’s chances at taking sole possession of first place in the AFC West, even if it means helping out the Broncos in the process.

Face it. Oakland is just thirsting to end its 16-game losing streak dating back to last season. It will take more from Carr and the offense to support a defense that has played pretty well in recent weeks.

You can’t win football games in the National Football League by just kicking field goals.

Players To Watch

Oakland, RB, Latavius Murray: It’s no secret that the Raiders running game has been, pedestrian, to say the least this season. Ranking dead last with just 630 yards on the ground as a team, Oakland needs the fresh legs of Murray to provide a jolt, something that Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden can’t do.

Kansas City, TE, Travis Kelce: Even though wide receiver Dwayne Bowe leads the Chiefs with 41 catches for 508 yards, it’s the second-year tight end out of Cincinnati that seems to be the guy that quarterback Alex Smith trusts the most. Kelce is second on the team with 37 catches for 475 yards receiving, but leads the team with four touchdown grabs. Bowe has yet to find the end zone. Heck, none of Kansas City’s wide receivers have yet to find the end zone this season.

 

 

 

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.

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

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.