Tag: NFL

Raiders hold off Bengals, 17-10

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Photo credit: @Raiders

By Joe Hawkes
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — In a game where the Silver and Black entered the contest an almost two-touchdown favorite, the Raiders narrowly escaped with a 17-10 victory over the winless Cincinnati Bengals Sunday at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Quarterback Derek Carr threw for 292 yards and a touchdown, while adding rushing for another score as the Raiders (6-4) completed a three-game sweep at home to move into a first-place tie with the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.

Kansas City (6-4) will play the Los Angeles Chargers in Mexico City on Monday Night Football.

Carr completed 25-of-29 passes and an interception in the contest.

With Oakland trailing Cincinnati 7-0 in the second quarter after running back Joe Mixon scored the Bengals’ first rushing touchdown of the season by a running back, Carr engineered an 11-play, 91-yard drive in 7:07 that was punctuated by a 3-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight Foster Moreau that tied the game at 7-7.

After forcing the Bengals to punt on the following drive, Carr led Oakland on a 10-play, 80-yard drive that ate up 3:39 that resulted in a 3-yard rushing touchdown by Carr who went airborne at the goal line before crashing into the end zone that gave the Silver and Black a 14-7 lead.

Rookie running back Josh Jacobs continues to be a bellcow for Oakland, rushing for 112 yards on 23 carries. It was the fourth time in the last six weeks that Jacobs, a heavy favorite for AFC Offensive Rookie of the Year, rushed for over 100 yards.

Jacobs’ first fumble of the season would set up Cincinnati’s on touchdown in the game.

Oakland’s defense dominated Cincinnati’s offense, registering five sacks, forcing and recovering one fumble, and an interception. The defense was relentless against Bengals rookie quarterback Ryan Finley.

Fellow rookie, defensive end Maxx Crosby recorded a team rookie-record four sacks and finished with five tackles (4 solo) and three tackles for a loss. It was by far Crosby’s best game as a pro. He had a sack and forced fumble to end Cincinnati’s first drive, dropped Finley again in the third quarter and then sacked him twice in the fourth.

Finley completed 13-of-31 passes for 115 yards.

The Bengals are continuing to spiral down the drain as the only winless team in the NFL. Its the second time in Cincinnati’s history that the team has started a season 0-10, matching the 1993 team for the worst start in franchise history.

Coincidentally, it was the Raiders in 1993 that allowed the Bengals to earn their first win of the season but didn’t allow lighting to strike twice today.

With Cincinnati trailing 17-10 in the final minutes of the game, rookie cornerback Trayvon Mullen’s interception sealed the win for the Silver and Black. It was the third-straight game that Oakland’s defense closed out the game with a big stop.

The Raiders look to extend their winning streak to four games, as they will travel east in Week 12 to take on the New York Jets next Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ to begin a two-game road trip.

The Jets (3-7) demolished Washington (1-9), 34-17, at FedEx Field Sunday behind 293 yards and four touchdown passes from second-year quarterback Sam Darnold.

Injuries Could Cripple 49ers Against Cardinals

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Photo credit: si.com

By: Joe Lami

SANTA CLARA–The Niners are no longer undefeated, and with only a one-game advantage on the Seattle Seahawks, they need to get back down to business this weekend with the Arizona Cardinals in town. Arizona’s season is beginning to slip away, thanks to a quick three-game skid that finds them at the bottom of the NFC West.

The 3-6-1 team is better than their record indicates as we saw two weeks ago in Thursday night’s 28-25 Halloween scare. San Francisco can’t afford to take Arizona lightly, a team that they haven’t beaten at home since 2014, Levi’s inaugural season.

This time of year, injuries will always be the key storyline. San Francisco struggled on offense against the Seahawks without George Kittle and Emmanuel Sanders. A slight dip to their third-down conversion seemed to be the difference between a win and a loss, and the 49ers could be without their top two targets again this weekend.

Sanders, who sustained a rib injury in Monday’s loss, has yet to practice this week and appears to be out on Sunday. He’s shown quick chemistry with Garoppolo and owned Arizona in their opening meeting, catching seven balls for 112 yards. The sure-handed receiver will be greatly missed, especially after Monday’s nine-drop debacle.

Meanwhile, Kittle practiced for the first time on Thursday since sustaining his knee injury against the Cardinals. He was limited, but it was a good sign to see him back on the practice field in Santa Clara. His status for Monday is still questionable.

On top of possibly being without their top two targets come Sunday, Matt Breida’s ankle injury will keep him out the next couple of weeks, as he reaggravated it on Monday. The 49ers’ offensive attack could look greatly diminished against the Cardinals, which should scare those that realize it took everyone to win the first time around.

San Francisco finished with 411 total yards in their win against the Cardinals, and if you take out Kittle, Sanders, and Breida, they’re left with 142 yards. Taking away 62% of their total offense is going to be challenging to overcome. They’ll need to find more production out of Tevin Coleman and Deebo Samuel to battle for a win. Samuel is coming off his breakout game, catching eight balls for 112 yards.

On top of the critical skill position injuries, the Niners will go back to being without Joe Staley, who broke a couple of fingers in Monday’s loss. Insert Justin Skule, who’s been a great surprise sliding in for Staley’s absence earlier in the year. The sixth-round rookie did a fabulous job defending Garoppolo’s blindside.

If Kyle Shanahan can game plan once again around all these injuries, San Francisco should be okay. They’ve shown different ways to win all season, and this Sunday could be his biggest test yet. With zero wiggle room atop the NFC West, now is not the time for a monumental slip-up.

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Lami: Staley out again with injured finger; Blair on injured reserve; plus more

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photo from sfgate.com: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) passes against Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson (99) during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Monday, Nov. 11, 2019

On the 49ers podcast with Joe:

#1 San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that Joe Staley who returned to action on Monday Night Football after missing six weeks will be out again another two weeks after injuring his finger. Staley had surgery Tuesday.

#2 49ers right tackle Mike McGlinchey said that Staley’s finger ballooned out and Staley had been having issues with the finger before he re-injured it on Monday night.

#3 The 49ers put defensive end Ronald Blair on injured reserve and re-signed pass rusher DaMontre Moore. Moore is joining the team after Blair tore his ACL on Monday night.

#4 Look for defensive linemaen Arik Armstead and Solomon Thomas who played inside they could end up outside and according to head coach Kyle Shanahan they could get a few more snaps.

#5 The 49ers host the Arizona Cardinals at Levis at 1pm on Sunday Joe set this one up.

Join Joe Lami for the 49ers podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Raiders take on 0-9 Bengals, won’t take anything for granted

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sfgate.com photo: Detroit Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. (11) catches a touchdown pass against Oakland Raiders’ Daryl Worley (20) and Karl Joseph (42) during the first half of an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019

On the Raiders podcast with J Hawkes:

#1 Joe talk a little about the job that the Raiders pass rusher Benson Mayowa the one head coach Jon Gruden refers to as Benny and the Jets. Mayowa has seven sacks tied for 11th in the NFL.

#2 Mayowa said 2019 has been a grind but he said he’s shown flashes and credits his line mates for the coverage

#3 Defensive end Dion Jordan said he’s glad to be back at his first practice on Wednesday. Jordan is coming off a six game suspension in 2014, suspended all of 2015, didn’t play in 2016, he did play 17 games over the 2017-18 for Seattle, and was suspended for ten games for using Adderall this season.

#4 Asked on Wednesday if head coach Jon Gruden would consider sending someone to Atlanta on Saturday for Colin Kaepernick’s workout Gruden said he didn’t know and that he was focused on the upcoming game with the Cincinnati Bengals.

#5 Joe just because the Bengals are 0-9 you know what they say about any given Sunday could this be a contest or a rout for the Raiders.

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

Raiders look for 3rd straight home win with Bengals coming to town

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sfgate.com photo: Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (17) is sacked by Oakland Raiders defensive end Clelin Ferrell during the second half of an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019.

By Joe Hawkes

SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — With back-to-back wins at home, the Raiders look to finish off their three-game home stand at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum with a win over the visiting Cincinnati Bengals as the two teams hook up for action in Week 11. This will be the first matchup between the two clubs since 2015, in a game that the Bengals won convincingly, 33-13 in Oakland.

Cincinnati currently holds a three-game winning streak over Oakland, with the Raiders last defeating the Bengals, 20-17, in Oakland back in 2009.

Kickoff for this battle in the AFC is at 1:25 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on CBS.

In Week 10, the Raiders defeated their AFC West rival, the Los Angeles Chargers, 26-24, to improve their record to 5-4. Oakland sealed their second-straight victory at home behind rookie running back Josh Jacobs’ 18-yard touchdown run in the final minute of regulation. Jacobs finished with 71 yards on 16 carries and three catches for 30 yards in the game.

In the process, Jacobs became just the 16th player in NFL history to rush for at least 800 yards in his first nine career games per Elias Sports Bureau. Currently, Jacobs has rushed for 811 yards this season. His seven rushing touchdowns are tied with Arthur Whittington for second-most by a rookie in franchise history.

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr recorded his 18th career fourth-quarter comeback, and his 19th career game-winning drive. Carr threw for 218 yards and one touchdown. On the Raiders’ final offensive drive of the game, Carr completed 6-of-8 passes for 57 yards that would setup Jacobs’ go-ahead touchdown.

But the real story of the game was the play of Oakland’s defense, who made life extremely difficult for Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers.

For the second-straight game, safety Karl Joseph would make the game-sealing play, intercepting Rivers in the final seconds of the game.

Safety Erik Harris recorded two interceptions for Oakland on the night in the first-quarter, which included a 56-yard pick-six that extended the Raiders’ lead to 10-0. It was Harris’ second pick-six of the season.

Oakland registered five sacks on Rivers, with rookie defensive end Clelin Ferrell posting a career-high 2.5 sacks, and 1.5 sacks by defensive end Benson Mayowa. Mayowa now has a career-high seven sacks.

Defensive end Maxx Crosby and defensive tackle Maurice Hurst each logged 0.5 sacks in the game.

Cincinnati (0-9) is coming off a 49-13 thrashing at the hands of their AFC North rival, the Baltimore Ravens in Week 10.

Rookie quarterback Ryan Finley made his debut for Cincinnati and had a game to forget.

Finley, who replaced franchise quarterback Andy Dalton after Dalton was benched during the team’s bye week, completed 16-of-30 passes for 167 yards, one touchdown and one interception that was returned 89 yards for a pick-six by Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters that made the score 28-3 midway through the second quarter.

The loss to the Ravens were the Bengals’ 11th-straight loss dating back to the last season, tying the longest two-season losing streak in club history per Elias Sports Bureau. They’re one loss away from matching the worst start in club history.

Following Sunday’s game, Oakland heads east to New York to take on the Jets at MetLife Stadium in Week 12, while the Bengals return home to face the Pittsburgh Steelers.

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Too many injuries, 49ers fell short of reaching the promise land on Monday Night Football

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sfgate.com photo: San Francisco 49ers kicker Chase McLaughlin (5) who was 3-3 kicking field goals shanks a key 47 yard attempt in overtime that would have won it for San Francisco on Monday Night Football vs. the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium.

On San Francisco 49ers podcast with David:

#1 The 49ers are no longer undefeated, but not without a fight tied 24-24. The 49ers tried to kick a field goal as Chase McLaughlin, who was 3-3, tried to hit a 47-yarder shanked it to the left of the goal posts and the Seahawks ended up getting a second chance.

#2 Talk about the Hawks getting that winning drive that allowed kicker Jason Meyers to kick the winning field goal in overtime.

San Francisco 49ers podcasts are heard each Tuesday with David Zizmor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Niners No Longer Undefeated; Lose Thriller to Seattle 27-24

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sfgate.com photo: The Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson scrambles to avoid the San Francisco 49ers pass rush on Monday Night Football at Levis Stadium

By: Joe Lami

SANTA CLARA — The NFL has no undefeated teams remaining this season after the San Francisco 49ers were defeated by their arch-rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, in overtime 27-24 on Monday Night Football. The highly-anticipated game lived up to and even surpassed the hype, as we just witnessed the best home game played at Levi’s Stadium.

The game had everything, including substantial point swings, turnovers, defensive touchdowns, drops (lots of them), and game-winning field goal opportunities.

Niners’ fans can walk away disappointed after MVP front-runner, Russell Wilson, ran all over the field, totaling 53 yards, including a 19-yard scamper in overtime that set up the game-winner. But they shouldn’t. The red and gold balled out tonight, despite being without their star all-pro tight end, George Kittle and losing Emmanuel Sanders in the midst of it all. Sanders went down with a rib injury and didn’t come back. He’s scheduled for an MRI on Tuesday.

Other injuries include Matt Breida’s ankle acted up; he didn’t return. DJ Jones, who went down with a groin injury and didn’t return. He was a beast up until the point, getting a sack that included completely knocking the Seattle center over on a perfectly timed bullrush. Ronald Blair also went down with a knee injury after preventing Wilson from picking up a huge gain. The Niners finished the game with five sacks and have marked more than three for the sixth-straight game.

They just made mistakes, lots of them, and still took a 7-2 team down to the very seconds of overtime.

But as Richard Sherman said postgame, “you learn more in your losses than in your wins. We’re going to find things to correct and fix them”.

The Niners had a chance to win the game twice in the overtime period. The newly signed rookie kicker, Chase McLaughlin, was 3/3 heading into the potential 47-yard game-winner, but completely shanked it. On San Francisco’s second drive of the overtime period, they only expended 14 seconds off the clock thanks to three-straight incompletions (including one drop), leaving Wilson 1:25 to drive from his own 36 to win the game.

Only using 14 seconds off the clock proved to be costly, as it was enough time for Wilson to work his magic. But at the same time, Shanahan wasn’t shy about being aggressive; he was playing for the win.

One has to question, though, why he didn’t use Deebo Samuel on an end-around. Samuel experienced his best game in the NFL thus far, getting leaned on heavily after Sanders went down. He finished with eight catches on 11 targets for 112 yards. It was his first 100+ yard performance of his career.

Wilson had the first drive of overtime and was looking like an unstoppable object, driving the ball down to the 49ers’ 14-yard line. That’s when Dre Greenlaw made his biggest play as a 49er, intercepting the pass over his shoulder and returning it to midfield. It was only Wilson’s second thrown interception on his season.

Before the play, Greenlaw instilled confidence in his defense, “I told them they are not in the end zone yet, so it is up to us to get a stop. That’s the mentality that we have to have as a defense and the mentality we all have,” he said.

McLaughlin, replacing the injured Robbie Gould, played excellent up to that point. He even kicked the game-tying 47-yarder with just one second remaining after Jimmy Garoppolo drove from his own 26 on a ten-play drive.

The Niners were humbled tonight, getting handed their first loss of the season, yet they didn’t go down without a fight.

San Francisco grabbed an early 10-0 lead in the opening quarter thanks to Jimmy Garoppolo’s only passing touchdown of the game, finding Kendrick Bourne from ten yards out. Bourne was mediocre at best, catching four of eight balls for 42 yards. He had a few drops, including one that led to Garoppolo’s only interception of the game.

“It’s tough, especially how it got an interception off of it; that’s what gets at me more than a drop. Even the second one almost got picked. I am just down on myself because those types of things can happen. It’s just about focusing in on the ball, because I know I can catch the ball, it’s not hard. Sometimes, you squeeze it harder than other situations. When I’m more open, I tend to get more relaxed when someone is on me,” added Bourne.

Seattle looked dead to rights, until late in the first half, when Garoppolo fumbled the ball at his ten on a strip-sack from Jarran Reed. The ball was scooped up by Jadeveon Clowney for the touchdown and brought the score to 10-7 before the break. Clowney had a field-day against the banged-up Niners’ offensive line, finishing with the fumble recovery touchdown, as well as a forced fumble, five tackles, a sack, and five QB hits.

Seattle had a chance at back-to-back late second-quarter touchdowns, but a terrific play from Jaquiski Tartt punched the ball out of DK Metcalf’s hands at the two-yard-line to prevent the score.

However, they picked it up in the second half, scoring two more touchdowns, extending their 21-0 run. Russell Wilson found tight end Jacob Hollister in the end zone for his 23rd touchdown pass of the season, while Chris Carson ran one in from a yard out.

The Niners were able to stop the bleeding on quite possibly the strangest play anyone has ever seen to start the fourth quarter. The ball started with K’Wuan Williams strip-sacking Wilson. However, the ball fell into the lap of right tackle, Germain Ifedi, who fumbled on a Fred Warner punch-out. DeForest Buckner did the rest of the work and carried it in for his first touchdown since high school to bring the Niners back into the game. The Niners capped the play with a two-point conversion to Bourne, making it 21-18.

Field goals filled the rest of the fourth, with Jason Myers knocking down one and McLaughlin nailing two, including the buzzer-beater.

It was Garoppolo’s first experience in overtime. The much more experienced Wilson got the best of him, as he ups his record to 6-3-1 in extra time. More importantly, the win for Seattle now puts them right on the heels of the Niners are 8-2, just one game behind San Francisco for the division lead.

Raiders are breathing down the Chiefs’ neck

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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.

Niners Pre-Game Notebook: Seahawks

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Photo credit: mercurynews.com

By: Joe Lami

The biggest game of the season is here for the 49ers as they host the (7-2) Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football. The last undefeated team in the NFL eyes its first 9-0 start since 1990 in what is quite possibly the biggest Niners game held at Levi’s Stadium.

Injuries
It’s crazy to believe that the Niners are still undefeated without both starting tackles and their pro-bowl caliber fullback, but they’ve done just that. Mike McGlinchy, Joe Staley, and Kyle Juszczyk are all expected to return come Monday. All three were held to limited practice on Friday, but Santa Clara remains optimistic.

Both George Kittle and Robbie Gould didn’t practice on Thursday and Friday. Kittle injured his knee in last Thursday’s win over the Cardinals. He won’t be ruled out until Saturday’s practice, but the faithful shouldn’t hold their breath.

Gould sustained a quad injury on Tuesday, and his status is still up in the air. Rookie, Chase McLaughlin, was brought in, in case Gould isn’t able to go. McLaughlin kicked four games for the LA Chargers earlier in the seasoning, finishing six of nine on field goals before being released.

Scouting the Seahawks
Russell Wilson is an early-season MVP favorite. He’s currently third in passing yards with 2,505 and leads the NFL with 22 touchdowns to just one interception. He’s been phenomenal and is by far the best quarterback the Niners have faced this season.

The one area he’s struggled in is getting pass protection, being sacked 22 times on the season, the ninth most in the NFL. The Niners front four need to be salivating towards getting after the quarterback because if they don’t, Wilson should be able to carve up the secondary. San Francisco has gotten to the QB the third most this season, with 30 sacks on the season.

Wilson’s main two targets this year and have been Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. Lockett’s caught for 767 yards and six touchdowns, while the rookie has hauled in 525 yards and five touchdowns.

Seattle’s the seventh-best team at rushing the football. Chris Carson has been their go-to man, averaging 4.4 yards per carry with three touchdowns.

Seattle’s defense is just as good at taking the ball away, although they’ve played one more game. Tied for fourth in takeaways with the Niners, they’re particularly good at forcing fumbles, recovering seven on the season thus far. They don’t rely on getting to the QB as much, recording only 15 sacks on the season.

Final Thoughts
The Niners and Seahawks appear to be an excellent matchup on paper. It’s a classic offense vs. defense matchup – the star QB vs. the best defense in the NFL. If the Niners can contain Russ Wilson, they should come out victorious. Seattle’s defense gives up yards and the possibility of the running game potentially getting better with the three hogs returning is promising.

As long as Garoppolo continues to move the ball, pick up first downs, and prevent the turnovers, the Niners should stay undefeated.

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

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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