If words were used to describe this game, it would take more space than what I have here. I'll save you the novel and just hit the high points. There were a lot of things from the Raiders' perspective to be excited about. The offense did everything it needed to win. The defense did as well. We were able to get the monkey off our back and break the losing streak to the Chargers that has lasted longer than I care to remember. However, there were some issues that need to be addressed. Here is a synopsis of the game:
Chargers' Special Teams are worse than I thought. Seeing it live really puts it into perspective. They could not get either of their first two punts off as the first one was blocked out of the end zone for a safety and the other one was blocked and recovered for a TD. The only other punt they had went off smoothly but the coverage unit allowed a 46 yard return to midfield. This unit has directly led to all three losses this year, allowing 30 points through the first 5 games.
Pass Defense was Swiss Cheese at best. Far too many big plays were made down field on missed assignments. Cornerbacks and safeties were not communicating well on whether or not there was over-the-top help and therefore receivers got behind the coverage. It looked far too much like the Favre game after his father passed away. Rivers was able to complete pretty much anything he wanted through the first 3 quarters.
The Raiders' running game is for real. Often in the past, the Raiders would have a difficult time getting anything started in the running game at the start and all but abandon it the rest of the game. This year is different. Hue Jackson has really balanced the offense well and it has made both the passing game and running game more effective. They didn't see a drop off in production when they had to go with Bush instead of McFadden even though they have two different running styles. That means the offensive line is making the holes for the running backs to go through.
This team will never quit in a game. They have show tremendous mental toughness in every game since the Titans game and it never seems as though they are ever completely out of it. Their offense can compete in this league with any team. It might not be as efficient, but they always seem to get it done. This is a much different team than what we've seen out of them the past several years.
Campbell can also run this offense. When Gradkowski got hurt, my initial reaction was that Campbell was going to come in and this offense would just stall. It took a couple of series, but he finally got into the rhythm of the game and scored TD's on two time consuming drives in the 4th quarter to put us in the lead. It's good to know that if Gradkowski misses some time, we should be in capable hands.
Zach Miller is officially one of the elite Tight Ends in the NFL. Zach is exactly what you want in a TE. He's tough, has excellent hands, is a weapon in the red zone, and blocks extremely well. He currently ranks 2nd among TE's in receiving yards, behind only Antonio Gates. A great TE is a Quarterback's best friend.
The outcome of this game was exactly what I predicted. We could steal this game from the Chargers if we were able to get a Special Teams TD or a Defensive TD. Well, we got a Defensive TD, AND a Special Teams TD, and a Safety just for good measure. This game could quite possibly jump start our entire season and take us over the hump. Next up: San Francisco!
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