Tag: Lions

This ain’t really about the Lions or Giants

The Raiders finally made a move for all the dogs. Raiders owner Mark Davis fired his general manager and head coach. A lot of folks did not expect him to make that sort of move this early in their contract. It will cost Davis a lot of money. However, he showed RaiderNation he is willing to do whatever it takes to win.

It makes a ton of sense given how the Raiders played the last two weeks. They lacked an identity. They lacked cohesion. They lacked creativity. Raiders alumni took the social media to expressed their displeasure. Many fans applauded the move after the Raiders did not play like their tradition.

Further, it came out that the players only meeting held last week was actually led by now interim head coach in Antonio Pierce. Pierce is saying all the right things in his few days as head coach. He grew up in Southern California and understands the Raider way of playing football. Have fun, swagger, and physicality. Impose yourself on both sides of the ball.

The guys already seem to be responding as their morale has lifted. We will see what happens today when Pierce takes on the Giants franchise he won a championship with in 2007.

Vegas’ coaching move also makes sense given how popular the Aces and Golden Knights are in Las Vegas. The Raiders play in the most popular sport and came over as an established brand. They also built the biggest arena. Yet, they have fallen in popularity to the Aces and Knights. The Aces and Knights have also won and both brought hardware to Sin City. The Raiders have not even won a playoff game in Vegas. Davis looked at that and realized he needed to make a change to establish himself in the growing sports market.

Hopefully, Davis sticks to the head coach and GM if they make a notable difference with the second half of the season. Technically, the Raiders are not out of it.

Nobody should expect a Super Bowl, given the talent on the roster. Nonetheless, they have enough to compete. The Chiefs look more beatable than years passed since they just lost to the Broncos. The AFC is wide open.

Now, Vegas takes on a New York Giant team that has been disappointing on their own. New York just traded away one of their best defensive lineman in Leonard Williams. The Giants still have some speed on the outside. Saquon Barkley is still one of the most explosive runners in the game. Vegas is going to need to tackle better in the last few weeks.

Against the Lions, the defense created three turnovers for the second time this season. They gave up a lot of yards, but they made enough plays to keep the team from getting blown out. If the Raiders offense shows up, there’s no reason they shouldn’t win this game.

The Raiders had three close wins, three blow out losses and two close loses. This is an opportunity for the Raiders to show who they are and who they want to be for the rest of the season. Already, the Raiders signed several linebackers after Pierce took over. That includes former Cowboys and Giants linebacker Jaylon Smith. Smith doesn’t have same coverage abilities as his Pro Bowl days but he should help the team with tackling and stopping the run.

Speaking of, it’s important they run the ball with Josh Jacobs, specially with the Giants down one of their better run defenders without Williams. Vegas also needs to get Devantae Adams the ball early and often. The Raiders are starting rookie quarterback Aiden O’Connell i hopes he can stretch the field better. O’Connell started earlier this year so the Giants will have a film on him. He’s not going to get away with forcing bars into a lot of tight windows. However, he needs to find Adams, Hunter Renfrow, and Jakobi Myers when open.

I knew McDaniels was done being the head coach, when QB Jimmy Garoppolo looked lost and helpless on the final two drives against Detroit. Those last two series ended in consecutive sacks after Garoppolo already visibly missed Adams several times. A couple of those converted shots keep the Raiders in the game. Still, Jimmy G. came over to be a McDaniels guy and the head coach left his quarterback out there looking punch drunk. It was unacceptable.

Moving forward, the Raiders really need to rely on the run game. The offensive line has not been great outside of Kolton Miller’s consistency. They will get a challenge with Dexter Lawrence eating up blocks and pushing the pocket. However, Jacobs can provide a security blanket for his rookie quarterback.

Lastly, the defense needs to keep up the momentum. If they can continue to create turnovers, they give this team a chance. As a former linebacker coach, I do not expect Pierce to take great field position for granted. I’d also expect him to take a little bit more chances in scoring and fourth down opportunities, but I also do not think he will just make a gamble for the sake of a gamble. He is going to rely on his defense to pressure the quarterback, and come away with takeaways. That will create opportunities for the young QB.

Again, I’ve been saying it for years and weeks. The Raiders just need to play their brand of football and they should come away with a win in Vegas. The Silver and Black can get ahead of the chains with the run game and setup to take big shots deep. They can put the Giants offense on their heels. That will keep Saquan from merely moving the chains with the run. It will also force Giants QB Daniel Jones to take chance which the Raiders can convert to turnovers.

It’s time to get back to playing football the Raiders way. Run the ball, push the ball down field, get home to the QB and take the ball away. Vegas can win this game if they do that. And they will help Pierce make the case to keep his job.

Raiders Vs Lions: Chicago Lessons and Prime Time

Another week, another prime time game for the Raiders. They travel to Detroit for what we thought would be an offensive shootout.

The Raiders are coming off a bad loss to a Chicago Bears team they had no business losing to. Chicago was down key players throughout the roster but still found a way to embarrass the Raiders. They exposed Vegas’ liabilities including their inability to make tackles, stay ahead of the chains with the run game and push the ball downfield. Vegas has not been playing Raiders football all season.

Reports said the team had a clearing to talk about the season. The players were able to share any grievances they had as far as scheme, personnel, etc. Key players and guys throughout the roster spoke up.

Hopefully, it makes a difference. Head coach Josh McDaniels is rightfully criticized for blowing big leads, not putting up enough points and losing to bad teams. The Raiders need to come out with some urgency on Monday Night.

The Detroit Lions are also off a bad loss to the Ravens. Jared Goff is top ten in passing, Amon-Ra St. Brown is top ten in catches and top 15 in yards. He is expected to play versus the Raiders. This team should come out looking for blood at home.

Corner Jerry Jacobs has three interceptions for the Lions defense. Aiden Hutchinson has 4.5 sacks and can give the Raiders offensive line issues. Detroit’s defense should be looking to get back on track after giving 35+ points to a Ravens offense that looked lost early this season.

The Raiders will have Jimmy Garoppolo back from his back injury. Garoppolo is great at getting the ball out quick to avoid sacks. However, Vegas needs to take some chances and push the ball downfield. The Raiders have too many weapons to not convert a play for more than 20 yards, again.

Of course, it all starts upfront. Vegas needs to create some lanes for Josh Jacobs. An effective Jacobs keeps the offense ahead of the chains. It also gives the play calling more flexibility to take shots downfield. Look for Adams to make a big play with Garoppolo back.

Plus, it will keep that explosive Lions defense on the sideline. Detroit also has a couple of tight ends that can give the Raiders problems. Jahmyr Gibbs is explosive and should be a problem for the Raiders to tackle too.

Speaking of defense, Vegas needs Marcus Peters to play more inspired. Everyone was making jokes about his tackling but I think he may do better in the nickel where he can roam a bit more.

Otherwise, the defensive backs have been solid and helped the team stay in games. They will get tested this week though versus Brown and a slew of other explosive weapons.

Raiders rookie edge Tyree Wilson finally got into the sack category versus the Bears. Vegas can not get enough pass rush. Maxx Crosby needs helps and Wilson needs to provide that sooner than later given the injuries and absence of Chandler Jones. Wilson can easily become this team’s x-factor if he can find a way to consistently get after the passer.

Crosby took some lumps in the run game particularly early. Expect the Lions to add some misdirection and trickery to their gameplan. They will try to keep Crosby guessing as well as keep Wilson on his heels. Regardless, the Raiders could also use some push from their interior defense.

In the end, the Raiders need to find their identity. It’s been tough with their quarterback missing time in 3-4 games, which is half of the season to this point. It’s also hard when their offensive line is mid, their running back missed camp and they haven’t been able to get the ball to their best players.

If the Raiders can control the clock with their run game, convert a couple of big plays, sack the quarterback and tackle, they have a chance. Coming out like they did in Chicago though, will only result in another terrible loss.

The game may also come down to special teams. Vegas needs the kicking game to be perfect. No missed conversions or bad punts.

Vegas is only a game under .500. A win here would give them one more than the Chargers. Things get a little murkier considering Denver beat Kansas City this week. Denver also has three wins so a loss here would put the Raiders right next to them in the AFC West.

A win here would also give Vegas some momentum headed into winnable games versus the New York Giants and Jets over the next two weeks. Nobody is expecting much from Vegas versus Detroit but the Raiders won the last time they were counted out on the road in Monday Night.

On one hand, the Raiders are a couple of plays away from being 5-2. On the other hand, all three of their wins were by one score. The other two games were blowouts. We’ll have a better idea of who this team is after this game, especially since they will basically have played half a season by the game’s end.

What Raiders team will show up Monday? It’s time to play Raiders football and Just Win Baby!

Lions or Cubs

The Oakland Raiders are fresh off a loss to the Houston Texans that should have been win. Oakland put the pressure on Houston for most of the game until the Texans were able to squeeze one out. That’s not surprising given they were a home team with more talent.

The Same question, new week

Who are the Raiders in 2019?

They showed similar strengths in glimpses versus the Packers and Chiefs early. Versus the Broncos, Bears and Colts they dominated early and held on for dear life. Minnesota dominated the Raiders much like the Packers and Chiefs eventually did.

Oakland is still learning how to win. They’ve had turnovers in tough spots. They do not always have someone who can make a play in a big third down or red zone spot. Players they have like Waller is still doing his best as the No. 1 option.

Josh Jacobs is balling as well despite dealing with shoulder injuries. He has a shot at rookie of the year. The Raiders have to give him the ball if he can shoulder it.

Zay Jones caught two passes for 27 yards in his Raiders debut. That’s two first downs. The Raiders got to look for more from him.

Oakland needs to keep trying to score at a high level if they want to sniff the playoffs. They should be able to do that against Detroit who hasn’t looked anymore consistent.

The only thing keeping the Lions out of Last place in the NFC north is a tie with the Cardinals in Week One. Otherwise, the Lions have won and lost some close games.

Lions or Cubs

Of course the Raiders real key to winning this game is on defense again. Maxx Crosby is getting a lot of hype as an every down player but Oakland needs more than that.

The Raiders could also use some help from the backend. Oakland will get opportunities for interceptions versus Matthew Stafford who takes shots downfield.

However, Stafford throws one of the best deep balls in the league. Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones ain’t nothing to sleep on as receivers. They could easily give the young Raiders corners long days.

On defense, the Raiders are really missing Vontaze Burfict’s instincts, toughness and knowledge of the defense. They aren’t wearing on offenses like they did with him.

The Raiders do not have to play excellent defense. They just need to be good enough to get off the field and hold teams to field goals.

Oakland’s offense is strong enough upfront to build up a fast lead and run out the clock. They just need their defense to bend and not break as the old cliche says. That is complimentary football as they call it.

Ultimately, this is another opportunity for the Raiders to reveal their true identity. They need to prove they are a dominate run team at home. If they can get a lead and hold onto it, that should be enough to beat Detroit.

The Lions are nothing to sleep on though. They could easily embarrass the Raiders and send them below a .500 record. A win for the Silver and Black on the other hand would set them up for a playoff run. Right now, Oakland is one of a pack looking up at the Texans in the AFC Wild Card race. At least Oakland enters the softer part of their schedule.

Thus, we will see what Gruden can keep cooking up on offense. We also have to hope Geunther and the defense doesn’t get embarrassed for the third weekend in a row.