Tag: Michael Crabtree

Oakland Raiders-San Diego Chargers preview: Raiders host Chargers in AFC West battle

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

AP file photo: Oakland Raiders Michael Crabtree (15) runs a pass route against the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday Crabtree who scored three touchdowns is looking forward to the challenge of the San Diego Chargers next Sunday

OAKLAND, Calif — It’s been three weeks since Raider Nation has seen their team up close, and the last time the Silver & Black were at the Oakland Coliseum, their home opener, they lost to the Atlanta Falcons 35-28 in Week 2 dropping Oakland’s record to 1-1.

After playing three of their first four games on the road, Oakland (3-1), will play their next two games at home, both against AFC West opponents, first hosting the San Diego Chargers Sunday in Week 5 action at 1:25 p.m. PT.

Oakland welcomes the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 16 (Week 6).

The Raiders slipped by the Ravens, 28-27, in Baltimore last Sunday.

Quarterback Derek Carr, as cool as a cucumber, drove Oakland 66 yards in six plays, and found wide receiver Michael Crabtree tip-toeing the back of the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown with 2:12 left in the fourth quarter.

The third-year quarterback from Fresno State has played more like a 10-year veteran during the first month of the season,  throwing for 1,066 yards, nine touchdowns, to just one interception.

“He is a guy that is very well-prepared,” Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio said via CBSSports.com. “He’s really, I think, taken a step forward in terms of emotional control, the poise to be, kind of, surgeon-like and just be accurate with the ball and let his playmakers do their thing.”

Crabtree, who is off to a tremendous start to the season as well, dominated the Ravens’ second-ranked defense, scoring three touchdowns on seven catches for 88 yards.

The eight-year veteran from Texas Tech has become Carr’s big-play guy, leading the Raiders in receptions (26), touchdowns (4), and is second behind fellow wide out Amari Cooper (318) in receiving yards with 308.

Rookies are being thrust into live action for Oakland, especially as injuries begin to pile up.

The Raiders’ fifth-ranked rushing attack could be down a man Sunday, as starter Latavius Murray (toe) is not expected to play, so Oakland will rely heavily on rookie running backs DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard.

Washington, who will likely start, is second on the team with 147 rushing yards on 23 carries, while Richard is third with 144 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries.

Middle linebacker Ben Heeney and tight end Lee Smith, who were both placed on season-ending injured reserve this week, will rely on rookie middle linebacker Corey James to fill Heeney’s void.

James, who took over for Heeney during Oakland’s 17-10 road victory in Tennessee during Week 3, recorded a team-high 15 tackles (3 assisted) in Week 4.

Smith, who was key in Oakland’s ground game with his strong blocking, leaves those duties to second-year tight end Clive Walford and fourth-year tight end, Mychal Rivera

The offensive line has been dealing with some injuries at tackle with Menelik Watson and Austin Howard. Rookie Vadal Alexander stepped in against Baltimore and solidified a unit that didn’t allow a sack in the game to a Ravens team that entered Week 4 with six sacks.

San Diego (1-3) travel to Northern California as a broken down team,  blowing three leads in the fourth quarter in the team’s final five minutes of the game this season.

The Chargers blew a 13-point second half lead in a 35-34 loss to the New Orleans Saints, thanks to fumbles by wide receiver Travis Benjamin and running back Melvin Gordon.

Benjamin, who signed with San Diego in the offseason following four years in Cleveland, leads the Chargers with 21 catches for 277 and two touchdowns.

San Diego’s season has been decimated by injuries, with 14 players on injured reserve.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries have taken out top-flight wide receiver Keenan Allen and running back  Danny Woodhead on the offensive side, but that doesn’t seem to bother Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers.

Despite all of the season-ending injuries, and with security blanket in tight end Antonio Gates dealing with a hamstring injury, Rivers has continued to put up arcade-like numbers throwing for 1,110 yards, seven touchdowns, and just one interception.

Rivers’s 104.5 passer rating ranks seventh in the league behind Carr’s 104.6, while engineering an offense that averages 30.2 points per game.

Defensively, San Diego lost star linebacker Manti Te’o (Achilles) in the third game of the season, but linebackers Denzel Perryman and Jatavis Brown have filled in nicely combining for 44 tackles and two sacks.

The loss of Pro Bowl cornerback Jason Verrett for the season with a partially torn ACL really hurts San Diego’s pass defense, especially against Cooper and Crabtree.

Cornerback Casey Hayward has recorded three of the team’s six interceptions, while outside linebacker Melvin Ingram is the team leader with three sacks.

On paper, Oakland should dominate San Diego, but Rivers, who is 14-6 with 31 touchdowns and 15 interceptions for his career against the Raiders, is the quarterback who can prevent Oakland from earning their first win at home Sunday if he gets hot.

Oakland took both meetings last year against San Diego.

 

Raiders Instant Report Card: Carr and Crabtree lead Oakland past Baltimore

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

AP photo: The Oakland Raiders wide receiver looks relieved, cool and collected after a narrow win against the Baltimore Ravens at the post game press conference on Sunday for the Raiders third straight road win

BALTIMORE, MD — Winning on the road in the NFL is a tough feat for any team to accomplish.

The Oakland Raiders are demonstrating that they have no problems winning on the road, after picking up their third win of the season with a 28-27 nail-biting win over the Ravens in Baltimore. Oakland won in New Orleans (Week 1) and in Tennessee (Week 3).

The Silver & Black (3-1), are off to their best start since 2000.

Checkout each unit’s grade following Oakland’s (3-1) road victory Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium:

Quarterback (A+) – What more can you ask Derek Carr to do on Sunday?

The Raiders starting quarterback played quite well, tying a career-high with four touchdown passes on 25-of-35 passes for 199 yards. But the game was not for the faint of heart, as Oakland couldn’t maintain a nine-point fourth quarter lead.

With Baltimore now clinging to a 27-21 lead in the fourth quarter, Carr engineered a 6-play, 66-yard drive that resulted in a 23-yard strike to wide receiver Michael Crabtree in the back of the end zone with 2:12 left.

For the season, Carr has thrown for 1,078 yards, nine touchdowns, and just one interception, giving Raider Nation confidence that Carr is the real deal.

In 11 red zone possessions this season, Oakland has scored 10 touchdowns which leads the league.

Running Backs (C) – Oakland’s ground attack mustered up just 62 yards, 28 of those by rookie DeAndre Washington who led all Raider rushers with 30 yards.

Washington’s fumble in the fourth quarter almost proved costly for the Raiders, after the fumble would set up a 3-yard touchdown run by Ravens’ running back Terrence West.

Starter Latavius Murray (eight carries for 19 yards) and rookie Jalen Richard (two carries for 15 yards), rounded out the rushing yards for Oakland.

Richard did factor in on Oakland’s first score of the day, returning a 47-yard punt to the Ravens’ six-yard line. Carr would find wide receiver Seth Roberts for the touchdown on the next play, giving Oakland a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.

Offensive line (B) – A group that was missing left tackle Menelik Watson, the offensive line kept Carr up right for the majority of the day, yielding no sacks to a vaunted Ravens defensive front anchored by linebacker Terrell Suggs and defensive lineman, Timmy Jerningan. Both Suggs and Jerningan entered Sunday’s contest tied for the team lead with three sacks each.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends (A-) – Crabtree has turned into Carr’s favorite target, as evident of the 12 times the Raider signal-caller target the talented wide receiver.

Crabtree was unstoppable against Baltimore, hauling in seven passes for 88 yards and three touchdowns and looking more and more like a game-changer the Raiders envisioned. With seven catches Sunday, Crabtree has gone 21 straight games where he’s caught at least three passes in a game.

The two-time Fred Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation’s top wide receiver in 2007 and ’08 out of Texas Tech, leads all Oakland wide receivers in catches (26) and touchdowns (4), and is second behind fellow wide receiver Amari Cooper’s 318 yards with 308.

Cooper finished with five catches (six targets) for 48 yards, and is still looking for his first receiving touchdown of the season after catching six in his rookie campaign last season.

Seth Roberts is second among Raider wide receivers with three touchdowns catches this season.

Starting tight end Lee Smith (right ankle) left the game in the second quarter and didn’t return, while backup Clive Walford came in and caught two passes for five yards.

Defensively, Oakland yielded 412 total yards and 25 first downs to Baltimore. Oakland’s defense did slow down Baltimore in the first half, surrendering just six points on seven offensive drives for Baltimore and forcing the Ravens to punt five times.

Defensive Line (C+) – The defensive line allowed running back Terrence West to rush for 113 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown Sunday. Oakland is still allowing physical running backs to run right through them, even though having defensive tackle Mario Edwards out does hurt stopping the run.

But seeing defensive end Khalil Mack record his first sack of the season in the fourth quarter off Ravens’ quarterback Joe Flacco was a tremendous site for Oakland. Mack was having trouble getting to the opposing quarterback this season as he finish with 15 sacks, second in the NFL to J.J. Watt’s 17.

Linebackers (B-) – Bruce Irvin recorded his third forced fumble in the fourth quarter (one of two  off Flacco in Ravens’ territory was a huge turning point for Oakland, who was holding on to a 14-12 lead.

Irvin, who also recorded his second sack of the season,  has been a nice addition for Oakland this season after spending his first four seasons in the NFL in Seattle and was part of the Seahawks team that won Super Bowl XLVIII.

Rookie linebacker Corey James led all Raider defenders in tackles with 12 (three assisted).

Secondary (B) – Things got dicey for the Raiders in the fourth quarter, trying to maintain a nine-point lead at 21-12, especially trying to stop Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith Sr.

Smith Sr. took a Flacco slant pass 52 yards for his first score of the season, cutting Oakland’s lead to 21-19 following the extra point. The 16-year vet finished with eight catches for 111 yards and a touchdown.

The secondary held Flacco to 298 yards on 32-of-52 passes. On 30 dropbacks in the first half, the Raiders harassed Flacco, hurrying him seven times, and hitting the Super Bowl winning quarterback four times.

The Raiders now head home for a date with their AFC West rival, the San Diego Chargers next Sunday at the Oakland Coliseum.

Kickoff is set for 1:25 p.m. PT.

 

 

Oakland Raiders-Atlanta Falcons preview: Raiders look for first 2-0 start since ’02; host Falcons in Week 2

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

AP file photo: Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) looks for some daylight as he’s pass rushed by the New Orleans Saints Paul Kruger (99) during last Sunday’s game at the Superdome in New Orleans

OAKLAND, Calif — The Raiders opened up the NFL season in dramatic fashion, knocking off the Saints 35-34 in New Orleans last Sunday and have been one of the trendiest sports topics for the week, thanks in large part to the two-point conversion that head coach Jack Del Rio dialed up for quarterback Derek Carr and wide receiver Michael Crabtree.

But the NFL is a week-to-week league and Oakland (1-0) will face another NFC South opponent when they host the Atlanta Falcons (0-1) at Oakland Coliseum Sunday in what should be a sellout for Raider Nation.

Kickoff is at 1:25 p.m. PDT.

Carr finished the game 24 of 38 for 319 yards passing and one touchdown, including the two-point conversion to Crabtree with 52 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Carr’s clutch throw to Crabtree  earned Carr the Castrol Edge Clutch Performer of the Week, for Week 1 as announced by the NFL Friday.

“Everyone on this team is so confident in what we can do,” Carr said after practice Wednesday at the team’s training facility in Alameda. “It’s not arrogant, it’s not that we think we’re better than anybody. We respect every team that we play. At the same time, we know the work we’ve put in. We know how to compete.”

Carr drove the Raiders 75 yards in 11 plays, capping off the game-winning drive with a 10-yard touchdown to wide receiver Seth Roberts.

Crabtree finished with seven catches for 87 yards, while his fellow wide receiver Amari Cooper finished with six catches and led the team with 137 yards receiving.

Oakland’s running game was in good hands with starting running back Latavius Murray (14 carries, 59 yards, one touchdown) and rookies DeAndre Washington (five carries and 14 yards), and Jalen Richard (three carries and 84 yards).

Richard’s 75-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter was a huge turning point for Oakland in the game.

Oakland’s defense seemed to be  heading in the right direction in the first quarter, when newly signed outside linebacker Bruce Irvin sacked Saints quarterback Drew Brees forcing a fumble that was recovered by rookie defensive tackle Jihad Ward inside Saints’ territory.

The Raiders converted that turnover into a Sebastian Janikowski 47-yard field goal, but that was the only pressure that Brees felt all day from an absent pass rush that saw star defensive end Khalil Mack facing countless double-teams and chip blocks from tight ends and running backs.

But the secondary took a beating from Drew Brees and Co., giving up a total of 507 yards of offense. Brees completed 28 of 42 passes for 423 yards and four touchdowns.

High-priced free agent cornerback Sean Smith had a day that he wanted to forget, giving up huge plays in the passing game, most notably the 98-yard touchdown pass that speedy wide receiver Brandin Cooks caught that gave New Orleans a 24-10 lead in the third quarter.

Smith was benched in favor of former first-round draft pick D.J. Hayden after giving up the touchdown to Cooks.

Cooks finished the game with six catches for 143 yards and two touchdowns, but fellow wide receiver Willie Sneed gave Oakland fits also, burning the Raiders for 172 yards on nine catches and one touchdown.

Defensive coordinator Ken Norton and the defense are going to face another high passing attack in the Falcons, led by quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receiver Julio Jones and Mohammed Sanu. Atlanta’s passing offense can feast on a Raiders’ secondary if they miss assignments.

Atlanta is traveling to the West Coast after dropping their home opener last week to Tampa Bay, 31-24.

Ryan finished 27 of 39 for 334 yards and two touchdowns, while Sanu finished with five catches for 80 yards and a touchdown, and Jones hauled in four catches for 66 yards and a touchdown.

Jones has been dealing with an ankle injury and has been limited in practice for much of the week, but should be ready to go Sunday.

The six-year wide receiver from Alabama finished in 2015 tied with Pittsburgh wide receiver Antonio Brown for the league lead in receptions (136) and edged Brown for the league lead in receiving yards (1,871 to Brown’s 1,834) is still one of the premier wide receivers in the league even at less than 100%.

“I’ve played through things,” Jones said earlier in the week via CBS Sports. “It’s nothing that’s going to hold me back from going out there and producing or doing what I do.”

Atlanta’s running game has the potential to have a big day against Oakland, after just rushing for 52 yards Sunday against Tampa Bay, 10 by Ryan.

Starting running back Devonta Freeman (11 carries and 20 yards) and fellow running buddy Tevin Coleman (eight carries and 22 yards) are looking for bounce back games after facing a stingy Buccaneers defense that yielded  just three yards per carry to Atlanta.

Atlanta is looking to avoid an 0-2 hole after starting last season 6-1, before derailing to an 8-8 finish and missing the playoffs for the third straight season.

The Falcons defeated Oakland 23-20 in the last meeting between the two teams on Oct. 14, 2012 behind a Matt Bryant 55-yard field goal with one second left in the fourth quarter.

Starting off the season 2-0 for the Raiders would be a confidence booster for a team that hasn’t seen a 2-0 start since 2002, the year the team reached the Super Bowl.

Winning exudes confidence and with Carr, who finished with 3,987 yards passing and 32 touchdowns in 2015 already off to a promising start to 2016, the Raiders may have the makings of a special team.

 

Raiders’ Instant Report Card: Carr delivers for Oakland in stunning win over Saints

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

AP photo: New Orleans Saints kicker Will Lutz (3) gets sympathy from holder Thomas Morestead after missing a 61 yard field goal attempt which would have won it for the Saints as the Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Darius Latham (75) and strong safety TJ Carrie (38) celebrate a one point victory on Sunday at the Superdome in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS, La — The Raiders, who many have picked to be one of the more dominate teams heading into the 2016 season, proved that the hype around the team is real by pulling out a thrilling, 35-34 road win against the Saints in both team’s season opener.

New Orleans’ rookie kicker Will Lutz missed a 61-yard field goal wide left as time expired.

Checkout each unit’s grade from Oakland’s (1-0) big win in New Orleans Sunday below:

Quarterback (A) – Raiders’ quarterback Derek Carr continues to grow as an NFL quarterback, leading Oakland back from a two-touchdown deficit in the second half. Carr completed 24-of-38 passes for 319 yards and one touchdown, a 10-yard dart to slot receiver Seth Roberts with 47 seconds left in the game that pulled Oakland within an point of New Orleans, 34-33.

You’d expect the Raiders to kick the extra point and force overtime, right?

Nope.

Carr looked to the sideline and both he and head coach Jack Del Rio agreed to roll the dice and go for two, which Carr found wide receiver Michael Crabtree for the go-ahead conversion.

At one point, Oakland’s offense stalled going scoreless on six offensive drives.

Running Back (B+) – Latavius Murray scored Oakland’s first touchdown of the season, a 6-yard run that gave Oakland a 10-3 lead in the first quarter. Murray finished the game with 14 carries for 59 yards and one touchdown, but Jalen Richard was the story for me.

Richard, the rookie from Southern Miss. and Louisiana native, only had three carries, but it was the 75-yard run up the middle of the soft Saints’ defense while eluding would-be tacklers in the fourth quarter with Oakland trailing 27-19 was what ignited the Raider comeback.

It was Richard’s first-career touchdown run.

Richard finished with 84 yards and a touchdown, while fellow rookie DeAndre Washington carried the ball five times for 14 yards.

Offensive line (B) – The key for Oakland’s offensive line was to protect their signal-caller and establish the run and stay healthy.

They were 50/50.

Even though Carr wasn’t sacked and Oakland’s ground game racked up 167 yards, the Raiders lost two offensive linemen when Menelik Watson (groin) and Matt McCants (knee) left the game.

Oakland’s offensive line is regarded as one of the best as a group coming into this season because of its depth, was tested Sunday.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends (A-) Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree combined for 225 receiving yards and 13 receptions (on 20 targets).

Cooper (6 catches, 137 yards, 11 targets), had no trouble getting open hauling passes of 34, 43, and 45 yards through a suspect Saints’ secondary.

Crabtree overcame a slow start (1 catch for 8 yards in the first half), to finish with seven catches for 87 yards on eight targets.

Clive Wafford caught three passes for 25 yards on five targets to lead the tight ends.

Defensive line/front seven (C+) – Bruce Irvin’s strip-sack (fumble recovered by rookie defensive tackle Jihad Ward)  on Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees on New Orleans’ first drive of the game was one of the lone bright spots for a unit that hadn’t done a much in the game.

Khalil Mack was relatively unheard of for the game, as he fought through countless chip blocks and double teams.

Linebackers Ben Heeney and Malcolm Smith combined for seven tackles (six assisted).

Secondary (D) – Brees and the Saints passing attack carved up Oakland’s revamped secondary for 423 yards passing and four touchdowns on 28-of-42 passing. Brees tied Peyton Manning for the most 400-yard passing games in NFL with 14.

Oakland’s high-priced cornerback tandem of Sean Smith and David Amerson were abused by New Orleans wide receivers Willie Snead (9 catches, 172 yards, 1 TD, 9 targets), and Brandin Cooks (6 catches, 143 yards, 1 TD, 9 targets).

With Oakland trailing 17-10 midway through the third quarter, Cooks ran right by Smith, who was playing man-to-man, and free safety Reggie Nelson, for a 98-yard touchdown catch that gave New Orleans a 24-10 lead. The scoring play established a new franchise record for the longest score for the Saints, and it was also the longest play in Brees’ career.

After that play, Smith was benched for the remainder of the game and was replaced by former first rounder, D.J. Hayden.

Overall, the defense gave up 507 totals yards to the Saints.

Special Teams (B+) – Kicker Sebastian Janikowski converted both of his field goals (31 and 47-yarders), while punter Marquette King booted four punts (42.0 yard average).

Up next: Oakland returns home to prepare for their own opener when the visiting Atlanta Falcons travel to the Bay Area next Sunday.

 

 

 

 

 

Raiders kickoff the season in the Big Easy

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

AP file photo: You might see a lot of this more often Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) and wide receiver Amari Cooper (89) jumping for joy in this Aug 27th photo against the Tennessee Titans as they open up in New Orleans on Sunday

OAKLAND, Calif — With the preseason in the rear view window, the 2016 regular season begins for real for the Oakland Raiders as they open up on the road in New Orleans against the Saints in Week 1 action.

Kickoff is at 10:00 a.m. PT at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome where the Raiders are a 3-point favorite to notch their first win of what people are predicting will be a great year for the Silver & Black. The game can be seen locally on KTVU/FOX Channel 2, making breakfast and football a perfect match.

Sunday’s game will mark the first time Oakland has opened up against an NFC opponent on the road since 1999, where Oakland traveled to Green Bay to start that season.

This will also mark the first time that Oakland and New Orleans face each other in the regular season opener.

With the Raiders hosting the Atlanta Falcons next week in Oakland’s home opener, it will also mark the first time since 1999 that Oakland (who played the Packers and Vikings), will begin the season facing two NFC opponents in back-to-back weeks.

Quarterback Derek Carr leads a promising Raiders’ offense headlined by wide receivers Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper. In four preseason games, Crabtree and Cooper combined for 10 catches for 162 yards and a touchdown.

Crabtree and Cooper are primed to have huge seasons for Oakland, which is looking to end the team’s playoff drought, dating back to 2002, the team’s last playoff appearance.

Oakland is hoping with the additions of rookie running backs DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard added to the backfield with starter Latavius Murray can make the offense more diverse. Oakland was a pass-first, run-second team last season, even though Murray was one of only seven running backs in 2015 to rush for 1,000 yards (1,066 rushing yards to be exact).

Defensively, Oakland had trouble stopping the run in the preseason.The Raiders were getting gashed by beefy running backs like Green Bay’s Eddie Lacy, and Tennessee’s duo of DeMarco Murray and rookie Derrick Henry.

Oakland will be without defensive tackle Mario Edwards Jr. for at least the first eight weeks of the season due to a hip injury. Edwards Jr., along with defensive tackles Dan Williams and Justin “Jelly” Ellis are so critical to the Raiders’ run defense.

New Orleans features former Heisman trophy winner Mark Ingram, Tim Hightower, and C.J. Spiller in the back field and each can run the ball well between the tackles, a weakness for Oakland.

The Raiders’ rebuilt secondary could be in for a long day when it faces one of the premier quarterbacks in the NFL in Drew Brees.

Brees, who enters his 16th year in the NFL, is coming off a season where he threw for a league-leading 4,870 yards in 2015. It was the seventh time in Brees’ career that he threw for over 4,500 yards in a season.

The future Hall of Fame quarterback continues to get better with time and still plays at a high level at age 38, as evident of the new deal he signed on Wednesday.

Details of Brees’ new deal, provided by Spotrac, Brees will pocket roughly $44 million in guaranteed money over the next two seasons, with $20 million coming in 2016 and only $17.25 million going towards the salary cap.

The deal will almost certain guarantee that Brees finishes his career in New Orleans, the franchise he led to a Super Bowl title in 2009.

Wide receiver Brandin Cooks leads a dangerous Saints’ passing attack. The third-year wide receiver from Oregon State, recorded his first career 1,000-yard receiving season finishing with 84 catches, 1,138 yards, and nine touchdowns, which Cooks led the team in all categories in 2015.

One Saints player to really keep an eye on is second-year wide receiver Willie Snead, who burst on to the scene last season for New Orleans recording 69 catches for 984 yards and three touchdowns.

Former Raiders head coach Dennis Allen enters his first full season as the Saints’ defensive coordinator. Allen, who has seven total seasons on New Orleans’ defensive staff, looks to improve a defense that ranked 31st last season in rushing yards per game allowed (129.8), passing yards per game allowed (284.0) and total yards per game allowed (413.8).

With the additions of veterans in defensive tackle Nick Fairley, linebacker James Laurinaitis, and defensive end Paul Kruger, to go along with mainstay in defensive end Cameron Jordan, the Saints are hoping to provide more pressure to the quarterback this season.

With both teams having suspect defenses heading into the match up, this game could be an offensive barrage by both teams and could come down to which team has the better, more confident quarterback in the fourth quarter.

Will it be Brees, who is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in NFL history and holds a 8-2 career record (19 touchdowns and four interceptions) against Oakland?

Or will it be Carr, who is 4-12 on the road in his young career, but has thrown 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions in those games?

Sunday is almost here.

Oakland Raiders commentary: Carr impresses, but Titans get win over Raiders

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

AP photo: Oakland Raiders running back DeAndre Washington gets broadsided by the Tennessee Titans linebacker Sean Spence in the second half of Saturday night’s pre season game at the Oakland Coliseum

OAKLAND, Calif — Even though the Raiders lost to the Tennessee Titans 27-14 in both team’s third preseason game Saturday night at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, it was good to see Derek Carr and the Raiders’ first-team offense finish off drives with getting the ball into the end zone.

Carr, who led to the Raiders to just six points in the previous six quarters he appeared in during the preseason, went 12-for-18 for 169 yards passing and two touchdowns against the Titans while playing the entire first half.

After Tennessee took an early 7-0 lead behind a DeMarco Murray one-yard run, Oakland’s signal-caller drove the Raiders’ first-team offense 58 yards in seven plays for their first touchdown of the game (and of the preseason) as a unit, a 6-yard toss to rookie running back DeAndre Washington on an angle route out of the backfield to the tie game, 7-7.

Washington, along with fellow running back Jalen Richard, combined for 95 yards of total offense, but the diminutive Washington did cough up the ball in the third quarter  after taking a huge hit from Titans linebacker David Bass which resulted in a 47-yard fumble recovery by fellow linebacker Sean Spence that gave Tennessee a 27-14.

But Carr was just getting started.

Following a Ryan Succop 30-yard field goal that pushed Tennessee’s lead, 10-7, Carr engineered a six-play, 75-yard drive culminating a picture-perfect, 29-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Amari Cooper down the Titans’ sideline and hitting Cooper in the back of the end zone that gave Oakland (1-2) a 14-10 lead shortly before halftime.

Replay would confirm Cooper kept both feet in bounds. Cooper finished with three catches for 52 yards.

Earlier in the game, Carr placed another beautifully thrown pass to his other top target, wide receiver Michael Crabtree for 41 yards.

It would be Crabtree’s only catch of the game.

In the midst of Oakland’s first drive to begin the third quarter, Carr would give way to backup Matt McGloin.

McGloin, and third-string rookie quarterback Connor Cook, proceeded to throw two interceptions to Tennessee’s second- and third-string defenders.

What I wasn’t impressed with was Oakland’s first-team defense, which gave up 276 yards (106 on the ground), in the first half.

Tennessee’s Murray (8 carries for 40 yards) and rookie running back Derrick Henry (12 carries for 49 yards) did the most damage to Oakland’s rush defense. Tennessee found gaping holes that turned two-yard gains, into five-yard gains.

It was the second time this preseason that Oakland had issues with beefy, powerful runners.

Oakland struggled to curtail Green Bay’s Eddie Lacy, surrendering 45 yards on nine carries and a touchdown in Oakland’s 20-12 loss at Lambeau Field last Thursday.

Oakland’s first-team defense never forced the Titans to punt, allowing Tennessee to score three touchdowns and two field goals in two quarters.

It wasn’t until their final drive of the third quarter that Oakland’s starting unit forced Tennessee’s offense to punt.

The secondary had trouble defending the passing game of the Titans.

Tennessee (2-1) starting quarterback Marcus Mariota completed 9-for-16 passes for 170 yards, 65 of those yards to veteran wide receiver, Andre Johnson who will be one of Mariota’s go-to guys this season.

On the Titans’ second drive of the game, the 35-year-old former Miami Hurricane had consecutive catches of 13, 38, and 14 yards.

It was vintage Johnson.

Johnson finished with three catches for 65 yards, while promising rookie wide receiver Tajae Sharpe (fantasy football sleeper), hauled in a 60-yard, catch-and-run pass that helped setup Tennessee’s first score of the game.

Oakland finishes the preseason at home Thursday against the Seattle Seahawks, with the starters unlikely to play.

 

 

 

Raiders, Crabtree agree to extension

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

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

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

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

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

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

 

Raiders return home to face tough Vikings team

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

photo credit ESPN Raiders Aldon Smith puts the sack on Steeler QB Ben Roethlisberger

OAKLAND — Sunday’s match up at O.co Coliseum between the Vikings and Oakland will showcase two of the league’s best young quarterbacks in Minnesota’s Teddy Bridgewater and Oakland’s Derek Carr.

Both quarterbacks were drafted in 2014 to turn around struggling franchises with Minnesota selecting Bridgewater with the 32nd overall pick in the first round, and Oakland drafting Carr with the 36th overall pick in the second round.

Oakland (4-4), who has already surpassed its 2014 win total after finishing 3-13, is in the thick of the AFC playoff race thanks to their second-year signal caller. Carr has thrown 19 touchdowns to just four interceptions, including tossing four touchdowns in each of his past two games.

In Oakland’s 38-35 heartbreaking loss in Pittsburgh last week, Carr completed 24-of-44 passes for 301 yards and four touchdowns and an interception. Carr is on pace for just Oakland’s third 4,000-yard passing season in franchise history. Raiders’ passing attack anchored by the wide receiver duo of Michael Crabtree (47 receptions, 591 yards, 5 TDs), and rookie Amari Cooper (45 receptions, 653 yards, 4 TDs) and both are on pace for 1,000-yard seasons.

Crabtree recorded his second straight game with seven catches and 100-plus receiving yards in the loss against the Steelers. The Silver and Black could have their work cut out for them when putting the in the air as Minnesota sports the NFL’s sixth-ranked passing defense, yielding just 220.6 yards a game.

Running back Latavius Murray practiced Thursday since suffering a concussion in Pittsburgh. Murray is seventh in the league in rushing with 630 yards with three touchdowns on 132 carries.

Bridgewater, who also suffered a concussion of his own in Minnesota’s 21-18 victory in overtime against the visiting St. Louis Rams last Sunday. Bridgewater left the game early in the fourth quarter and was replaced by journeyman quarterback Shaun Hill after taking a vicious hit from Rams’ cornerback Lamarcus Joyner.

On the season, Bridgewater has played steady, throwing six touchdowns and six interceptions, but has steered Minnesota to a 6-2 record tied for first place in the NFC North with the Green Bay Packers in his second season from Louisville.

Minnesota will host Green Bay next week.

But it was running back Adrian Peterson that was the standout performer in the game.

The NFL’s leading rusher finished with 125 yards on the ground, 21 of which came in overtime that would set up kicker Blair Walsh for the game-winning field goal.

The Raiders were torched defensively in Pittsburgh, allowing 597 total yards to the Steelers, with Antonio Brown recording 284 yards receiving on a franchise-record 17 catches. Safety Nate Allen, who has been sidelined with a knee injury since the home opener, is expected to be back and help a struggling secondary that sports future Hall-of-Famer in Charles Woodson.

Woodson leads the NFL with five interceptions in his 18th season.

Minnesota is currently riding a four-game winning streak, in large part to a defense that has yielded just 306.8 yards total per game and holding the opposition to 18 percent (9-for-50) on third down conversions.

Oakland is 5-1 all time at O.co Coliseum against Minnesota, and have won five of their last seven at home dating back to last season.

This will be the second trip to the Bay Area for Minnesota this season. The Vikings lost to the San Francisco 49ers 20-3 in Week 1 at Levi’s Stadium behind a season-low 248 total yards.

Peterson finished with just 31 rushing yards on 10 carries against a 49ers team that historically holds Peterson in check, yielding just 3.0 yards per carry to Peterson, his lowest against any team for his career.

Raiders face tough road test in Pittsburgh for Week 9

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

Bing photos of Oak Raiders QB Derek Carr

OAKLAND — If last week’s 34-20 victory over the visiting New York Jets was any indication that the Raiders are a team to be reckon with in the AFC, then Sunday’s trip to the Steel City to face the Steelers may forecast the remainder of the season for Oakland.

Raiders’ starting quarterback Derek Carr dismantled a star studded Jets’ defense headlined by cornerback Darrelle Revis, throwing for a career high-tying four touchdowns to go with 333 yards passing.

For the season, Carr has thrown for 15 touchdowns with just three interceptions for an Oakland team that is in the thick of the AFC playoff race.

Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh, kickoff at 10:00 a.m. PT, could have that playoff type atmosphere, something that the second-year signal caller from Fresno St. appears to be ready for. Carr’s play this season in each game is reminiscent of a 10-year veteran who doesn’t let the moment get bigger than it is.

Oakland (4-3) has come a long way this season after starting last season 0-10, thanks in large part to the play of Carr, a talented receiving corps led by rookie wide receiver Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree (both are on pace for 1,000-yard seasons), and a strong defense led by the ageless wonder, safety Charles Woodson.

”It’s fine for some people to play from the underdog role, but I don’t like it,” said Woodson (via CBSSports.com), who played for the Raiders’ last Super Bowl team. ”I don’t like being the underdog. I want to be expected to win games. I want these guys to go out there and be expected to win games. Yeah, it’s a little premature to be thinking that far ahead, playoff-wise, but there’s no reason you can’t think of yourself as a playoff team.”

The 18-year veteran leads the NFL with five interceptions and is the heartbeat of the Silver and Black.

Pittsburgh (4-4) is coming off a tough loss at home last week to fellow AFC North rival, the Cincinnati Bengals 16-10. The Steelers blew a 10-point fourth quarter lead after having the still undefeated Bengals (8-0) on the ropes, and lost All-Pro running back Le’Veon Bell for the season with a torn MCL in his right knee.

Steelers’ starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who made his return to the lineup after missing the previous four games with a left knee injury, looked rusty completing 28 of 45 for 262 yards with one touchdown, but threw three interceptions.

Roethlisberger is 1-4 in his career versus Oakland, but does average 300 yards passing and a quarterback rating of 97.5 against the Raiders.

Oakland’s 31st ranked passing defense (giving up 302.1 yards a game), will have its hands full with wide receiver Antonio Brown (52 catches, 718 yards, 3 TD).

Brown is a wide receiver that just runs right by people and if Oakland gives Roethlisberger time in the pocket to survey the field, he will find his dynamic wide receiver.

Mix in reliable tight end Heath Miller (you know Oakland has had issues covering tight ends this season), and Pittsburgh can move the ball and get first downs at a rapid rate.

“They’re coming in here, it’s going to be very physical,” Roethlisberger said. “Their defensive backs like to do a lot of grabbing, holding, and just being physical in general. It’s a really good test for our receivers and for me to be accurate.”

Carr and Raiders look to validate legitimacy with Jets visiting Oakland Sunday

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — As October comes to an end and November begins in the National Football League, the playoff puzzle starts to take shape and the Raiders are hoping to be a major factor this year.

After boat-racing the Chargers 37-29 last Sunday behind an offensive onslaught led by quarterback Derek Carr’s 24 of 31 completions for 289 yards three touchdowns, Oakland (3-3) faces a tough pass defense when the Silver and Black host the New York Jets Sunday at 1:05 p.m. PT.

Rookie wide receiver Amari Cooper has been absolutely dynamite this season and is by far the odds on favorite to win the rookie of the year award.

Cooper torched the Chargers’ shaky pass defense for five catches and 133 yards, including a 52-yard catch and run touchdown that put Oakland ahead 30-6 shortly before halftime.

The former Alabama star leads all rookies with 33 catches for 519 yards and three touchdowns and became the first rookie to have three 100-yard efforts in his first six games since tight end Mike Ditka in 1961. Both Cooper and former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree are on pace to have 1,000-yard receiving seasons, which Oakland hasn’t had since Randy Moss’s 1,005 yards in 2005.

But the Jets (4-2) aren’t the San Diego Chargers and New York’s cornerback tandem of Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie. It can be expected that first-year Jets head coach Todd Bowles will have Revis following Cooper all day to prevent Cooper’s explosive play-making ability.

New York squandered a 20-16 lead at AFC East-leading New England last week with 13 minutes to go, before falling 30-23 to the Patriots. The Jets, who sacked Patriots quarterback Tom Brady three times, comes into the game with seven sacks over their last three games.

Stud defensive tackle Muhammed Wilkerson leads the team with five sacks, while Oakland’s offensive line has protected Carr all season just yielding seven sacks.

Gang Green leads the league in stopping the opposition’s running game, surrendering just 71.5 yards per game. New York held New England to 16 rushing yards, their fourth-lowest total in franchise history.

Oakland has given up 303.8 yards per game this season, but has registered seven interceptions in the last five games after picking off Philip Rivers twice last week.

Raiders safety Charles Woodson, who was named AFC defensive player of the month for October, continues to be a marvel at age 39. It’s the fifth time Woodson has won defensive player of the month after recording three interceptions in three games in October.

Chris Ivory is the Jets’ bellcow, is dealing with a hamstring injury and his status for Sunday remains uncertain. Ivory mustered just 41 yards on 17 carries against New England.

In last season’s 19-14 victory over Oakland at MetLife Stadium last year, Ivory wore down Oakland with 102 rushing yards and a touchdown. Given the hamstring injury to Ivory, Oakland maybe better suited to stopping the Jets’ ground attack as the Silver and Black are third against the run this season allowing just 84.3 yards per game.

If Oakland is able to win this game against the Jets, it will give Oakland the head-to-head advantage in any tiebreaker situations for a playoff spot.

After Sunday’s game, Oakland travels to 4-3 Pittsburgh, in another tough game with possible playoff implications for both.