All worries of a letdown after a big emotional win against the Broncos was quickly removed as the Raiders are starting to show a trend in their play on the field. If you could ever imagine there being a more complete and dominating performance than the Bronco game, this was it. The Raiders left little doubt as to who was the better team on this day. They out-gained the Seahawks 545-162. They sacked Hasselback 8 times and had their hands on most every pass that he threw. The running backs could find no running room anywhere and Lynch was limited to 7 yards on 9 carries. This win coupled with a Chiefs' win, sets up for a very interesting match-up next week. But first, on to some key points from this week's game:
Lay the McFadden bust theory to rest. Darren has proven himself this year that if he is in the game, he is going to gain over 150 total yards in some fashion. He has only once not rushed for over 100 yards this season, but always finds yardage in the receiving game. He currently stands at 7th in rushing even after missing 2 games due to injury. He is a HUGE part of this offense and one of the main reasons that it is doing as well as it is.
This offense is really clicking on all cylinders. Even though they played their backup at QB, had Schilens and Murphy both out at WR, and a hobbling Miller at TE, they still gained the most yards this year (545). This offensive line is making huge holes for the RB's to run through and giving Campbell enough time to get passes down the field to the WR's. This is the first time in Raiders' history that they have gained more than 500 yards in total offense in consecutive weeks. They have also outscored their opponents 92-17 the last two weeks, which is tied for the most lopsided margin of victory in the history of the organization. These performances are not a fluke. They are really controlling the line of scrimmage, which is the key to success in this league.
The balls are starting to bounce our way. There were two plays in particular that stood out as things that rarely have happened in the last 7 years of futility. On one of those plays, Heyward-Bey was targeted on a slant route and the ball hit him in the knee and ricocheted about 15 yards across the field where Murphy bobbled it and in fell into the lap of a streaking Bush who ran 55 yards, deep into Seattle territory. The second lucky bounce was on a deep sideline pass that Routt deflected away and Deon Butler tried to dive for it and catch it before it hit the ground. He was able to keep it off the ground, but it popped up into Tyvon Branch's hands and turned into an interception. There were also two close plays that could have gone for interceptions in the Seahawks favor, but ended up going for Td's for the Raiders. Things seemed to just be going the Raiders way.
The defense is playing very aggressively. They are really starting to take it to the offense instead of letting the offense dictate what they want to do and just reacting to it. They are also dialing up more blitzes than they have in the past which is to the Raiders advantage because they do so well in one-on-one coverage on the outside. They could be without Asomugha this week against the Chiefs with a high ankle sprain, which could limit their effectiveness against the pass. The front line is playing in the backfield which is causing a lot of the disruption and if they can continue to be successful at getting sacks with just the front seven or even the front four, it will make it that much easier to play without Asomugha. They currently have the third most sacks in the NFL with 24.
The backups are stepping up when called upon. They are really getting a complete team effort out of everyone. Four players amassed more than 100 total yards, including Marcel Reece, the fullback. Jeremy Ware had a very good game at corner in place of Chris Johnson and Desmond Bryant was a real force at the Tackle position stopping the run and getting pressure on the QB. All in all, a very complete effort by the whole team.
We still have some issues to work out. The Raiders are still having problems limiting the penalties. They are currently on a pace for 152 on the year, which would surpass their highest total in a season since I can remember. A lot of these penalties are just discipline penalties like false starts and off sides. This is something that can be worked on and fixed. We also gave up a couple of big run-backs in the kicking game. Other than that, not too much to complain about.
What are your thoughts on the game? Do you think that consecutive dominant performances show that we have made it over the hump and are ready to fight for a playoff spot or is there still something to prove? Post your comments.
It's definitely stepping in the right direction. But, as with any sport, you're only as good as your last game. If you keep the momentum and keep winning games, the skies the limit. However if they get too proud of their accomplishments and rest on their laurels, they will go right back to square one. I like that they're turning things around, I just wish the Bengals could figure out how to do that again. They've forgotten everything that worked last year for them. Good game for the Raiders and nice back to back wins.
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