Raiders fall to the Cardinals 24-23.
This game was a game riddled with mistakes on both sides and mental errors that plagued both defenses and offenses. After it was all said and done, though, this was a game the Raiders let fall through their fingertips. They won the battle on both sides of the ball and won the turnover battle 3-1. They outgained the Cardinals 364 to 227. They rushed for more yards (133-119), passed for more yards (231-108), displayed their top of the line punting team (recovered 2 fumbles, 51.8 average, 2 downed inside 10, no touchbacks) and still one thing eluded them: touchdowns inside the red zone. The Cardinals played very undisciplined and gave the Raiders ample opportunities to put the game out of reach. Janikowski missed two field goals inside of 45 yards and another from 58 (can't really fault him there), the killer being a 32 yarder as time expired. The last time he has missed from inside 40? How about almost two years ago and has only missed 8 field goals out of 92 tries in his entire 11 year career from inside 40. Mr. Automatic just wasn't on this day. Here are some thoughts on the other points of the game:
Is there anything more exciting than watching Nnam and Fitz go at it? They are the best in the game. It was like a boxing match with both throwing left hooks. Asomugha got the better of Fitzgerald with Fitz only catching 2 balls for 26 yards, with only one catch being when Nnamdi was guarding him. Awesome-wah wins again.
This defense is getting better and better. Passing yards will be hard to come by off this team this year. So far teams are only averaging 127 yards against them through the air. They also rank 3rd in the NFL in total defense, only allowing 260.7/ game.
Darren McFadden has officially arrived. With his third straight solid game, he currently stands in third place in rushing in the NFL. He is running with tremendous burst and power. I'm glad that Cable decided to stick with him as the feature back even though Bush was active for the game. We have a premier running now, everything he was billed to be. Now, just stay healthy!
Gradkowski showed why he was chosen over Campbell. He just has a knack for big plays and the offense is always able to move the ball. The team looks so much better on offense when he's in there.
Darrius Heyward-Bey and Louis Murphy keep improving. They used to look overmatched and lost on routes, now they are creating mismatches with their speed and elusiveness. If they continue to improve, they are going to be a nice tandem of receivers.
This is a team that is going to compete for the division title very soon. It may not be this year, but this team is still very young and extremely talented. The pieces are in place, it's just going to be about maturity and eliminating some of the mental mistakes. They are very close to turning the corner.
What are your thoughts on the game? Should they have tried to score a TD at the end of the game or was kicking the field goal the right decision?
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