Tag: NFL

Jackson roughs up Raiders in 34-17 win

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Photo credit: abc30.com

By Jeremy Kahn

With Joe Flacco on the bench for the second straight game, Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh turned to 2016 Heisman Trophy Winner Lamar Jackson for the second week in a row.

The rookie out of Louisville did not disappoint Harbaugh or his team, as he ran for 71 yards and a touchdown and the Ravens defeated the Oakland Raiders 34-17 at M&T Bank Stadium.

One week after carrying the ball 27 times for 117 yards in his NFL starting debut, Jackson carried the ball 11 times, including nine times in the second half.

Jackson attempted only seven passes in the second half, as he went 14-for-25 for 178 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

Gus Edwards ran for 118 yards, as the Ravens won for the second game in a row for the first time since September.

Terrell Suggs put the finishing touches on the win, as he recovered a fumble after Matthew Judon sacked Derek Carr and Suggs ran for 43 yards for the touchdown.

Doug Martin scored his first touchdown as a Raider, as he scored on the Raiders’ opening series of the game.

Justin Tucker pulled the Ravens within 7-3 on their first series of the game, as he kicked 47-yard field goal.

Cyrus Jones gave the Ravens the lead for good in the second quarter, as he returned a Johnny Townsend punt 70 yards for the touchdown.

After the two teams traded field goals to close out the scoring in the first half, Jackson scored on a five-yard run on the first series of the second half to stretch the Ravens lead up to 20-10.

Carr then drove the Raiders down the field, and it culminated with a one-handed touchdown catch by Jared Cook to cut the Ravens down to three.

That would be the Raiders only possession of the third quarter, as Jackson and the Ravens took the ball and held for the next 8:53 that ended with Jackson finding former Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree for the eight-yard touchdown pass.

Carr ended up going 16-for-34 for 194 yards with a touchdown, he was also sacked three times on the afternoon.

Martin led the Raiders in rushing with 11 carries for 51 yards with a touchdown, as the Raiders fall to 2-9 on the season.

Both Martin and Rookie Marcell Ateman led the Raiders in catches with three, while Ateman gained 16 yards and Martin gained 21 yards.

NOTES: Raiders backup defensive end Jacquies Smith was forced to leave the game with an Achilles injury, while defensive tackle Mo Hurst left in the third quarter with an undisclosed injury.

Carr went into the concussion protocol tent late in the second quarter, and was replaced by A.J. McCarron, who kneeled down for the final plays of the first half. Carr eventually returned to the game in the second half.

UP NEXT: After a bye, the 9-2 Kansas City Chiefs head to the Coliseum, as the two rivals will face each other twice over the final weeks of the season.

49ers Cut Foster, Lose to Bucs 27-9

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Photo credit: @49ers

By: Joe Lami

Sunday marked the most incompetent game of the season for the San Francisco 49ers as they lost their fifth straight road game 27-9 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 49ers now stand at 2-9, clinching their fourth straight losing season, with five games remaining. The poor outing coming off of the bye week wasn’t the story though.

Before the game Sunday, general manager John Lynch announced Linebacker, Rueben Foster has been cut. The announcement occurred all while Foster was still in a Tampa jail following an arrest Saturday night for domestic battery after an incident at the team hotel.

The 49ers clearly showed their zero-tolerance policy with Foster with the separation. In the off-season, Foster saw legal trouble and was arrested for domestic battery at a home in Los Gatos. After a long legal battle, the charges were eventually dropped after the accuser admitted in court she lied to ruin Foster’s career.

At that time, the 49ers made Foster promise it was the last time and to cut ties with the accuser. But on Saturday night, it appears she may have returned. According to The Athletic and the Tampa police, the party involved had a tumultuous on and off relationship with Foster.

She wanted to press charges after she claimed to have had her phone slapped out of her hand. The Tampa police also revealed she had a one-inch scratch on her collarbone.

Foster, a 2017 first-round pick, has been released on $2,000 bail. His NFL career is now in jeopardy as he faces up to a year in prison if he’s found guilty of the charge set forth.

Regardless of his guilt, the release was going to be inevitable because of the promise he broke with Lynch and the 49ers. Lynch later admitted that this was a team decision to help shape culture.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported on Sunday a second incident occurred in October between Foster and the victim. The 49ers were unaware of the October incident at the time of release.

The result of Sunday’s contest may be caused by Foster’s situation, or maybe the team finally has quit on the year. Regardless, Sunday’s contest may be the worst following a bye week in franchise history. The 49ers were awful from the start of the game. Unable to do anything, struggling on third down, converting 1-of-8; the 49ers couldn’t move the ball.

Nick Mullens has sunk back to mediocrity and continues to have issues with throwing the ball down the field. Mullens finished 18-of-32 for 221, one touchdown, and two picks.

Tampa Bay native, Matt Breida, put on a show in front of friends and family. The only 49er able to do anything ran for 106 yards on 14 attempts.

Jameis Winston earned the starting position again this week and threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns.

Tampa Bay won the battle between the two worst teams at taking care of the football. The Bucs defense forced two interceptions while sacking Mullens four times with consistent pressure.

With five games remaining, the 49ers sit at 2-9, appear to be a sure lock at the top pick in the draft.

The Sunday Spotlight: Rookies and the defense aid Ravens in 34-17 win over Raiders

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Photo credit: @Ravens

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

Rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson threw for a score and ran for another, and linebacker Terrell Suggs returned a fumble 43 yards for a touchdown helping the Ravens dispatch the visiting Oakland Raiders, 34-17 on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.

Rookie running back Gus Edwards rushed for 118 yards on 23 carries, his second-straight game that he’s rushed for over 100 yards. Edwards, who went undrafted in this year’s NFL draft out of Rutgers, rushed for 115 yards on 17 carries last week in Baltimore’s 24-21 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Ravens backup cornerback Cyrus Jones took a punt 70 yards to for a touchdown that helped the Ravens (6-5) win for back-to-back games for the first time since September.

The Ravens would carry a 13-10 halftime lead into the locker room.

On the Ravens’ first drive in the third quarter, Jackson would lead the Ravens on a 13-play, 75-yard drive in 6:50 that ended in a 5-yard scoring run by the Louisville product that pushed Baltimore’s lead to 20-10.

Following a Derek Carr 16-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jared Cook (who made an unbelievable one-handed catch as he’s falling to the ground) that cut Baltimore’s lead to 20-17, Jackson would engineer a 17-play, 71-yard drive that chewed up 8:51 off the clock that was capped off by an 8-yard slant-route touchdown catch by former Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree that extended the Ravens’ lead to 27-17.

Crabtree, who was cut in the offseason by Oakland, finished with three catches for 21 yards on six targets.

Baltimore relied heavily on the running game that kept the Raiders off balance for most of the day, as Jackson led Baltimore on two touchdown drives that consumed 16 minutes of game time stretching from the third into the fourth quarter.

Oakland’s 31st-ranked running defense couldn’t stop the Ravens on Sunday, allowing 242 rushing yards on 43 attempts.

Jackson, who started at quarterback for the second-straight week in place of regular starter Joe Flacco whose been dealing with a injured right hip, did throw two interceptions on passes that were tipped but otherwise, played efficiently for Baltimore.

After not recording a sack through three quarters, the Ravens finally started to get pressure on Carr, sacking the Raiders starting quarterback on three-straight plays in the fourth quarter. Ravens linebacker Matthew Judon, who entered Week 12 with just three sacks on the season, recorded all three sacks on Carr.

Judon’s first sack resulted in a Carr fumble that was quickly scooped up by linebacker Terrell Suggs who then raced 43 yards for a touchdown that made the score 34-17, ending any hope for the Raiders.

Carr threw for 194 yards and one touchdown on 16-of-34 passes for Oakland (2-9), who scored a touchdown on their first possession for the second-straight week. Carr led Oakland on a 12-play, 81-yard drive in 6:15 that included a 30-yard completion to backup tight end Lee Smith on fourth-and-1 that was capped off by running back Doug Martin’s 1-yard touchdown run.

The scoring play for Martin was his first of the season for the Silver and Black. Martin scored his last touchdown last October as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Martin recorded 72 yards total (51 rushing and 21 receiving) on 14 touches (11 rushes and 3 catches) for the game. Second-year wide receiver Marcell Ateman was the only other Raider with three catches, finishing with just 21 yards. Ateman led the team with 10 targets.

Wide receiver Seth Roberts led Oakland with 54 yards receiving on two catches. Roberts’ 44-yard catch from Carr in the third quarter would setup tight end Jared Cook’s 16-yard touchdown catch that made the score 20-10 following a 5-yard touchdown run by Jackson to begin the third quarter.

For the second straight week, the Raiders’ defense recorded two interceptions with safeties Reggie Nelson and Marcus Gilchrist each notching a takeaway.

Linebacker Tahir Whitehead recorded 14 tackles and linebacker Nicholas Morrow recorded just the 10th sack by Oakland this season in the first quarter.

On Sunday, Dec. 2, the Raiders return home to face the Kansas City Chiefs for the first time this season. Kansas City (9-2) who is currently on a bye week, leads the AFC West and are coming off a wild 54-51 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Nov. 18 in a game that was originally set to take place at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

The Ravens will travel to Atlanta to take on the Falcons in Week 13.

Four Keys to a 49ers Victory Against the Buccaneers

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Photo credit: @NBCS49ers

By: Joe Lami

The bye week has come and gone for the San Francisco 49ers, but they still have winnable games ahead, including this Sunday against the 3-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Tampa Bay has been a similar train wreck. Inconsistency at the quarterback position has doomed them with Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick sharing the duties.

Winston will get the start Sunday after winning his job back (yet again) after Sunday’s comeback win against the Giants. But he hasn’t been great, completing 65% of his passes for 1,380 yards and eight touchdowns. The problem has been taking care of the ball, with 11 interceptions and five fumbles.

Here are my four keys to a 49ers victory against the Buccaneers:

Takeaways
With Tampa’s inability to take care of the ball, it’s time for the defense to shine. San Francisco has the league’s worst takeaway total thus far, with just five on the season. This week needs to be the turnaround week for a mediocre defense that can’t make the play to get them off the field. Tampa Bay has given the ball away league-worst 29 times.

Tampa’s defense also doesn’t get takeaways either, with just six on the season. Their -23 differential is the only the one worse than San Francisco’s -15.

In a game that’s sure to be sloppy, winning the turnover battle is a must.

Injuries
Coming off of the bye week gives San Francisco a fighting chance to finally get healthy. Matt Breida has been battling a nagging ankle injury all season long and could have a great second half to the season if he can remain healthy. He was not listed on the team’s injury report as of Friday.

Reuben Foster also saw limited practice earlier in the week and could make a key return to the middle linebacking spot for the 49ers, after sitting out since Week 9 with a hamstring issue.

Pierre Garcon didn’t practice on Wednesday but remains hopeful on making a key return.

Game Plan
Nick Mullens will be making his third career start on Sunday. In his debut, he torched the Raiders en route to an easy win. However, he struggled more against the Giants, throwing 250 yards, a touchdown, and a pick. The key difference was the game plan.

Against the Raiders, he was making quick and timely decisions. Most of the play calls had him managing the game and not taking huge risks. Against the Giants, they tried to take more risks down the field and it didn’t work. Receivers couldn’t get open for him and he was unable to move the ball effectively.

Return to what worked against the Raiders on offense.

The defensive play calling has also been suspect under Robert Saleh. The 49ers hardly blitzed against a Giants team two weeks ago that was averaging four sacks surrendered a game. They thought their front four could bring enough pressure, but that didn’t work, sacking Eli Manning only once.

Tampa Bay is another struggling team. Be more aggressive on defense. Make the Buccaneers make some plays. The 49ers secondary isn’t good enough to create coverage sacks. Don’t get beat because you’re scared, get beat because you went down swinging.

Also, adapt. It appears both coaches are terrible at adapting in-game and can’t recognize what’s being given to them. This season may be lost, but when the 49ers have a team talented enough to win games, adapting mid game is crucial.

Get Going Early
The early body clock games have seemed to always have been a nightmare for San Francisco. Since 2015, the Niners are 3-13 for the 10 am PST kickoff. Two of the wins have come under Shanahan, but only when he had Garoppolo. A fast start is necessary for a team that has always struggled with the early kickoff.

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Lami: Tomlinson hasn’t missed a snap for the last two seasons; 49ers, Bucs–two last place teams battle it out Sunday

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sfchronicle.com photo: Laken Tomlinson #75 of the San Francisco 49ers walks off the field after defeating the Oakland Raiders 34-3 in their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on November 1, 2018 in Santa Clara, California.

On the San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe:

#1 49ers left guard Laken Tomlinson is nothing short of incredible– dedicated hard working, practices hard, plays hard, but most significantly, Tomlinson has not missed a single snap this season–all 666.

#2 Tomlinson will be entering this Sunday’s game in Tampa Bay, playing all ten consecutive games and playing in his second season without missing a game.

#3 Tomlinson said he wants to be there for his teammates and not disappoint and support his teammates.

#4  Tomlinson also ranks third in the NFL for rushing per game at 133.6 per game.

#5 The 49ers (2-8), last in the NFC West, are in Tampa Bay this Sunday playing the NFC South’s last place Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-7).

Joe does the 49ers podcast each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

49ers hope to rebound on Sunday

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Photo credit: @NBCS49ers

By: Jeremy Harness

After suffering a tough loss a week and a half ago against the lowly New York Giants, the 49ers will get back on the field Sunday afternoon and hope to get things back on track.

This time, they will travel across the country as they will face the 3-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team that has had more than its fair share of issues after a promising start, such is the case with the 49ers.

The Buccaneers and the 49ers have one thing in common that they both have lost to the Giants, as Tampa Bay fell to them last Sunday. The big difference is that while the 49ers have been wrecked by injuries at key positions, the Bucs have been derailed by underperformance across the board.

For example, The Bucs have a mess on their hands at quarterback. The team’s regular starter for the past few years has been Jameis Winston, but he has been plagued by off-the-field issues, which caused his two-game suspension to start the season, as well as overall bad play this season. On the other hand, they have Ryan Fitzpatrick, who started in Winston’s place to begin the year and performed remarkably well but has been wildly inconsistent since then, forcing the team to go back to Winston to regain the spark that they had many games ago, only to watch the former No. 1 overall pick fizzle out.

But there’s more. Winston has a fifth-year team option worth $20.9 million that would be guaranteed if he is not considerably healthy by this March. However, if he is still healthy by that point, the team can let him walk via free agency.

Meanwhile, the 49ers were without guard Joshua Garnett, who had surgery on his broken thumb last Tuesday and did not practice Wednesday. Also missing practice was receiver Pierre Garcon (knee) and tackle Joe Staley (rest). The good news is that receiver Marquise Goodwin returned to practice after missing Monday’s practice, and he has been plagues with assorted injuries throughout the season.

Among the significant injuries for the Buccaneers have been linebacker Lavonte David and defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, and both missed Wednesday’s practice with knee injuries.

Raiders travel to the East Coast to face the Ravens

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Photo credit: reviewjournal.com

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — The Raiders hit the road once again as they will travel East to take on a tough Baltimore Ravens team to close out Thanksgiving Weekend. The Week 12 matchup will mark the fourth consecutive year that the two teams have clashed, with Oakland winning two of the last three contests, including a thrilling 28-27 victory in 2016 at M&T Bank Stadium. Baltimore won last year’s meeting 30-17 in Oakland.

Kickoff for the 11th meeting is this Sunday, Nov. 25 at 10:00 a.m. PT. The Ravens lead the all-time series, 7-3.

Last week, the Raiders (2-8) defeated the Arizona Cardinals 23-21 at State Farm Stadium.

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr earned his 15th career fourth quarter comeback, engineering an impressive 9-play, 63-yard drive in the final minutes of the game, capped off by rookie kicker Daniel Carlson’s 35-yard game-winning field goal through the uprights as time expired.

The win snapped Oakland’s five-game losing streak and more importantly, shinned a little light on what has been a dark season for the Silver and Black with the losses mounting up week after week.

Carr finished the game completing 19-of-31 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions with a 100.6 passer rating. His two touchdowns against the Cardinals moved him past Rich Gannon (114) for third on the club’s all-time list with 115, trailing only Daryle Lamonica (148) and Ken Stabler (150).

For Carlson, his three made field goals on the day from 49 (career-long), 21, and 35 yards (first career game-winner) earned him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. His 11 points (two made extra points) were also a career-high and were the most among kickers in the AFC in Week 11.

Defensively, cornerback Gareon Conley and safety Karl Joseph each recorded an interception that led to touchdowns on ensuing drives, and rookie defensive tackle Maurice Hurst tallied a sack for the second consecutive week, bringing his total to four on the season and elevating him to second among rookie defenders in the NFL.

After coming of their bye week, the Ravens defeated their AFC North rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals 24-21 in Week 11 at M&T Bank Stadium snapping their three-game losing streak.

Baltimore’s offense was paced by two rookies in quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Gus Edwards.

Jackson did throw one interception in the game, but showed why he was a dual-threat quarterback at Louisville, completing 13-of-19 passes for 150 yards and rushing for 119 yards on 26 carries (team-high) in his first career start in place of franchise quarterback Joe Flacco. Flacco was inactive for last week’s game due to a injured hip.

Edwards, an undrafted rookie from Rutgers University, rushed for a career-high 115 yards on 17 carries and one touchdown.

Following Sunday’s game, the Raiders will return home for two weeks to take on two first-place teams in the AFC, as they will host their AFC West rivals the Kansas City Chiefs (9-2) in Week 13, and the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2-1) in Week 14.

The Ravens (5-5) who trail the Steelers in the AFC North, hit the road for back-to-back games against the Atlanta Falcons (4-6) in Week 13 and the Chiefs in Week 14.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Rams-Chiefs set record for the ages; Will Warriors get back to normal?

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On the Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 Former Cal football quarterback Jared Goff had himself an evening on Monday Night Football in a razor close game against the Kansas City Chiefs a game for the ages as the LA Rams defeated the Chiefs 54-51 in the highest scoring game in MNF history. Goff passed for 413 yards, four touchdowns, and rushed for a touchdown.

#2 The Warriors, who have lost three straight games, and open a four-game homestand on Wednesday night. Is there concern about how they’ll fare as all the talk has been about the dissension on the team as to why this team is untracked?

#3 San Francisco Giants Team president Farhan Zaidi is still in his get to know you mode. Zaidi is still getting to know the players and front office staff is going through resumes and recommendation letters and emails for who he will decide to find as the new GM for the Giants.

#4 In a meeting this week during practice at the San Francisco 49ers (2-8), head coach Kyle Shanahan made it very clear to his players that their jobs were on the line and they had better get it together soon as the team prepares for their next game in Tampa Bay this Sunday after coming off a Monday Night Football loss on Nov. 12th to the New York Giants.

#5 The Oakland Raiders (2-8) lend a great deal of credit to their running backs, who carried for scores and yards, to help the Raiders in their razor close win over the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday 23-21. The two running backs of record to get some nice pats on the back Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington, who both combined for 84 yards and 20 carries in the Raiders’ win.

London Marq does Headline Sports each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Can Raiders carry that good win feeling into Baltimore this Sunday?

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Photo credit: raiderswire.usatoday.com

On the Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe:

#1 The Oakland Raiders win over the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday certainly brightened thing up for the Raiders and ended their five-game losing streak in Arizona last Sunday.

#2 The Raiders quarterback Derek Carr and head coach Jon Gruden had a sideline disagreement. It was just one of those things.

#3 The Raiders battled back to catch the Cardinals. Will this be a fixture of their work ethic?

#4 Joe tells us about kicker Daniel Carlson’s game-winning field goal last Sunday and what it means to the team.

#5 The Raiders try to keep it going in Baltimore this Sunday against the Ravens. Joe tells us how he sees this matchup.

Joe Hawkes Beamon does the Oakland Raiders podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Can Mullens seal the deal against Tampa Bay Sunday after close game with New York?

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Photo credit: @MattBreida

On the San Francisco 49ers podcast with David:

#1 The San Francisco 49ers (2-8), coming off last Sunday’s bye, gave the club a week to lick their wounds and recover from their loss to the New York Giants (3-7) 27-23 from Nov. 12th on Monday Night Football where quarterback Nick Mullens threw 27-39, 250 yards, for one touchdown, and two interceptions.

#2 Are there options for the 49ers if they landed the number one pick for 2019?

Join David each week for the 49ers podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com