THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

NFL 2018 Preseason Week 3 Raiders Recap

The Oakland Raiders hosted the Green Bay Packers in the third preseason game for both teams. Normally the third preseason game is the closest to regular season action. Starters often play into the third quarter as teams see where they really are.

Not this year. Not this game. Aaron Rodgers did not play at all as backup Brett Hundley got the nod. The Raiders did play their starters. Coming into the game the Raiders were expected to have a high-octane offense and a suspect defense. With Khalil Mack still holding out, that is only amplified.

Derek Carr and most of the starters had last week off, but they started this game. On the first play from scrimmage, a perfectly executed play action pass went to Amari Cooper for a 49 yard gain. Al Davis had to be smiling above at the completed bomb. Cooper showed extra awareness by running for extra yards when the defenders thought the play was over. Another completion by Carr on the drive to Jared Cook led to 1st and goal at the 5. Jon Gruden wanted Muscle Hamster Doug Martin to get some carries to see if he could be the top backup to Marshawn Lynch. Yet a pair of carries set up 3rd and goal at the 3. Former left tackle and current right tackle Donald Penn was manhandled on the play, leading to Carr fumbling. Carr fell on the ball at the 15. Mike Nugent hit the 32 yard field goal to make it 3-0 Raiders, but it was another unfinished drive. It was also Carr’s only drive of the night.

The Raiders defense has been awful the last couple years. Earlier in the week, 2017 second round pick Obii Melifonwu was cut. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was brought in. With the Packers facing 3rd and 9 at their own 20, Hundley easily took apart the Raiders defense and moved the Packers into the red zone. The Raiders got lucky when a pass to the end zone was dropped. On 3rd and 1, a run up the middle was stuffed. Mike McCarthy decided to go for it on 4th and 2, but a false start killed that. Mason Crosby hit the field goal for a 3-3 game.

With 3 1/2 quarters to play, both teams now had backup quarterbacks playing. An illegal block negated a 58 yard kickoff return. Connor Cook completed a couple of solid passes to get the Raiders to midfield. aAfter that, under pressure, he misfired a couple times and the Raiders punted. Penalties had the Packers facing 3rd and 22 inside their own 10. McCarthy went with a give up run and a punt.

In the second quarter a promising drive ended without points. From the Green Bay 40, Connor Cook tried to go for the bomb. The receiver had a couple steps but the ball was badly underthrown and intercepted. With the Packers facing 3rd and 7 at their own 20, Arden Key sacked Hundley for a 12 yard loss. Cook stayed in the game, but the first string offensive line was done for the night. On 3rd and 4, a simple pass in the flat was off the mark and dropped. on the next Oakland series they moved to the Green Bay 32. Yet Cook again misfired on third down and Nugent missed a 49 yard field goal wide. Aided by a defensive penalty for lowering the head to initiate contact, the Packers moved to a 3rd and 4 at the Oakland 30. Hundley misfired. In the regular season, a field goal would be a no brainer. In preseason, going for it is fine. Hundley threw incomplete again.

With a little over 90 seconds left in the half, Cook had a sideline pass intercepted and returned for a touchdown. Illegal contact on the defense nullified the entire play. Hundley would then get belted and fumbled. This hideously ugly game went to the half tied 3-3. The only thing to be learned from this game is what we already knew. Brett Hundley and Connor Cook are not Aaron Rodgers and Derek Carr

The ugliness continued when the Packers fumbled the second half kickoff. They retained possession as former Browns bust Deshone Kizer took over as the Packers third string quarterback. With the Packers facing 3rd and 12 deep in their own territory, Kizer barely avoided being sacked in the end zone for a safety. EJ Manuel came in for the Raiders as the battle of third string quarterbacks was now in full swing. Manuel did run for a 13 yard gain, but then on 3rd and 11 a high snap was mishandled for a big loss. On 4th and 27, another punt.

On the next series, Emanuel fumbled the ball away to set the Packers up at the Oakland 35. Late in the 3rd quarter, the Packers faced 2nd and goal at the 3. Hundley threw incomplete twice. In a bizarre decision even for the preseason, Mike McCarthy opted to go for it rather than kick the field goal for the lead. On 4th and goal from the 3, a draw play went for the touchdown. However, in this blunder-filled game, an illegal chop block nullified the score. Mason Crosby hit the 36 yard field goal for a 6-3 Packers lead after three quarters.

In the fourth quarter Manuel led the Raiders 64 yards in 13 plays in nearly 6 minutes. He zipped a pass over the middle to Greg Whalen for a long gain. On 3rd and 3, Chris Warren took a pitchout 10 yards. On 3rd and 9 from the Green Bay 12, Manuel went to the corner of the end zone and overthrew Seth Roberts. Nugent hit the 32 yarder for a 6-6 game with 11:45 left in regulation.

The Raiders missed a golden chance for the lead when a near interception was dropped. Defender Pringle had a clear streak to the end zone, but it was not meant to be. On 3rd and 10 from the Oakland 45, Manuel found Hatcher for 15 with another 15 tacked on for roughing the passer. On 1st and goal at the 9, a fade pass to the end zone drew defensive pass interference meant 1st and goal at the one. After 55 minutes of futility, the game saw its first touchdown that actually counted. Warren banged into the end zone, and somehow there were no penalties to nullify the score. The 68 yard drive had the Raiders up 13-6 with 5 minutes left in regulation.

Kizer the completed a deep ball for 28 yards, with another 15 tacked on for a hit on a defenseless receiver. It was a mind-blowing call given that the defender clearly led with his shoulder and not his head. It was a textbook hit. For years nobody knew what a catch was. Now nobody knows what a tackle is. On 3rd and 4, Kizer scrambled for a 6 yard gain to the Oakland 25. With 2:15 to play the Packers had all 3 timeouts plus the 2 minute warning. 3 straight incompletions meant 4th and 10 with 1:54 to play. Kizer was sacked.

The Packers took timeouts on defense. On 3rd and 1, Warren got stopped and the Packers still had life in the game that would never end. A holding penalty on the return had the Packers taking over at their own 8 yard line with 80 seconds to play and 0 timeouts. Kizer completed 3 short passes that had the Packers far short of midfield and nowhere near Hail Mary territory. In attempting to stop the clock, Kizer fumbled the snap and the clock kept running. By the time Kizer recovered, there was time for only one more play, an incompletion. The Raiders finally had the ugly win.

The Raiders managed to defeat a third string quarterback who was not good enough to stay on the roster of a team that went 0-16 last year. Both teams had at least 10 penalties for 100 yards. There is plenty of room for improvement, but the bottom line is the Raiders have no depth at quarterback. Without Derek Carr, they have no chance. 13-6 Raiders

eric

NFL 2018 Preseason Week 2 Raiders Recap

Many leatherheads have come to see the preseason as pointless. If ever there was a game to validate that view, this was it. Blame the NFL schedule makers. 

The Oakland Raiders and Los Angeles Rams played in Week 2 of the preaseason. They also play on Week 1 of the regular season. That meant this game was going to be pure vanilla. 

Normally the starters barely play in Week 1 if at all. Then they play more in Week 2. This was the reverse. The starters did not play at all. That happens in the first and sometimes the fourth and last preseason game. For the second preseason game, that is unheard of. 

Derek Carr and Marshawn Lynch took the night off. So did Jared Goff and Todd Gurley. Jon Gruden and Sean McVay were not going to give the slightest hint of what they will do when the game actually counts. So rather than quickly devolve into a battle of backups, this game simply started that way. 

Connor Cook started for the Raiders. On the very first play from scrimmage, a high snap sailed over Cook’s head. The Raiders were lucky to escape with only a 10 yard loss. The drive was dead at the start. Sean Mannion was the Rams starter as they also ran 3 plays and punted. Both teams went 3 and out on their first two drives. 

The Raiders third drive began with offensive holding. Repeating first down allowed them to go four and out instead of three and out. They still did not have a first down. 

The Rams finally got going on their third drive. They moved from their own 28 to a 2nd and 8 at the Oakland 24. After an incomplete pass, Mannion threw a swing pass that was blown up in the backfield for a 6 yard loss. Greg “the leg” Zuerlein’s 48 yard field goal try was no good as the game remained scoreless. The Rams held the ball for 6 minutes but came up empty. 

On the next series the Raiders did not go 3 and out or 4 and out. They were worse. Only 2 plays were needed. After an incompletion, Cook fumbled at the Oakland 38. Wilson returned it 23 yards for the Rams to the Oakland 15. 

Early in the second quarter, The Rams faced 3rd and goal at the one. Mannion kept it himself and lost a yard. Sean McVay decided to go for it, which would never happen in the regular season. On 4th and goal at the 2, Kelly got the carry up the middle for the touchdown and the 7-0 Rams lead. 

With 0 first downs, Chucky had seen enough. EJ Manuel was brought in the game. Cook was out. Manuel did hook up with Jalen Richard for a 29 yard gain to the Rams 47, but on 3rd and 10, a West Coast Offense dink and dunk pass gained 3 yards. After the Rams went 3 and out, the Raiders did the same. On 3rd and 7 from their own 37, Manuel threw a 3 yard West Coast Offense dink and dunk pass. 

While Manuel was dinking and dunking, Mannion was airing it out from the Rams 22 to Hodge for a 47 yard gain. That was enough for Zuerlein to connect from 42 to make it 10-0 Rams just before the 2 minute warning. 

The Raiders could not even make it to the half without more self-inflicted wounds. From their own 25, Manuel was sacked for a 7 yard loss. Then on 3rd and 13 he was sacked for a 6 yard loss and fumbled. The Rams took over at the Oakland 25. Despite 1st and goal at the 9 with 35 seconds left, the Rams were kept out of the end zone. Zuerlein hit from 28 to end the half with the Rams up 13-0. 

In the third quarter a punt pinned the Raiders at their own 6 yard line. The Raiders punted it back to set the Rams up at midfield. An unnecessary roughness penalty on Hamilton made it easy for the Rams. Yet from the Oakland 14, third string quarterback Allen threw a pair of incompletions. backup kicker Fickens hit a field goal to make it 16-0 Rams midway through the third quarter.

Although preseason games don’t count, the Raiders finally decided to make a game of it. Chris Warren carried for straight times for a total of 25 yards to midfield Cook found Butler for 24 yards and Yurachek for 10 more. Warren ran for 9 yards and then the 3 yard touchdown. The 2 point try failed when Cook threw incomplete, but at least the Raiders were on the board down 16-6 late in the third quarter.

Despite the scoring drive, when the Raiders got it back, Manuel was again in for Cook. Gruden was giving them both plenty of chances to earn the backup spot to Carr. A shanked 29 yard punt had the Raiders at their own 40. On 3rd and 11 from their own 44, Manuel threw incomplete but illegal contact gave the Silver and Black new life. Warren ran for a 23 yard gain to the Rams 16, but that was about it. Backup kicker Mike Nugent hit the 31 yard field goal. With 12 minutes left in regulation, the Raiders were within 16-9.

After a touchback, Allen was quickly intercepted by Cowser, who returned it 15 yards to the Rams 21. On 3rd and 15 Manuel went deep incomplete but the Raiders were again bailed out by the refs. A defensive penalty for using the head to initiate contact meant 1st and goal at the 13. Manuel hit Greg Whalen for a 10 yard touchdown with 10 minutes to play. In a regular season game, the coach opts to kick the extra point every time. In preseason, nobody wants overtime. Gruden went for 2, and Warren failed to run it in. However, the Raiders had all the momentum down 16-15.

Momentum quickly shifted with the Rams facing 3rd and 2 at their own 32. Allen went deep to Krieger-Coble for a 35 yard gain. Despite 1st and 10 at the Oakland 16, the Rams again failed to finish a drive. Fickens hit a 32 yard field goal as the Rams led by 4 points with 5:45 to play.

On 3rd and 7 from their own 28, Manuel hooked up with Ateman for a 25 yard gain. On 3rd and 7 from the Rams 44, Manuel was sacked for a 10 yard loss. After 3 straight scoring drives, the Raiders came up empty. With 3 minutes left, Gruden decided to punt and rely on the defense.

A perfect punt had the Rams pinned at their own 6. A run lost 3 yards and it looked like the Raiders would get the ball back. However, a defensive facemark penalty gave the Rams an automatic first down at the 2 minute warning. With Oakland out of timeouts, Allen took 3 knees to end things.

Both teams are 1-1 in the preseason. While the Raiders showed resilience in coming back, let’s be honest. A game without Carr, Goff, Lynch, and Gurley tells us nothing. The two best pass rushers are holding out, each one waiting on the other one to get their contract done. Without Khalil Mack and Aaron Donald on the field, it is hard to judge either defense. For the second week in a row, this preseason game left us without the slightest clue of what will happen in the regular season. Given that these teams play on Monday Night Football to kick off the season in only 3 weeks, that is exactly how Jon Gruden and Sean McVay wanted it. 19-15 Rams

eric

NFL 2018 Preseason Week 1 Raiders Recap

America’s long national nightmare is over. Football is back. True, real football does not begin until September. Preseason is a lie, but it is all we leatherheads have.

The Black Hole was rocking as Chucky returned to the team he began coaching 20 years ago and left after the infamous Tuck Rule game. The Oakland Raiders kicked off their 2018 preseason by hosting the Detroit Lions. This game was the debut for new Lions coach Matt Patricia.

The first preseason game usually tells us absolutely nothing. This game may have told us even less than that. Matthew Stafford did not even play. Derek Carr played only one series.

Carr began with a pair of completions for 11 total yards. Jordy Nelson got one of those catches for 4 yards. On the third play of the game, Marshawn Lynch broke off tackle for a 60 yard touchdown run. However, it was called back due to an offensive holding penalty on rookie Kolton Miller. The grade has been so high on Miller that the Raiders have let Donald Penn hold out. After the Lions punted on their first series, Miller earned his second holding penalty on the return. Speaking of holdouts, Khalil Mack is still not in camp.

Matt Cassel started at quarterback for the Lions and Connor Cook took over after the first series for the Raiders. From just shy of midfield, Cook went deep to Johnny Holton for a 41 yard gain. Yet on 3rd and goal at the 3, Cook threw incomplete.

The kicking game will be key for the Raiders this year. Sebastian Janikowski was cut a few weeks ago. Seabass was with Gruden the first time around, but after 18 years he was released. Backup Georgio Tavecchio was cut last week, leaving rookie Eddie Piniero. Piniero’s 21 yard field goal had the Raiders up 3-0 after the first quarter.

The Raiders got it back and Cook had his best drive of the night. On 3rd and 5 from the Oakland 32, he found Martavius Bryant for 18 yards to midfield. From the Detroit 34 to start the second quarter, Cook went deep to Butler for 24 yards. On 3rd and goal at the 7, this time the Raiders finished the drive. Cook hit Spitzer for the touchdown to make it 10-0 Raiders early in the second quarter.

The Lions got back in the game with help from a 15 yard penalty on Karl Joseph for lowering his head to make contact. On 3rd and 11 from the Oakland 25, Cassel hit Valles for 13 yards. Abdullah got in from the one to get the Lions within 10-7 midway through the second quarter. On the next Detroit series, they brought it 3rd string quarterback Rudock. He did not have success.

With 1:10 left in the half, the Raiders took over at their own 29. Cook worked quickly, hitting Jalen Richard for 16, 9 and 5  yards. Piniero drilled a 48 yard field goal to put the Raiders up 13-7 at halftime.

The Lions began the third quarter facing 3rd and 1 at their own 38. Johnson ran for a 57 yard gain to the Oakland 5, but offensive holding wiped it all away. 3rd string quarterback EJ Manuel came in and the Raiders moved from their own 26 to a 1st and goal at the Detroit 6. Manuel then fumbled the snap and the Lions recovered in a game getting uglier by the moment.

The Lions would soon face 3rd and 11 at their own 6, when Rudock hit johnson for 19 yards. On 3rd and 10 from the Detroit 25, Rudock only gained 2 yards. Yet defensive holding kept the drive going. On 1st and 10 from the Oakland 11, a sack of Rudock finally killed the drive. The Lions held the ball for a staggering 18 plays and 8 minutes. Yet on the first play of the fourth quarter, they settled for a 24 yard field goal from Santoso to trail 13-10.

Both teams then faced 3rd and 1, ran the ball, and failed to convert. With 6:17 left, the Raiders took over at their own 42. Warren ran for gains of 19, 11 and 3. Yet on 1st and 10 from the Detroit 13, another offensive holding penalty killed the drive. With 2:17 to play, Piniero hit a 45 yard field goal. However the Raiders only led by 6 points. They had not closed the door. Making matters worse, Piniero kicked the ensuing kickoff out of bounds, allowing the Lions to start at their own 40.

Normally in preseason games, coaches do not go all out. Yet in his very first game, Matt Patricia decided to bring Matt Cassel back in the game. On 4th and 11 from the Detroit 39 with 1:13 left, Cassel hit Lucas for 14 yards.With 40 seconds left the Lions had 1st and 10 at the Oakland 35. Cassel threw incomplete twice and was then sacked and fumbled. The Raiders recovered to lock up the win.

Jon Gruden has plenty of things to improve. However, trying to judge a Raiders game without Derek Carr or Khalil Mack is useless. Marshawn lynch is clearly ready. Kicker Piniero is off to a good start. The defense looked good most of the night. Kolton needs to stop holding and start blocking. 16-10 Raiders

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