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Raiders are breathing down the Chiefs’ neck

Published on November 10, 2019November 10, 2019 by jhawkes51Leave a comment

Photo credit: reviewjournal.com

By Joe Hawkes
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — Don’t look now, but the Oakland Raiders are knocking on the door for the top spot in the AFC West.

With Kansas City losing to the Tennessee Titans, 35-32, in Nashville on Sunday to drop their record to 6-4, the Raiders (5-4) are just now a half-game back of the Chiefs for first place with six games left in the season for both teams.

The Raiders defeated the visiting Los Angeles Chargers, 26-24, on Nov. 7 in prime-time on FOX’s Thursday Night Football at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum to kickoff Week 10. Oakland’s defense performed tremendously under the lights, registering five sacks, three interceptions and one touchdown.

Kansas City already holds a victory over the Raiders, back in Week 2.

In that game, the Raiders jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter before the Chiefs scored 28 unanswered points behind four touchdowns by quarterback Patrick Mahomes as Kansas City held on for a 28-10 win.

Mahomes would throw for 443 yards on 30-of-44 passing with a 131.2 passer rating for the game

The two teams will meet again on Dec. 1 at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 13.

With the winless Cincinnati Bengals (0-9) coming into Oakland next Sunday for a Week 11 matchup, the Raiders are almost a shoe-in to win that game and apply even more pressure on the Chiefs.

Kansas City hosts the aforementioned Los Angeles Chargers on ESPN’s Monday Night Football on Nov. 18, which won’t be an easy game for them.

Mahomes looked very healthy playing for the first time since dislocating his right kneecap Oct. 17 against the Denver Broncos. His best play came with the pocket collapsing around him when he jumped up to throw over the linemen to wide receiver Mecole Hardman, who ran for a 63-yard TD with 11:54 left and a 29-20 lead.

Oakland, who were picked by many prognosticators to finish near the bottom of the division this year but the infusion of young, rookie talent on both the offensive side (running back Josh Jacobs and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow), and the defensive side (defensive lineman Clelin Ferrell and Max Crosby) has rejuvenated the Raiders.

Jacobs is running away with the AFC’s Offensive Rookie of the Year Award in my opinion, leading all rookies in rushing yards (811), rushing attempts (168), and touchdowns (7).

With all due respect to tight end Darren Waller, who leads the team in receptions (51), targets (65) and yards (588) and wide receiver Tyrell Williams, who leads the team with five touchdown catches, Renfrow has become quarterback Derek Carr’s security blanket. Carr loves to look for Renfrow with the game on the line.

Renfrow is second on the team in receptions (28) and targets (42) for 299 yards and two touchdowns. His second-career touchdown against the Lions in Week 9 was his first game-winner.

Coupled with the fact that Carr, whose engineered 19 fourth quarter comebacks (which includes two in the span of four days) has played some of his best football in his career, throwing for 2,202 yards with 14 touchdowns to just four interceptions with a career-high 104.4 passer rating, Oakland is a legit playoff contender.

Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Raiders can postpone winning games until very late

Published on November 8, 2019November 8, 2019 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: abc7news.com

On the Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes:

#1 What is it with the Raiders and winning their games late? Is it like some kind of torture?

#2 Head coach Jon Gruden certainly knows how to pull out all the stops, and even late in the game, he runs a play with running back Josh Jacobs carrying for 18 yards with 1:08 left in the game.

#3 Thursday Night Football Raiders looked like they really stepped up their game. This was a nail biter throughout the whole contest.

#4 Josh Jacobs is having himself a season. How much has his rushing and scoring made a difference for the Raiders in winning games?

#5 Next Sunday, the Raiders will play their third consecutive home game after winning the first two against Detroit and now Los Angeles. The Raiders hope to take out Cincinnati on Sunday. Joe sets this game up.

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

Jacobs gives the Raiders another late win, 26-24

Published on November 7, 2019November 7, 2019 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @iAM_JoshJacobs

By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND — Unless there is a chance that the Las Vegas Stadium is not done, this will be the last Oakland Raiders game versus a team from the AFC West.

Josh Jacobs scored on an 18-yard run with 1:02 remaining in the game, helping the Raiders to a 26-24 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers before a Thursday Night crowd of 51,954 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

The Raiders got off to a fast start, as Eric Harris intercepted a Philip Rivers pass on the Chargers initial series of the game and Derek Carr led the Raiders down the field and Daniel Carlson got the Raiders on the board with a 40-yard field goal.

Not even two minutes after the Carlson field goal, Harris picked off a Rivers pass for the second time in as many possessions and returned this one 56 yards to the end zone to give the Raiders a quick 10-0 lead.

Rivers regrouped to take the Chargers on a 16 play 77 drive to get within three, as he found Hunter Henry for a two-yard touchdown pass. That drive took eight minutes and 14 seconds to cut the Raiders lead down to 10-7.

Melvin Gordon III gave the Chargers the lead, as scored on a three-yard run; however, the Raiders were not behind for long.

Undrafted rookie Alex Ingold scored his first NFL touchdown, a nine-yard pass from Carr to give the Raiders 17-14 lead at the half.

Carlson extended the Raiders lead up to six on their first series of the third quarter, as he kicked a 22-yard field goal.

Michael Badgley kicked a 22-yard field goal to cut the Raiders lead in half at 20-17 late in the third quarter.

Rivers put the Chargers in front with 4:02 remaining in the game, as he found Austin Ekeler for a six-yard touchdown pass. This was the second drive for the Chargers that took over eight minutes off the clock, as the Chargers traveled 12 plays in 80 yards that took a whopping eight minutes and five seconds off the clock.

Unfortunately for the Chargers, that left too much on the clock for Carr and the Raiders, who drove right down the field and ended when Jacobs scampered thru the Chargers defense to give the Raiders the eventual game-winning touchdown.

Rivers and the Chargers got the ball back with just over a minute remaining in the game, and on eight plays including a penalty on fourth down, the Chargers traveled just five yards. Rivers went 0-for-7 on that final drive that ended when Karl Joseph intercepted a Rivers pass at their own 35-yard line that clinched the game.

Carr went 21-for-31 for 218 yards and a touchdown for the Raiders, who are now 5-4 on the season and one game behind the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.

Jalen Richard and Hunter Renfrowe each caught four passes for the Raiders, and Richard led the team in receiving yards with 43.

Jacobs continues to impress everyone, as he carried the ball 16 times for 71 yards and that game-winning touchdown.

NOTES: Carlson missed a 53-yard field goal and also missed an extra point after the Jacobs touchdown.

UP NEXT: After being on the road for 49 days, the Raiders will host their third straight home game, when the Cincinnati Bengals travel to the Coliseum on November 17.

Raiders welcome division rival Chargers to the Coliseum for big primetime matchup

Published on November 6, 2019November 6, 2019 by jhawkes51Leave a comment

Photo credit: raiderswire.usatoday.com

By Joe Hawkes
SRS Contributor

After playing for the first time at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum since Week 2, the Oakland Raiders look to build upon their Week 9 victory over the visiting Detroit Lions when they host their division-rival the Los Angeles Chargers Thursday in primetime to kickoff Week 10 in the NFL.

Kickoff is set for 5:20 p.m. PT and will be televised on FOX as part of Thursday Night Football. This will be the first meeting between the two franchises this season, which will be the 119th edition in the all-time series.

The Raiders (4-4), climbed to the .500 mark after defeating the Lions, 31-24 behind quarterback Derek Carr, who engineered his 18th career game-winning drive in the contest. Carr, who had his third-consecutive game this season in which he’s thrown two touchdowns and have a passer rating of 115.0, found rookie wide receiver Hunter Renfrow in the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown with 2:04 left in the game.

Running back Josh Jacobs rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns on the day. Jacobs, who became the first player in team history to be named NFL Offensive Player of the Month for October, is by far the leading candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year by leading all rookies in rushing yards (740), touchdowns (6), runs of 20+ (5), and 40+yards (2).

In the game, Jacobs would surpass Marcus Allen for most rushing yards in a single season by a rookie in team history, topping Allen’s 697 set in 1982.

With Jacobs’ two scores and touchdowns each by Renfrow and rookie tight end Foster Moreau, it was the first time in team history that rookies have scored four touchdowns in one game offensively.

Defensively, cornerback Daryl Worley’s second quarter interception in the end zone changed the momentum of the game, leading to a touchdown by Oakland’s offense right before halftime.

But Karl Joseph made the biggest play of the game, breaking up a pass on fourth down that would’ve tied the game and forced overtime. Joseph would finish with six tackles.

The Chargers (4-5) are coming into Thursday night off the heels of a 26-11 win over the visiting Green Bay Packers at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif.

Quarterback Philip Rivers completed 21-of-28 passes for 294 yards, with the scoring provided by two touchdowns from running back Melvin Gordon (20 carries for 80 yards), and four field goals from kicker Michael Badgley.

Rivers has thrown 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions, but has thrown for an NFL-high 2,609 yards this season.

Third-year wide receiver Mike Williams logged his first career 100-yard game, catching three balls for 111 yards against the Packers.

Defensive ends Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa was all over Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, sacking the future Hall of Fame signal-caller three times (each player recorded 1.5 sacks).

Bosa, who is being mentioned as a possible Defensive Player of the Year candidate this season, is third in the NFL in sacks with 8.5.

Following Thursday’s game, Oakland ill return to action in Week 11 against the Cincinnati Bengals to finish up their three-game stretch at home, while the Chargers return to Los Angeles to face the Kansas City Chiefs before their Bye Week.

Takeaways from the Raiders’ win over the Lions

Published on November 3, 2019November 3, 2019 by jhawkes51Leave a comment

Photo credit: freep.com

By Joe Hawkes
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Raiders returned home from their whirlwind tour in which they logged over 20,000 miles with a gutsy, 31-24 victory over the visiting Detroit Lions on Sunday that pulled the team to the .500 mark at 4-4.

Quarterback Derek Carr threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Hunter Renfrow with 2:05 left in the game, cementing Oakland’s win in the team’s first game at home in seven weeks.

Carr’s clutch throw to Renfrow for the win got the Raiders off on the right foot, as they enter a critical three-game homestand that will be key in Oakland’s playoff chances this season. The Raiders face the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football on a short week, then host the Cincinnati Bengals at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Nov. 11.

Check out my takeaways from the Silver and Black’s win against the Lions:

Josh Jacobs is the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year without question

As much as Oakland’s win can be credited to its signal-caller (Carr completed 20-of-31 passes for 289 yards and 2 TDs), Jacobs’ performance was instrumental.

The rookie running back found gaping holes in Detroit’s defense, rushing for 120 yards and two scores on 28 carries. It was Jacobs’ third game this season in which he’s rushed for 120+ yards with 20+ carries.

With a 16-yard rush late in the first-half, Jacobs broke Marcus Allen’s franchise rookie record for rushing. Jacobs now has rushed for 740 yards and through eight games, breaking Allen’s mark of 697 set in the nine-game, strike-shortened 1982 season per Elias Sports Bureau.

Not only does Jacobs leads all rookies in rushing, but his six touchdowns and runs of 20+ yards (5) and 40+ yards (2) are tops among the group.

Raiders’ defense is opportunistic

Lions quarterback did have a big day against the Raiders’ suspect secondary, throwing for 406 yards and three touchdowns, but Oakland did capitalize on two Detroit turnovers in the first half to take a 17-14 lead.

Defensive tackle Maurice Hurst recovered a fumble deep inside Oakland’s territory after Stafford botched a handoff to running back JD McKissic on Detroit’s opening drive of the game. The Raiders would turn that into an 11-play, 68-yard drive in 5:32 that culminated in Jacobs’ first score of the game, a 2-yard run that put Oakland ahead 7-0.

After the Lions took a 14-10 lead following a 59-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to wide receiver Kenny Golladay, Stafford tried to hookup with Golladay again, but Raiders cornerback Daryl Worley made a terrific play on the football by intercepting Stafford in the end zone.

The Raiders would turn that takeaway into points, with Jacobs capping off a 12-play, 80-yard drive in 5:14 with his second score of the game from 3-yards out to put Oakland ahead 17-14 going into halftime.

For as much as the takeaways led to 14 points for Oakland, those weren’t the biggest plays in my book by the defense in the game.

With Detroit inches away from scoring and facing a fourth down, the Raiders defense looking to preserve a 31-24 lead, Karl Joseph’s pass breakup of the potential game-tying touchdown in the back of the end zone was the biggest play made by the defense on the day.

Quote of the game

“I love this place. It’s special. To come home in front of them and get a win, especially the way we did it. It would be nice to win something 40-0 some time. But when you win one like this, it does so many good things for a team.” – Derek Carr talking about the feeling he gets playing in Oakland in front of Raider Nation.

The Raiders are playing their final season in Oakland this year, before moving to their new 65,000-seat home, Allegiant Stadium, in Las Vegas in 2020.

Thursday night’s matchup against the Chargers (4-5) should make for an enticing game.

The Chargers will enter the game fresh off the heels of a 26-11 victory over the visiting Green Bay Packers at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif.

Running back Melvin Gordon scored two touchdowns, and kicker Michael Badgely booted four field goals for the Chargers, who snapped a three-game home losing streak and handed the Packers (7-2) their second loss of the year.

Raiders set to finish extended road trip Sunday in Houston

Published on October 24, 2019October 24, 2019 by jhawkes51Leave a comment

Photo credit: @Raiders

By Joe Hawkes
SRS Contributor

The Oakland Raiders have finally come to the finish line of their 49-day stretch away from the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum as they prepare for a trip to Houston to take on the 4-3 Texans. This will be the first meeting between the two clubs at NRG Stadium since the 2016 Wild Card game, which the Texans prevailed over the Raiders, 27-14.

The two teams met earlier that season, an international home game in Mexico City for Oakland, in which the Raiders defeated Houston, 27-20, that brought the all-time series to 6-4 in favor of Houston.

Originally slated for a 10:00 a.m. PT start time, the kickoff was flexed to 1:25 p.m. PT by CBS. The Raiders are looking to finish their five-game road trip at 3-2, and win their third-straight road game over the Texans.

Last week, the Raiders (3-3) were hammered by the Green Bay Packers, 42-24 at Lambeau Field in Week 8 following their Bye Week. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers lit up the Raiders defense, throwing for five touchdowns and rushing for another one en route to completing 25-of-31 passes for 429 yards as the Packers defeated the Raiders for the eighth-straight time dating back to 1990.

Green Bay (6-1) has scored 30-plus points in their last five meetings against the Raiders.

Raiders running back Josh Jacobs recorded his second-straight 100-yard rushing game, rushing for 124 yards on 21 carries with 5.9 yards per attempt. With 554 yards rushing through the first six games of his career, Jacobs surpassed Bo Jackson’s mark of 553 yards in 1987 for most in franchise history.

Quarterback Derek Carr completed 22-of-28 passes for 293 yards, two touchdowns, but had two costly turnovers in the red zone for Oakland.

With Oakland trailing 14-10 late in the first half, Carr had Oakland in position to retake the lead. After Carr found tight end Darren Waller on a 48-yard hookup down the middle of the field, the Raiders had first and goal at the Packers’ 3-yard line.

On second down, Carr rushed for the pylon, but Packers linebacker Blake Martinez forced a fumble and the ball went through the back of the end zone for a touchback.

Following Carr’s turnover, Rodgers would connect with wide receiver Jake Kumerow for a 37-yard touchdown that would give Green Bay a 21-10 lead heading into halftime.

With Oakland desperately trying to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter trailing 28-17 following a 7-yard touchdown from Carr to Waller, Packers cornerback Kevin King intercepted Carr with 8:09 left to play in the game that seemingly iced the game for Green Bay.

Following the turnover by Carr, Rodgers would throw register his sixth score of the day, a 74-yard pass to wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who finished with two catches for 133 yards.

Waller recorded his second 100-yard receiving game this season, hauling in seven catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Both scores were Waller’s first for the season.

Waller’s 44 catches are the most for a Raiders player through the first six games, breaking Hall of Famer Tim Brown’s 41. Waller also lead the team with 485 yards.

Defensively, rookie defensive end Maxx Crosby registered a sack for the second-straight week. Crosby recorded a sack against the Bears in Week 5 in London.

The Texans are coming off a 23-20 loss to their AFC South rival, the Indianapolis Colts, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Week 7.

Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is one of the best passers in the league, throwing for 1,952 yards with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions with a 104.1 passer rating. Watson leads the NFL’s ninth-best scoring offense, averaging 26.4 points per game.

Houston wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins will have Oakland’s defense on high alert. Hopkins is currently third in the NFL in catches with 49 to go along with 508 receiving yards and three touchdowns (tied with fellow teammates Will Fuller and tight Darren Fells).

Fuller is second on the team in catches (34) and yards (450).

Defensively for Houston, linebackers Zach Cunningham (53 tackles) and Benardick McKinney (52 tackles) are always around the ball and barely misses tackles.

Fellow linebacker Whitney Mercilus leads the team with 5.5 sacks, while defensive end J.J. Watt is second with 4 sacks.

Following Sunday’s game, the Raiders will return home to begin a three-game stretch where they will face the Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals, respectively.

Houston will travel to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars in Week 9 before heading into their Bye Week.

Fresh off their bye week, the Raiders head to Lambeau Field for tough test from Green Bay

Published on October 17, 2019 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Raiders

By Joe Hawkes
SRS Contributor

ALAMEDA–Following their bye week in Week 6, the Oakland Raiders return to the football field in Week 7 as they travel to Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers. The Raiders (3-2) are riding a two-game winning streak after starting the season 1-2.

Kickoff for this matchup is at 10:00 a.m. PT.

This will be the third meeting for Oakland against an NFC North opponent this season, having splitting games against the Minnesota Vikings (lost) and the Chicago Bears (won).
As the Raiders continue their 49-day stretch from the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, the Silver and Black will look to snap a seven-game losing streak against the Packers.

The last time the Raiders defeated the Packers: Sept. 13, 1987 when the franchise was still in Los Angeles. The Raiders defeated the Packers, 20-0, in Green Bay.

Prior to their Week 6 bye, the Raiders rallied past the Chicago Bears, 24-21, in Week 5 in London. The matchup between Chicago and Oakland was the NFL’s first game at the newly built Totteham Hotspur Stadium.

The Raiders started fast against the Bears, jumping out to a 17-0 lead before heading into halftime before Chicago scored 21 unanswered points. Late in the fourth quarter, Oakland would utilize a 13-play, 97-yard drive that would be punctuated by running back Josh Jacobs’ second rushing touchdown of the game.

Jacobs finished the game with 26 carries for 123 yards and two touchdowns, while becoming the first running back in Raiders history to post a 100-yard rushing game against Chicago.
The running back leads all rookies rushers in carries (88), yards (430), and touchdowns (4). His 430 rushing yards are the most in franchise history by a running back through the team’s first five games.

The former Alabama Crimson Tide is the early favorite to win AFC Offensive Rookie of the Year and possibly, the NFL’s Rookie of the Year if he continues to have a great season.

Quarterback Derek Carr, who earned his 17th-career fourth quarter comeback, played remarkably against the Bears. Carr completed 78.1 percent of his passes (25-of-32) for 229 yards. His 73.3 completion rating leads the NFL, and is challenging Drew Brees’s all-time mark of 74.4 set last season.

On the season, Carr has thrown for 1,117 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions with a 96.7 passer rating.

More importantly, the offensive line kept Carr upright by not allowing a sack by Chicago’s defense for only the second time since 2017.

Former Raiders linebacker/defensive end Khalil Mack, who was traded to Chicago prior to the start of last season from Oakland, was a non factor. Mack’s biggest play of the game was when he recovered a fumble after Jacobs went the wrong way on a pitch in the third quarter that ignited Chicago’s comeback.

Oakland’s defense turned in a stellar performance, racking up four sacks and two interceptions for the first time since 2014.

Defensive tackle Maurice Hurst had his first career multi-sack game and cornerback Gareon Conley and linebacker Nicholas Murrow each notched an interception off Bears backup quarterback, Chase Daniel.

Conley’s interception with 1:14 left in the fourth quarter would seal the win for the Silver and Black heading into their bye week.

Green Bay (5-1) is entering Week 7 coming off a 23-22 victory over their division rival, the Detroit Lions in the final seconds on Monday Night Football to close out Week 6.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed 24-of-39 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Jamaal Williams chipped in with 14 carries for 104 yards.

Following Sunday’s game, the Raiders will travel to the Lone Star State to face the Houston Texans in Week 8 for their fifth-straight game away from Oakland before returning home to close out their NFC North schedule against the Lions on Nov. 3.

The Packers will take on the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 9.

Fresh off their bye week, the Raiders head to Lambeau Field for tough test from Green Bay

Published on October 16, 2019October 17, 2019 by jhawkes51Leave a comment

Photo credit: @Raiders By Joe Hawkes
SRS Contributor

Following their bye week in Week 6, the Oakland Raiders return to the football field in Week 7 as they travel to Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers. The Raiders (3-2) are riding a two-game winning streak after starting the season 1-2.

Kickoff for this matchup is at 10:00 a.m. PT.

This will be the third meeting for Oakland against an NFC North opponent this season, having splitting games against the Minnesota Vikings (lost) and the Chicago Bears (won).

As the Raiders continue their 49-day stretch from the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, the Silver and Black will look to snap a seven-game losing streak against the Packers.

The last time the Raiders defeated the Packers: Sept. 13, 1987 when the franchise was still in Los Angeles. The Raiders defeated the Packers, 20-0, in Green Bay.

Jacobs finished the game with 26 carries for 123 yards and two touchdowns, while becoming the first running back in Raiders history to post a 100-yard rushing game against Chicago.

The running back leads all rookies rushers in carries (88), yards (430), and touchdowns (4). His 430 rushing yards are the most in franchise history by a running back through the team’s first five games.