Tag: NFL

Niners Make Franchise History; Start Season 0-8 After 33-10 Loss to Eagles in Philly

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San Francisco 49ers’ C.J. Beathard (3) is sacked by Philadelphia Eagles’ Brandon Graham (55) and Mychal Kendricks (95) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017, in Philadelphia,. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

By: Joe Lami

For the first time in franchise history, the San Francisco 49ers are 0-8. Sunday’s loss that pushed them over the threshold was the worst loss to date, as they were thrashed by the Philadelphia Eagles 33-10.

Add injury to the insult, as five key 49ers went down in the contest. The mediocre offensive line lost its rock, Joe Staley in the second quarter and things just went downhill from there. Jimmy Ward and Soloman Thomas also were injured and didn’t return. Ward will most likely be out for an extended amount of time with a fractured forearm. Thomas, Garry Gilliam, and D.J Jones all went down with knee injuries.

The offensive line did a horrible job of protecting C.J. Beathard, who had his worst performance to date. Beathard finished the day throwing for 167 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions, good enough for a 46.9 passer rating. He also led the 49ers in rushing yards with 40.

The NFL-leading Eagles had their way and toyed with the Niners all afternoon. Starting upfront, The Eagles got to Beathard early and often, hitting him 12 times and finishing with four sacks. The Philadelphia secondary also did a fabulous job against the passing attack, batting away 10 balls, intercepting two and bringing one back for a touchdown.

The 49ers defense wasn’t awful, but not getting any help from the offense paid its toll. Carson Wentz threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns. LeGarrette Blount also found the end zone on 16 carries and 48 yards.

The 49ers did a decent job of forcing the Eagles off the field, holding them to 29% third-down conversion.

The 49ers failed on all three sides of the ball, as special teams had a 27-yard field goal blocked in the early part of the fourth quarter.

The only bright note came from Matt Brieda, who scored his first career NFL touchdown off a short shovel pass. Brieda made cut his way through the Eagles defense for the 21-yard score.

San Francisco was beaten by the best team in the NFL on Sunday and didn’t look good doing it. They have a long week before their next matchup at home against the Cardinals and have many injuries to heal before their search for the first win of the season.

Raiders travel to Buffalo for Week 8 matchup with Bills Sunday

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Photo credit: @BNBlitzNow

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND — After having 10 days off, the Raiders get back on the football field this Sunday as they travel east to take on the Buffalo Bills in a key matchup for Week 8.

Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m. ET or 10:00 a.m. PT for all you (including me) west coasters.

Last Thursday night, the Silver and Black got back into the win column with a 31-30 comeback victory over their bitter rival, the Kansas City Chiefs. Oakland (3-4) were down six late in the fourth quarter before starting quarterback Derek Carr engineered an 11-play, 85-yard drive in 2:25 that resulted on a 2-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Michael Crabtree as time expired.

Kicker Giorgio Tavecchio’s PAT on the next play proved to be the difference maker, snapping Oakland’s four-game losing streak following a 2-0 start.

In the process, Carr earned his NFL-leading 12th comeback victory since 2015. Carr completed 29-of-52 passes for 417 yards and three touchdowns with 101.2 passer rating.

Amari Cooper had a career-night, hauling in 11 receptions for 210 yards and two touchdowns of 38 and 45 yards. Cooper’s 210 yards ranked second in single-game franchise history to Art Powell’s 247 yards in 1963.

Cooper was named the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Week for his offensive outburst against the Chiefs.

Just to put Cooper’s performance in a bigger perspective: after recording five catches for 62 yards and one touchdown in Oakland’s 26-16 victory in Tennessee in Week 1, Cooper struggled, recording just 13 catches for 84 yards and no touchdowns in Weeks 2-6.

Tight end Jared Cook made big plays also against a good Chiefs defense, catching six passes for 107 yards, including a 27-yard reception on the Raiders’ final drive to setup Oakland at the Kansas City 1-yard line.

On defense, newly signed middle linebacker NaVorro Bowman led Oakland with 11 tackles on the night.

During pregame introductions, Bowman was greeted with a loud ovation from Raider Nation. Bowman spent his first seven seasons with the San Francisco 49ers where he was voted to three Pro Bowl teams (in 2012, ’13, ’15) and four All-Pro teams (in 2011-13, ’15).

Oakland will head into Buffalo without the services for starting running back Marshawn Lynch, who has been suspended by the NFL for one game after making contact with an official during Thursday’s contest.

Lynch was ejected in the first half after he ran onto the field and made contact with an official after trying to separate Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters from a scrum that broke out. The Raiders starting running back was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and ejected.

Lynch and Peters are cousins from West Oakland. Peters actually testified on Lynch’s behalf at his appeal hearing, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Buffalo (4-2) is coming off a 30-27 victory at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7.

Bills starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor completed 20-of-33 passes for 268 yards and one touchdown with a 98.5 passer rating. Taylor is a mobile quarterback that can give the Raiders problems as he can make plays in the running game too.

Running back LeSean McCoy racked up 91 yards on 23 carries and two touchdowns against Tampa Bay. Not only does McCoy lead the Bills with 370 yards rushing on 110 carries this season, but he’s Buffalo’s top receiver, leading the team with 32 catches and his second behind tight end Charles Clay with 220 yards receiving through six games.

Clay leads Buffalo with 258 yards receiving.

Defensively, Buffalo ranks fourth in the NFL in points surrendered, allowing just 16.8 points per game. Oakland’s offense ranks 15th in the league, scoring 22.1 points per game.

Buffalo ranks seventh in the league in stopping the run, allowing just 84.5 yards rushing per game.

Buffalo’s secondary is one of the strongest in the league, led by safety Micah Hyde who is tied for the league lead with four interceptions. Hyde signed a five-year, $30.5 million deal with Buffalo in the offseason after spending his first four seasons with the Green Bay Packers.

Sunday’s game in Buffalo marks the first of a two-game swing through the AFC East for Oakland. The Raiders travel to Miami to take on the Dolphins in Week 9.

Oakland is already 1-0 against the AFC East this year, after blasting the New York Jets 45-20 in Week 2 in the Raiders’ home opener.

The Raiders have won two of the last three meetings with Buffalo (in 2014 and ’16), while the Bills last defeated Oakland in 2011.

 

 

 

 

49ers preview report: 0-16 could be on the horizon for listless 49ers

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AP FILE – In this Oct. 22, 2017, file photo, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan speaks at a news conference after a 40-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in an NFL football game, in Santa Clara, Calif. The 49ers are still searching for their first wiin under coach Shanahan. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

By Jeremy Harness

SANTA CLARA–Earlier in the season, the 49ers appeared to be competitive and stood a chance to win more of those games than previously expected.

Lately, however, they have looked like a team that does not have a clue on what it takes to win in the NFL, particularly in a pathetic performance last Sunday in a 40-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Now they face a Philadelphia Eagles team that is now 6-1 after a dominant performance Monday night against Washington.

At this point, it does not appear that there is any way that the 49ers can beat Philadelphia. The 49ers were gashed in the running game last Sunday and could not defend the pass, either, which does not bode very well against a quarterback like Carson Wentz, who enters Sunday having thrown the most touchdown passes in the NFL this season.

On offense, it was even worse, as even with a new starting quarterback in C.J Beathard, the 49ers failed to generate anything resembling momentum. Head coach Kyle Shanahan even said that there was nothing positive to take from the beating that they took from the Cowboys.

The only thing he did not say was, “We have not shown we can play on the road or in front of our own crowd, so we would like to have a neutral site,” as the late Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach John McKay once said.

The Cleveland Browns are not on the schedule this year, so when looking at the remaining opponents in 2017, there are none that the 49ers are favored to win the game. In years past, the Jacksonville Jaguars was a very winnable game for them, but Jacksonville is much improved, so the winnability of that contest goes completely out the window.

As for the game that is coming up, there are notable 49er players who were held out of practice on Wednesday, such as tackle Trenton Brown, who suffered a concussion against Dallas and is undergoing concussion protocol. Fellow tackle Joe Staley, who has been the subject of trade rumors of late, also missed Wednesday’s practice while nursing a knee injury.

Meanwhile, linebacker Reuben Foster practiced on a limited basis on Wednesday after suffering a rib injury on Sunday, while receiver Marquise Goodwin and fullback Kyle Juszczyk are both nursing back ailments and were also limited in practice.

49ers Lay An Egg on Dwight Clark Day; Elliot runs all day for Cowboys in 40-10 crushing

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San Francisco 49ers quarterback C.J. Beathard (3) stands on the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By: Joe Lami

SANTA CLARA, Calif.–In one of the most emotionally charged days in Levi’s Stadium history, Dwight Clark Day, the San Francisco 49ers were all but emotional as they came out completely flat in a 40-10 blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys. A large drop off from the 1981 championship team that was in attendance for Clark’s special day, Sunday marked the worse loss given to the 49ers since September 27th, 2015 where Arizona routed them 47-7.

San Francisco was dominated from start to finish. Starting with fumbling a punt off of Dallas’ first drive. The Cowboys recovered it at the 49ers’ 20-yard line and put Ezekiel Elliot to work. Zeke carried the ball three straight times marching his way to the end zone for the first time on Sunday.

Zeke finished with a huge day for America’s team, with 219 all-purpose yards. He rushed the ball 26 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns and caught one pass on the flat and brought it 72 yards for his only receiving score of the day.

Dak Prescott also torched the Niners through the air, throwing for 234 yards on 25 attempts and three touchdowns. His main target, Dez Bryant caught seven passes for 63 yards and a score. He also found his tight end, Jason Witten in the end zone for a magnificent one-handed grab.

Kyle Shanahan described the action perfectly by stating that there was nothing positive from Sunday’s contest, as they were dominated in all three aspects of the game.

C.J. Beathard struggled in his first professional start, but most of it wasn’t entirely his fault as swiss cheese would’ve protected him more than the Niners offensive line. Beathard was nearly pressured every time he stepped back to pass, as he was hit six times with five of them ending in sacks and two with fumbles.

Through the air, Beathard threw 22-of-38 for 235 yards. He also scored the 49ers only touchdown of the day in garbage time, running it in from four-yards out.

The 49ers return to the road next week, as they face the Eagles which may be a welcoming site, as they haven’t won at Levi’s Stadium since the opener of the 2016 season.

Raiders win it on the final play of the game edge out Chiefs 31-30; Lynch ejected for contact with official

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Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch (24) makes contact with back judge Greg Steed (12) during the first half of an NFL football game between the Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017. Lynch was ejected after the play. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND-If you thought the ending of the Oakland Raiders game against the Los Angeles Chargers was nerve wracking, fast forward a little over 96 hours later.

Derek Carr found Michael Crabtree for a two-yard touchdown pass with no time remaining in the game and Giorgio Tavecchio’s extra point gave the Raiders a 31-30 come-from-behind victory over the Kansas City Chiefs before a crowd of 55,090 at the Coliseum.

The Carr to Crabtree touchdown ended an 11 play 85-yard drive in 2:25, giving the Raiders the win for the ages.

Carr began to drive the Raiders immediately, following an offensive pass interference penalty on Johnnie Holton. Following the penalty, Carr found Amari Cooper for 39-yard pass play; however, the Raiders began to falter and looked like it was going to be another hard-fought loss to a division rival.

On fourth-and-11, Carr found Jared Cook for a 13-yard pass play to the Chiefs 29-yard line. After back-to-back incomplete passes, Carr found Cook for what looked like a 29-yard touchdown pass; however, the play was overturned and Cook was marked down at the one-yard line and that is the bizarreness began.

Carr found Crabtree for a one-yard touchdown pass; however, it was nullified due to an Offensive Pass Interference call on Crabtree with seven seconds remaining.

After an incomplete pass to Cook with three seconds remaining was overturned due to a defensive holding penalty on Ron Parker, the Raiders got the ball on the Chiefs five-yard line with no time remaining in the game.

Since the game is not able to end on a defensive penalty, the game went on and it looked like the game was over, as Carr’s pass to Cordarrelle Patterson fell to the ground; however, for the second consecutive play, the Chiefs were called for a defensive holding, this time on Eric Murray.

Carr finally got the Raiders in the end zone on the third play of the drive with no time remaining on the clock, as he found Crabtree to tie up the game and Tavecchio’s subsequent extra point gave the Raiders a wild one-point victory.

It was a huge night for Carr, who went 29-for-52 for 417 yards and three touchdowns in his second game back after missing the 30-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens due to broken bones in his back.

After being in a huge rut to start the season, Amari Cooper broke out if his slump in a big way, as he caught 11 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns.

Cook caught six passes for 107 yards, while Crabtree caught three passes for 24 yards, including the game-winning touchdown pass with no time remaining in the game.

DeAndre Washington led the Raiders on the ground in rushing, as he carried the ball nine times for 33 yards. Jalen Richard also carried the ball nine times for 31 yards and Marshawn Lynch carried the ball just twice for nine yards before being ejected from the game in the second quarter after touching Line Judge Julian Mapp.

It also appeared that Lynch left the sidelines to break up a skirmish with Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters, who went to McClymonds High School.

Lynch, of course is a 2004 graduate of rival Oakland Technical High School, the two perennial powerhouses in the Oakland Athletic League.

Navarro Bowman made his Raiders debut just three days after signing with the team after being released by the San Francisco 49ers.

In his debut, Bowman led the team with 11 tackles, and Reggie Nelson added eight from his safety position.

Alex Smith went 25-for-36 for 342 yards with three touchdowns, including a 64-yard touchdown pass to Tyreke Hill and a 63-yard touchdown pass to Alex Wilson, who caught the ball after it was tipped by Keith McGill.

Hill ended up with six catches for 125 yards and that one touchdown.

Rookie sensation Kareem Hunt carried the ball 18 times for 87 yards.

49ers could be in for a long haul vs. Cowboys

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AP Photo File: San Francisco 49ers cornerback Rashard Robinson (33) breaks up a pass intended for Dallas Cowboys receiver Brice Butler (19) during a 2016 NFL week 4 regular season game, Sunday, October 2, 2016, in Santa Clara, Calif. The Cowboys defeated the 49ers, 24-17. (James D. Smith via AP)

By Jeremy Harness

The 49ers have, at the very least, been very competitive this season, and in fact, they have set a new NFL record for consecutive losses by three points or fewer.

Now that they have proven that they can compete, now the young 49ers need to learn how to win.

The team just got younger this past Sunday, as the 49ers scrapped the Brian Hoyer experiment and decided to go with rookie quarterback C.J Beathard, and the young signal-caller got the 49ers back in the game to the point that they had a chance to steal the game in the final minutes.

This week, however, the task for the first win of the year is expected to get even harder against a loaded Dallas Cowboys team that will be looking to get back into the picture in the NFC East.

For about a week, it appeared that the six-game suspension against Cowboys back Ezekiel Elliott in connection with a domestic violence case would be upheld.

Within the past few days, however, Elliott has gotten another reprieve, as an injunction was recently placed to allow Elliott to play in at least one more game, which means that the 49ers will see the star running back lining up against them on Sunday.

The 49ers rested offensive tackle Joe Staley, defensive end Elvis Dumervil as well as receiver Pierre Garcon on Wednesday, while fullback Kyle Juszczyk was held out of practice with his ongoing back issue. Meanwhile, defensive end Aaron Lynch’s calf injury prevented him from practicing at all.

Linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong suffered a shoulder injury in last Sunday’s loss at Washington but was able to practice in a limited capacity, as was fellow backer Reuben Foster, who is still recovering from a high ankle sprain he suffered in the first game of the season.

Both are expected to play this Sunday, but they had a bit of a scare on their hands earlier this week. Both men were out in downtown San Francisco late Monday night, and in the process, they barely avoided being held up in an armed robbery.

Neither man was harmed, but both players reportedly apologized to the team for potentially putting the team in a bad position.

Safety Eric Reid appears to be all the way back from his knee injury, as he was a full participant in practice on Wednesday after playing last Sunday.

49ers Can’t Buy a Win; Lose Fourth Straight by Less Than Three

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Indianapolis Colts’ Adam Vinatieri (4) celebrates after kicking the game winning 51-yard field goal out of the hold of Rigoberto Sanchez (2) during overtime of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017, in Indianapolis. Indianapolis won 26-23. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

By: Joe Lami

INDIANAPOLIS — The San Francisco 49ers can’t buy a win under head coach, Kyle Shanahan. Unfortunately for the Niners, things didn’t change on Sunday as they lost to the Indianapolis Colts in overtime 26-23. It marks the fourth straight loss in which they fell by three points or less as they have lost the last four games by a combined 11 points.

The Niners did look good in some parts, but once again penalties came back to haunt the red and gold, as they committed ten penalties for 77 yards.

For the second straight week, the first half was slow as the Colts and 49ers went into the break tied at six. Robbie Gould nailed field goals from 28 and 40 yards, including one at the half-time buzzer.

Indy came out and dominated much of the second half, leading at one point 23-9 with under ten minutes to play. Marlon Mack ran in a TD from 22 yards, finishing the day leading the Colts on the ground with 91.

Backup QB, Jacoby Brissett also ran one in from three yards out. He finished the day running for 14 yards on eight attempts, but more importantly torched the 49ers through the air for 314 yards.

The last ten minutes were crucial for San Francisco, as their offense scored the first Sunday touchdown of the season as Kyle Juszczyk caught a six-yard touchdown.

Brian Hoyer threw his second touchdown of the game with just 20 seconds remaining, as he found tight end George Kittle for Kittle’s first career score. Kittle battled his way to paydirt, just getting the nose of the football across the goal line to put the Niners an extra point away from sending the game into overtime.

Hoyer clearly had his best performance as a Niner on Sunday, throwing for 353 yards on 43 attempts with no interceptions. The veteran finished with a 101 passer rating.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t good enough in overtime despite having a chance to win the game.

The Colts started the overtime period with the ball, as they marched it down to the San Francisco eight yard-line, but Brissett threw his first pick of the game as Ray-Ray Armstrong saved the day with his second interception of the season. Ray-Ray returned the ball to the 28 as the 49ers just had to kick a field goal for their first win of the season.

The 49ers stalled pretty quickly though, as they only got the ball to their own 45 before having to punt.

The Colts winning drive came on an eight-play 48-yard drive led by a 34 yard rush from Mack before Adam Vinatieri knocked through a 51-yard field goal for the game-winner.

San Francisco’s heartbreak continues as they seek their first win but they continue to get close. They just need to ensure that they don’t get down over the outcome. Shanahan is doing his best to keep his team’s spirits up, “it’s human nature to get down like this and I’m counting on our guys to get over it. The guys that are going to be here are the guys that are able to get over it.”

San Francisco wraps up their three-game road trip back on the east coast next Sunday against Washington before returning to Levi’s to host the Cowboys.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: The Niners have taken a knee and their fans have taken a nap

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Members of the San Francisco 49ers kneel during the playing of the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

The San Francisco 49ers lost their game today 26-23 against their hosts the Indianapolis Colts and are now 0-5 in this 2017-18 NFL season. Maybe they should stand up for the National Anthem and maybe their luck will change. So far this season at the end of week #5 they have taken a knee and their fans have taken a nap. I have said before how I feel about the taking of the knee. I respect their rights to protest under the First Amendment, but disagree with that action. There is enough politics today as it is, fans pay good money to see football because they want to escape the real world. The National Anthem and the Flag are symbols of the country as a whole, not symbols of a cause, a specific person or group or any political party. They have been symbols that identify all of us, way way before Football was even invented. Football was invented in the 1880’s.

The NFL was founded in Canton, Ohio in 1920. The Star Spangled Banner was written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key. The American flag was sewed by Betsy Ross in 1776.

As Americans, the Anthem and the Flag should be something that unite all of us, millions have died defending those symbols for over 200 years. NFL Football is a game played by around 1,600 athletes in 32 teams, in a country of 330 million people.The least they can do is pay respect to these national symbols that allowed them to live in this country, and to all who made the ultimate sacrifice to give them the rights that allowed them to do such things. We are a unique country, if you were born outside the United States of America, chances are that the country you were born doesn’t gives you the freedom to disrespect the Anthem and Flag, in many countries today that is enough cause to “take you away”. Thank God the US is not like that, we all enjoy the freedoms, and nobody is holding us hostage in this country.

If you disagree with me, that would be fine, I respect your right to do so, and I hope that you do likewise with me.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Museum and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Ravens send Raiders to third straight loss 30-17

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Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Mike Wallace (17) runs against the Oakland Raiders during the second half of an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND-After back-to-back road losses against the Washington Redskins and the Denver Broncos, the Oakland Raiders returned to what they thought was the friendly confines of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Unfortunately, the Coliseum was not friendly to the Raiders, as Joe Flacco found Mike Wallace down the left sideline for a 52-yard pass play and the drive ended with a two-yard touchdown on a reverse from Vince Mayle and the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Raiders 30-17.

On the afternoon, Flacco went 19-for-26 for 222 yards passing, while Wallace caught just three passes for 133 yards. Wallace was only targeted three times on the afternoon.

Jeremy Maclin led the Ravens with six catches for 43 yards, as the Ravens improve to 3-2 on the season.

Asides from a great day from Flacco, and the receiving duo of Maclin and Wallace, the Ravens received big days on the ground from Javorius Allen and Alex Collins.

Allen, in his third year out of USC led the Ravens with 21 carries for 73 yards and Collins, who is in his second year in the league after playing his rookie year with the Seattle Seahawks, carried the 12 times for 55 yards.

With Derek Carr injured, the Raiders turned to veteran E.J. Manuel and the former Florida State Seminoles quarterback went 13-for-26 for 159 yards passing and a touchdown in his first start of the season.

Carr, who is reportedly out from anywhere from two to six weeks is already practicing with the team and could be ready for the next Raiders game, on October 15 against the Los Angeles Chargers at the Coliseum.

“Yeah, I have that feel,” said Jack Del Rio, when asked about Carr playing next Sunday.

Michael Crabtree in receptions with six for 82 yards and a touchdown, while Jared Cook hauled in three catches for 25 yards and Seth Roberts caught two passes for 34 yards.

The rut for Amari Cooper continues, as he was only targeted twice and caught one pass for eight yards.

“I wouldn’t say it was by design to have him not get more targets. The read went away from him a couple times. A couple of times, it went to him. I’d like to see him get the ball more. To me it’s about execution right now. I’m not going to sit here and get into how, why, individuals aren’t getting or doing. I don’t see where that’s going to help us,” said Del Rio.

Marshawn Lynch led the Raiders in rushing with 12 carries for 43 yards and a two-yard touchdown run that cut the Ravens lead down to 24-17 in the third quarter.

The Raiders first series of the afternoon ended with a 47-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Jimmy Smith to give the Ravens a 14-0 lead just three minutes into the game.

Following the Smith fumble return for a touchdown, the Raiders drove all the way down to the Ravens 14-yard line where the drive stalled and Giorgio Tavecchio gave the Raiders their first points of the afternoon after a 32-yard field goal.

The Ravens increased their lead up to 21-3 after a 15 play 75-yard drive that took eight minutes and 10 seconds off the clock, as Allen scored from two yards out.

Manuel and Crabtree hooked up for a 41-yard touchdown that narrowed the Ravens lead down to 21-10.

On the ensuing Ravens series, the Ravens lengthened their lead up to 24-10, as veteran Justin Tucker nailed a 22-yard field goal that was setup by a 54-yard pass play from Flacco to Wallace.

Lynch cut the Ravens lead down to 24-17 in the third quarter, as he scored on a two-yard run that sent the Coliseum crowd into a frenzy.

Unfortunately, those would be the last points of the afternoon scored by the Raiders and the Ravens put it away, as Tucker nailed a 21-yard field goal and a 44-yard field goal.

NOTES: This is the beginning of a three-game home stand for the Raiders, as they will host the Chargers on October 15 and then on October 19, the Raiders will stay in the division, as they will host the Kansas City Chiefs.

Quote of the day came from Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, who said that he is not a doctor, but he plays one at the podium.

Harbaugh, who is in his 10th year as head coach of the Ravens was talking about Terrance West, who was forced to leave the game after the first series with a left calf injury and did not return.

Oakland Raiders: Another disappearing act from Amari Cooper

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Oakland Raiders quarterback EJ Manuel speaks at a news conference after an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND — The season is starting to look grim for the Raiders, who lost for the third-straight week losing to the Baltimore Ravens 30-17 at home in Week 5 following a 2-0 start.

Coming into the game, Oakland had “W” written on paper, seeing that Baltimore was outscored 70-17 by their opponents in their last two losses following a 2-0 start of their own.

Oakland (2-3) did start backup quarterback EJ Manuel for the injured Derek Carr and Manuel did a good job, completing 13-of-26 passes for 159 yards and a touchdown. Manuel stepped in a ran the Raiders’ offense as best as he could on Sunday, finding a connection with wide receiver Michael Crabtree early and often.

Crabtree finished with team-highs in catches (6), targets (8) and receiving yards (82), most of those yards coming on a 41-yard touchdown pass from Manuel in the second quarter after Baltimore was already leading 21-3.

Crabtree leads Oakland with four touchdown catches this season after today’s game.

But where was fellow wide receiver Amari Cooper today? In fact, where has Cooper been this entire season?

Cooper didn’t record his first and only catch of the game until 12:35 in the fourth quarter, for eight yards. He had just two targets on the day.

After recording nine catches on 18 targets for 95 yards and a touchdown in Oakland’s first two wins of the season, Cooper has just four catches on 15 targets for 23 yards and zero touchdowns in the last three losses for the Silver and Black.

Cooper has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons in his first two years in the Bay Area and is considered to be Oakland’s best play-maker, but he has looked nothing like it or the ‘superstar’ every Raider fan believes he is this season.

Is it a mental thing?

Leading the league with seven drop passes according to Pro Football Focus can have that affect on a wide receiver. Maybe the drops are becoming a mental block for No. 89?

Oakland has played teams with good secondaries in recent weeks like Washington and AFC West rival Denver and better wide receivers than Cooper have had trouble this season finding success against those teams, but Cooper has to perform better if the Raiders have any chance of winning football games and making a run at the Super Bowl this year.

The Raiders are expected to get back Carr from his transverse process fracture he suffered in Denver (possibly as early as next week with the visiting 1-4 L.A. Chargers coming to town) and Cooper could reignite his season with Carr’s return.

If Carr and Cooper are on the same page, Oakland’s offense will take off without an issue.

For Oakland’s sake and their season, will the real Amari Cooper please stand up?