5 things we saw from the Raiders in week 12
The Oakland Raiders improved to 9-2 and maintained their lead in the AFC West with a 35-32 win over the Carolina Panthers. This game was filled with ups and downs. It was a thriller to say the least and the Raiders found a way to overcome their mistakes and a little bit of bad luck to snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat. A defeat that would have been the result of their own doing rather than anything the Panthers did. There was a lot of good and bad in this game. It really should not have been so close. The good outweighed the bad though, and it was a win. There is still plenty to improve on and to build on. Here are 5 things we saw from the Raiders in this game:
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New York Giants: Colin Cowherd Calls Giants “Fraud”, “Fourth Best Team In Division.
Monday Night Football: Philadelphia Eagles downed by Green Bay in 27-13 loss.
San Francisco 49ers: 49ers leave it on the field, lose a close one in Miami.
Raiders News: Heroics from Mack and Carr help get Oakland to 9-2.
Raiders News: The legend or D. Carr continues to grow.
Raiders News: Crabtree bounces back and other takeaways from week 12.
5 – Don’t taunt the Black Hole, Cam:
The Raiders blew a 24-7 halftime lead and had to come from behind to win this game. Along the way, Cam Newton thought it would be cute to taunt the fans after the Panthers scored the go-ahead TD. He likes to taunt opposing team fans and this game was no different. Call it karma or whatever suits you, but the Raiders and their fans had the last laugh. What all that really translates to is that the Raiders never quit. They found a way to win. They really shouldn’t have had to do that, which brings me to my next observation.
4 – The Raiders have trouble maintaining a lead and putting teams away early:
This was another game which the Raiders should have won handily, but had to pull out late in the 4th quarter. The Panthers are only a year removed from the Super Bowl, but they are an injury ridden team. They were missing their best defender and probably one of the best in the league in LB Luke Kuechly. Their starting center and his backup were also out as well as a few others. They have not been playing very good football; most likely due to Super Bowl hangover and did not match up well against the Raiders coming into this game.
Oakland built a 17 point halftime lead and could have pushed it to 24 points with a 2nd half opening drive TD. In the first half, the offense was moving the ball well and the defense had the Panthers offense pretty much sequestered. Everything changed when Derek Carr suffered his hand injury. That sucked all of the momentum out of the Raiders and swung it to the Panthers. So instead of putting the Panthers away, the Raiders had to come from behind to win again.
3 – Momentum is everything:
We already know this applies in every sport, but it was more prevalent in this game than in most Raider games I’ve watched this season. The Raiders had all of the momentum until Derek Carr injured his throwing hand and fumbled on the opening drive of the 2nd half. When that happened, I could actually feel the coliseum deflate. From that moment up until the Panthers scored the go ahead TD and then extended their lead, the crowd had been taken out of the game and the Raiders looked like they had all but given up. The defense had no answer for Cam Newton and the offense couldn’t get anything done; even though Derek Carr returned to the line-up and his throwing looked to be unaffected by the pinky injury.
The Raiders basically took the entire 3rd quarter off while the Panthers erased their deficit and took the lead. Carr’s injury is no excuse. I get how something like that can slow a team down, but that is why you need a good back-up. I believe the Raiders have that in Matt McGloin. Suddenly, early in the 4th quarter, something clicked and the autumn wind began to blow. The Raiders took back the momentum. They got the crowd back into the game. The leaders on this team from both sides of the ball knew what they had to do and they did it. The rest is academic; another thrilling, come from behind victory.
2 – The Raiders have their key franchise players:
Every team needs franchise players in key positions in every phase of the game. You can look at every team which has been successful and find them. The Raiders of the 70’s and 80s’s had franchise QBs in Stabler and Plunkett on those offenses. They had key defenders such as Willie Brown, Howie Long and others. Ray Guy was the franchise player on special teams. Without naming every one in detail, I can think of the Steelers, 49ers and Cowboys right off the top of my head, but there are several more. The Raiders have Derek Carr and Khalil Mack and it is safe to say that they are our franchise players:
Derek Carr – Take one look at what happened when Carr had to sit a series out with an injury; everything changed. The momentum which had been on the side of the Raiders was swept away. Matt McGloin has shown the ability to run the offense and throw the ball, but he was not really given much of a chance. In his one series, the Raiders elected to run the ball, even though they were having better success with the pass. On his one pass attempt, the Panthers defense got good pressure on a blitz and hit him as he threw. Sure, McGloin is not the passer that Carr is, but he should be effective behind that offensive line.
Carr is the talk of the town, so to speak. The QB position demands attention and when you have a good one like Carr, the effect is magnified. Carr is worthy of all the attention he is getting. He’s in the MVP conversation and he is at or near the top of the league in nearly every statistic. He has taken control of the offense and brought the Raiders back in nearly all 9 of the wins this season. Some have even stated that he reminds them of Ken Stabler. I’m not sure I would go that far just yet. He may still come up with a “Sea of Hands”, “Ghost to the Post” or “Holy Roller” type of game winning play worthy of such a name. No matter what your feelings are on this, I’m sure we can all agree that the Raiders have their franchise QB.
Khalil Mack – Great players make great plays at key moments and Mack did just that a few times in this game and throughout the season. His pick-6 in the closing seconds of the first half and strip-sack fumble recovery to seal the game are prime examples of plays you should expect your franchise players to make. Mack has been doing it since he was drafted. Opposing offenses must account for him and plan with him taken into account. Offensive linemen have to resort to holding him a lot to keep him from wrecking their game plan. The Raiders have been in need of this for such a long time.
With Carr getting so much attention and the inherent tendency for this QB driven league to focus on the offense, Mack’s presence and what it means to the Raiders is sometimes understated or even overlooked. The poor performance of the rest of the defense could have something to do with that as well. Like Carr, Mack is at or near the top of the NFL in a lot of categories for his position. I’d hate to see what the defense would be without their franchise player. When Charles Woodson retired, Mack took over as the leader of this defense. He set a very good example for all to emulate and is respected by everyone.
1 – The Raiders are for real:
There have been some doubters as to whether this Raiders team is for real. In my opinion, they proved themselves against the Denver Broncos. What better measuring stick is there than the world champions? The Raiders beat them convincingly, but that is not all. They have shown versatility on offense; the defense has improved greatly as the season has worn on and special teams has been solid. They have found ways to win games. This team has consistently won; even in games which they have not played their best. That is one sure sign of a great team. I told all of the haters I know that there will be no more picking on the Raiders and they have proven me right this year.
You could make the case that they haven’t played very many good teams, but that would be a weak argument. Consider this: 5 of their wins are against opponents at or above .500. They have beaten both participants in last season’s super bowl and 2 of their wins are against teams leading their respective divisions. The biggest test is yet to come with the 3 remaining road division games coming up.
The Raiders have already proven that they can go into Denver and San Diego and win. Kansas City is the most difficult road game but if the Buccaneers can do it, surely the Raiders can. No matter how the rest of the season turns out, this team has proven that they are for real. I honestly believe that they can even beat the Patriots. I’m sure it would be a shootout between Carr and Brady, but the Raiders can win a shootout. Let’s just hope they get the chance to avenge the Tuck Rule game.
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