Tag: Oakland Raiders

Raiders’ playoff hopes still alive after road win 24-17

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Photo credit: @Raiders

By Jeremy Kahn

Who would have thought after losing their last two games, the Oakland Raiders would still be in the hunt for the final Wild Card spot in the AFC Playoffs?

Derek Carr threw for 291 yards, as the Raiders defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 24-17 in the final game at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Coming into the game, the Raiders playoff hopes were on life support, but losses by both the Pittsburgh Steelers to the New York Jets and the Tennessee Titans to the New Orleans Saints, those playoff plans stayed alive. If the Raiders win next Sunday against the Denver Broncos on the road, and get a lot of help, the Raiders would clinch the last spot in the AFC and would be only their second playoff appearance since 2003.

Carr went 26-for-30 on the afternoon, and 86.7% is the second highest for the six-year pro since coming into the league in 2014. This was also the fifth time in his career that Carr topped the 80% completion rate in his career.

Hunter Renfrow returned to the field after missing last weeks loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and ended up with seven catches for 107 yards and a touchdown. It was the first 100-yard game for Renfrow.

DeAndre Washington was the leading rusher for the Raiders, who were without the services of rookie Josh Jacobs, who sat out the game with a shoulder injury. Washington gained 85 yards on 23 carries.

In what was supposed to be a good season for the Chargers continues to go downhill, as they fell to 5-10 on the season and have lost five out of their last six.

Melvin Gordon scored two touchdowns for the Chargers, and Philip Rivers went 27-for-39 for 279 yards in what could be his last game for the Chargers. Rivers, who was traded to the Chargers from the New York Giants for Eli Manning after the 2004 draft, will see his contract expire after the season.

Before a pro-Raiders crowd in Carson, the Raiders got it going early, as Carr found Renfrow for a 56-yard touchdown pass on the opening drive of the game.

Daniel Carlson, who missed a big field goal in last weeks game against the Jaguars essentially clinched the game, as he hit a 48-yard field goal to give the Raiders a 24-14 lead.

Michael Badgley cut the Raiders lead down to seven with 1:29 in the game, as he nailed a 27-yard field goal; however, the Raiders recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.

NOTES: To make the playoffs, the Raiders would need to win on the road against the Broncos, and need losses by the Titans against the Houston Texans, the Steelers against the Baltimore Ravens and a win by the Indianapolis Colts over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

That would create a four-way tie, and the Raiders would win the tiebreaker over the Steelers based on strength of victory and the Colts by virtue of its win in Week 4. The Colts would eliminate the Titans by having a better division record.

Trayvon Mullen left the game after colliding with Curtis Riley on a catch by Andre Patton in the fourth quarter, and was taken off the field on a stretcher.

Next season, the Chargers will move into the brand new SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on the site of the old Hollywood Park race track, where they will share the stadium with the Los Angeles Rams.

UP NEXT: The Raiders close out the regular season with a road game against the Broncos on December 29.

Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes: Can Raiders break the losing spell as the enter LA with a four-game losing streak?

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Photo credit: foxnews.com

On the Raiders podcast with J. Hawkes:

#1 Coming off the loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and playing their final game in Oakland in franchise history going forward with just two games left on the road, can the Raiders regroup?

#2 Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was miserably booed after the game against Jacksonville last Sunday. Would you say the main reason being lack of effort or Raiders fans just expected a better effort considering it’s the last game of the season?

#3 Talk about the huge defensive let down by the Raiders in that four quarter allowing the Jaguars to score two touchdowns to clinch the game.

#4  Sunday’s Raiders game was that the Raiders didn’t get any offense going in the fourth quarter and Carr just couldn’t get the Raiders on the scoreboard.

#5 The Raiders will play the Chargers in Los Angeles Sunday at 1 pm. Just for pride’s sake, do the Raiders have a chance to snap this current four-game losing streak?

Joe Hawkes is a Raiders analyst, join Jeremy Kahn for exclusive coverage this Sunday. All on http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Raiders head down south for final matchup with the Chargers this year

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Photo credit: @Raiders

By Joe Hawkes
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — With their final regular-season home game of 2019 in their rear view mirror, the Raiders will travel south to Los Angeles to face the Chargers in an AFC West battle at ROKiT Field at Dignity Health Sports Park in Week 16. Sunday’s game marks the final game between the two clubs this season, with the Raiders winning the first meeting, 26-24, back in Week 10 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The win for the Raiders gave the Silver and Black a 63-54-2 advantage over the Chargers in the all-time series.

Kickoff for Sunday’s game is set for 1:05 p.m. PT with Greg Gumbel and Trent Green on the call, and Melanie Collins reporting from the sidelines.

In Week 15, the Raiders snatched defeat from the clutches of victory, losing to the hapless Jacksonville Jaguars 20-16 in the final home game for the Silver and Black in Oakland to fall to 6-8 on the year. The Raiders held a 16-6 lead in the fourth quarter, before the Jaguars scored 14 unanswered points thanks to two touchdowns from rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew to wide receiver Chris Conley to steal the victory from Oakland.

For Oakland, tight end Darren Waller became just the second tight end in franchise history with 1,000 receiving yards in a single season, joining TE Todd Christensen (1983-84, 1986). In the contest, Waller recorded eight catches for 122 yards, tying a club record among tight ends for most 100-yard receiving games (four).

Rookie running back Josh Jacobs rushed for 89 yards on 24 carries, giving him 1,150 rushing yards on the season. Jacobs has the sixth-best rushing season in franchise history, and is the only rookie in team history to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season.

Defensively, rookie defensive end Maxx Crosby continues be an anchor on the defensive line for Oakland, recording a sack giving him 8.5 for the season. Crosby, who ranks third among rookies in sacks behind 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (9.0) and Jaguars defensive end Josh Allen (10.0), needs just three more sacks in the final two games to move past defensive end Greg Townsend’s club record 10.5 sacks established in 1983.

The Chargers are coming off a game that they would like to forget, a 39-10 beating at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings at home in Week 15 to fall to 5-9 on the year.

Los Angeles shot themselves in the foot, committing seven turnovers in the game, four coming from quarterback Philip Rivers. Rivers, who threw for 307 yards on 28-of-39 passing and one touchdown, also threw three interceptions and one lost fumble.

Not to be outdone by Rivers, running back Melvin Gordon had a turnover filled day against the Vikings, lost two fumbles after rushing for just 28 yards on seven carries.

Following Sunday’s game, the Raiders will finish their 2019 season in the Mile High City where they will take on the Denver Broncos.

The Chargers will travel to Kansas City to face the Chiefs to conclude their season.

Headline Sports with Barbara Mason: 49ers can’t hold the lead against Falcons, will this be a concern going forward?; Raiders string four straight losses together; plus more

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Photo credit: nbcbayarea.com

On Headline Sports with Barbara:

#1 The 49ers couldn’t hold another lead, dropping their third loss of the season to the Atlanta Falcons 29-22 at Levi’s Stadium.

#2 The Oakland Raiders suffered a 20-16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Quarterback Derek Carr just couldn’t get and anything going for Oakland in the second half on offense.

#3 For former interim Warriors head coach Luke Walton, it was an important win in defeating his old team as head coach of the Sacramento Kings in the 100-79 victory Sunday night.

#4 Changes in baseball: Cincinnati Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer said MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred is trying to change the game drastically. First by getting rid of some 42 minor league teams and next by mandating that pitchers must face the minimum of three batters before getting relieved. It certainly will be an issue with the players during contract negotiations for the CBA.

#5 The San Jose Sharks had lost six straight games before winning on Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks. They host Arizona tonight to try and pick up their second straight win under new head coach Bob Boughner.

Barbara has the Headlines each Tuesday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Thanks for the Memories (A Poem for the Raiders)

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photo from sfgate.com: Oakland Raiders wide receiver Tyrell Williams is mobbed by fans after scoring a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019.

By Amaury Pi-González

OAKLAND — Sunday, December 15,2019. A date which will live in infamy for Oakland Raiders fans. Raiders lost their last ever game at the Oakland Coliseum 20-16 to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Legendary comedian Bob Hope theme song for decades on radio and television shows and many trips to USO war zones from WWII. to Korea, Vietnam to some of the recent middle-eastern wars was titled “Thanks for the Memory”. It is easy to apply the same melody, but with these lyrics that I have composed solely for the occasion. For those of you that might not know the song, I suggest you listen to it first.

Thanks for the memories of hot dogs and tailgates, Cliff Branch, and the Raiderettes, we went from Oakland to LA, but we never forgot you yet. We thank you so much. Thanks for the memories of three great Super Bowls, two in Oakland and one down the road, we thank you so much. Gone are the Black and Silver at Oakland, pregame barbecue, beer, ribs and some dessert, now it is all in the desert so there they go no more film at 10 all. We thank you so much. Thanks for the memories of 1981, New Orleans and the Bowl, Raymond Chester and Jim Plunkett, we truly loved it all. We thank you so much. Gone is 880 and BART, and now they play in Vegas with Darts. Maybe the faithful will fly, an hour-and-a-half to just say “Hi.” We Thank you so much. Thank you for the memories, we finally said goodbye to Mount Davis and alike, we thank you so much.

Composer: Yours Truly.

Adios, Au Revoir, Sayonara, Auf Wiedersehen, Zay Gezunt, Goodbye Raiders.

Good riddance!

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice of Oakland A’s baseball and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Jaguars leave sour taste in Raiders’ mouth, close out the Coliseum with 20-16 win

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Photo credit: @Raiders

By Joe Hawkes
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — After their offense was nonexistent for the first three quarters of the game and trailing 16-6 heading into the final frame, the Jacksonville Jaguars woke up in the fourth quarter, behind two touchdown passes from rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew to wide receiver Chris Conley to slip past the Raiders, 20-16 on Sunday afternoon in the final game at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum for the Silver and Black.

With the win, the Jaguars (5-9) snapped their five-game losing streak and extended the Raiders’ losing streak to four games, dropping the Silver and Black’s record to 6-8. The Raiders entered the game on a three-game losing streak, in which they lost by an average of 21 points.

The Raiders are moving into a brand new home, Allegiant Stadium, in Las Vegas starting in the 2020 season. The Silver and Black’s $2 billion home is located right off the Vegas Strip and is expected to be one of the finest facilities in all of the NFL.

The Raiders weren’t able to give their loyal fans one more victory at their long-time home at 7000 Coliseum Way, a place that has seen some great football from 1966-1981 before moving to Los Angeles in 1982-1994, then returning to Oakland in 1995 until today, Dec. 15, 2019.

Oakland jumped on the Jaguars early, thanks to a 40-yard touchdown throw from Derek Carr to wide receiver Tyrell Williams that capped off a 7-play, 75-yard drive that to gave the Raiders a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. On their opening drive to start the game, Carr completed 3-of-3 passes for 59 yards and the touchdown.

The Raiders jumped out to a 16-3 lead and looked comfortable for most of the game, but saw its defense fall completely apart in the fourth quarter allowing Jacksonville to score 14 unanswered points in the final minutes to snatch the game.

Minshew, who completed 17-of-29 passes for 201 yards on the day, drove the Jaguars 79 yards to cut Oakland’s lead, 16-13, behind a 6-yard touchdown throw to Conley with 5:15 left in the fourth quarter.

Oakland tried to run the clock out and got a pair of first-downs on runs by running back Josh Jacobs and quarterback Derek Carr. But Carr was ruled out of bounds with 2:05 left in the fourth quarter as he tried to slide down inbound, sparing Jacksonville from using their final timeout.

Oakland then got a delay of game in the confusion and wide receiver Tyrell Williams dropped a third-down pass. Kicker Daniel Carlson then missed a 50-yard field goal only to get another chance after Parry Nickerson was called for running into the kicker.

Carlson missed again from 45 yards and the Jaguars took over at the 35 with 1:44 to go. Minshew moved them down the field and connected with Conley on the 4-yard score with 31 seconds left giving Jacksonville their first and only lead of the game, 20-16.

The Raiders drove the ball to the Jacksonville 40 yard line, but Carr’s desperation heave to the end zone in the closing seconds fall to the Coliseum turf.

Carr completed 22-of-36 passes for 267 yards and one touchdown, but was sacked three times by the Jaguars. Tight end Darren Waller finished with eight catches for 122 yards, but 109 yards came in the first half.

Oakland was dominant on offense, racking up 364 yards total, 27 first-downs, and controlled the game for 34 minutes. Defensively, Oakland limited Jacksonville to just 262 yards of total offense, 17 first-downs and limited the Jaguars to 26 minutes of ball control.

After the game, several Raiders, including Carr, walked to the Black Hole to thank the fans, many of whom booed Carr and the Raiders as the team exited the field for the final time.

It wasn’t the way that Raider Nation wanted to send out the Coliseum, on a day that was very emotional for many diehard Raiders fans. The sour taste that this loss leaves in the mouths of Raider Nation will take quite a while to wash out.

Up next for the Raiders: a trip to Carson to take on the Los Angeles Chargers next Sunday in Week 16.

For the Jaguars: a visit to Atlanta to face the Falcons.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Adios Raiders, Buena Suerte!

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cbssports.com illustration: Artists rendering of the future home of the Las Vegas Raiders located on the strip. The new stadium is expected to be ready by 2020.

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

OAKLAND — This Sunday, the 15th of December 2019, the Oakland Raiders will play their last home game at the Oakland Coliseum after 60 years and three Super Bowl titles, 1977 and 1981 in Oakland at the Oakland Coliseum and 1984 in Los Angeles as LA Raiders. No more tailgate parties, no more Black Hole fans with the spiked painted hair, the Gothic look and the colorful fan base. After this Sunday, the Bay Area is going to be a 49ers world when it comes to the NFL. It you want to watch an NFL game, you must go to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

I covered the 1981 Superbowl when the Raiders and the Eagles traveled to the New Orleans Super Dome, now the Mercedes-Benz Super Dome, home of the New Orleans Saints. Great memories of the great city of New Orleans during that Super Bowl,the food,the people,the music,the total ambiance of that huge place right there in the middle of the city,when New Orleans was thriving, years prior to the category 5 Katrina hurricane who devastated this great historic city. After Katrina over 200,000 people left New Orleans, but since then, the “Birthplace of Jazz”has made a comeback.

The 1981 Super Bowl champion Oakland Raiders featured popular players such as Cliff Branch, Raymond Chester, Howie Long, Art Shell, Gene Upshaw and Jim Plunkett as a quarterback — not too shabby. They took it to the Philadelphia Eagles and defeated them 27-10. There are great memories of this team that always reflected the blue-collar workers of the East Bay.

With all respect to all the players who suited up in the Silver and Black for many decades, the central figure of the history of this franchise was Mr.Al Davis — the controversial outspoken and brash Al Davis. One-of-a-kind, he was a Coach, General Manager and Owner and the man that coined the phrase “Just Win Baby”. He was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in 1982. There has been nobody like him in the NFL, and probably never will.

We have the memories of this great franchise in the Bay Area with a solid fan base for many years, even after Mr.Davis moved his team to Los Angeles. Many fans traveled there for their home games. The loyalty of Raiders fans is notorious. Some called it a “cult”. Whatever the Raiders have, it worked in Oakland. Their crowds and tailgates who where all about beer, nachos and ribs, not cheese, wine and quiche like other teams. They represented thousands and thousands of hard-working people all over the east bay.

Sunday, the Raiders will host the Jacksonville Jaguars in the historic last game at Oakland before they play the last two games on the road and open the 2020-21 season at a new city, a new facility and a new name at Allegiant Stadium (65,000) in Las Vegas as the Las Vegas Raiders.

Whatever you think about the Raiders (love them or hate them), they will be missed. The City of Oakland will miss the revenue the Raiders generated, as they are running out of teams with the departure of the Warriors and the A’s situation as of today. Honestly, it is like the territory of the Twilight Zone.

Adios Raiders and Buena Suerte in Las Vegas!

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez is the Spanish radio play-by-play announcer for the Oakland A’s, the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Museum, and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com each week.

Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes: Raiders’ last hurrah at final home game in Oakland as team leaves for Vegas

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Photo credit: raiderswire.usatoday.com

On the Raiders podcast with J. Hawkes:

#1 Last game in Oakland for the Raiders. The time has come as the Raiders host the Jacksonville Jaguars. It will be a historic 1 pm kickoff at the Oakland Coliseum this Sunday and lots of memories to share.

#2 The Raiders played at the Coliseum from 1966 to present minus 15 years before 1995 while in LA.

#3 One of those great memories was when head coach Bill Callahan took the Raiders to the Super Bowl. They lost, but it was a great Raider team that made the Super Bowl

#4 The Raider Nation fans are different than many other fans in the NFL and the players enjoy playing for them all these years.

#5 Joe talks about his great memories and what he’ll miss after this last home game is played at the Coliseum for the last time.

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

Raiders to host the Jaguars in final home game of 2019

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Photo credit: bleacherreport.com

By Joe Hawkes
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — The Raiders end their 2019 regular season home schedule in Week 15 as they will host the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Sunday Dec. 15. This will mark the first time since 2016 that these teams have met each other in the regular season, when the Raiders traveled to northeast Florida and defeated the Jaguars 33-16 for Oakland’s first-ever road win in the series.

The all-time series is tied at four games apiece, with the Raiders riding a three-game winning streak dating back to 2012.

Kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m. PT with Kevin Harlan and Trent Green calling the action from the booth, and John Schriffen patrolling the sidelines.

The Raiders took one on the chin last Sunday, losing to the Tennessee Titans, 42-21 at home to fall to 6-7 on the year.

In the contest, quarterback Derek Carr threw for 263 yards on 25-of-34 passes and two touchdowns with 115.2 passer rating. It was the fourth time this season that Carr had a passer rating of 115.0 in a game.

Tight end Darren Waller registered six catches for 73 yards in the game. Waller, who has 72 catches for 880 yards, became just the third tight end in franchise history to surpass 70 catches in a season. With three games left in the year, Waller is on pace for his first career 1,000-yard season.

The Raiders didn’t have the services of talented rookie running back Josh Jacobs, who sat out the game with a shoulder injury. Jacobs, who is the sixth leading rusher in the NFL with 1,061 yards, is expected to return against the Jaguars.

Defensively, defensive tackle Maurice Hurst provided the lone bright spot for the Silver and Black last Sunday. Hurst registered his first career interception off a tipped pass from Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill, and returned it 55 yards to put the Raiders in position to score their first touchdown of the game.

Jacksonville is currently riding a five-game losing streak, after dropping their latest game to the Los Angeles Chargers, 45-10 at home in Week 14. The Jaguars allowed Chargers running back Austin Ekeler to explode in the game, racking up 213 yards from scrimmage (rushing for 101 yards on 8 carries, and 112 yards receiving on 4 catches). Ekeler’s 84-yard touchdown catch in the game was the longest completion in quarterback Philip Rivers’ 16-year career.

Following Sunday’s game, the Raiders will finish up their 2019 regular season schedule on the road with games against the Chargers and Broncos in Week 16 and 17.

Headline Sports podcast with Barbara Mason: Titans simply wore out Carr Sunday in Raider loss; Tough act to follow as 49ers get by Saints in the last minute; plus more

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Photo credit: mercurynews.com

On Headline Sports podcast with Barbara:

#1 The Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr must be seeing double after running all day and avoiding getting sacked by the Tennessee Titans pass rush.

#2 The Raiders just couldn’t get anything going, and as a result, suffered their third straight loss 42-21.

#3 The San Francisco 49ers added more to their exciting season with a last minute drive that got them good field position for a Robbie Gould field goal for the 48-46 win.

#4 How important is it for Cal to stay in the Bay Area for their next game the RedBox Bowl at Levi’s Stadium against the Illinois Illini on Monday, Dec. 30th?

#5 The St. Mary’s Gales had an eight-game winning streak going into Sunday’s game, but it was too much. #19 Dayton sunk the Gales chances with a ten-point win 78-68.

Join Barbara for Headline Sports podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com