This was one of those throwback games from the 70s where neither team was real sharp but it didn't lack in intensity. The Raiders are doing things that were not present in the teams we watched for the last 7 years. They are figuring out how to win. The first half was not pretty, but they came out in the second half and showed what they were made of. The best part is, there is lots of room for improvement, yet they are finding ways to win. That is the makeup of a good team. They need to cut down on the penalties, for one. They had 15 penalties on Sunday and now have a whopping 91 on the season. That's averaging over 10 penalties a game, which is unacceptable. This is also a team that will get healthy over their bye week. They were without the services of Nnamdi and Miller and Gradkowski and their run-stopping DT Henderson. They were also without their top two receivers in Schilens and Murphy. That's a lot of fire power that will return when they face the Steelers two week from now. Let's take a look at some observations from the Chiefs game:
They are learning how to stop the run. The Chiefs were only able to rush for 104 yards in 60+ minutes and were averaging 190 yards on the ground per game. Take away the QB scramble runs, and they only have 80 some yards from the duo of Charles and Jones. This is a trend that has shown itself over the last three weeks. They have only allowed 75 rushing yards/game on average over those three weeks. They are also winning the battle up front in general. They now rank second in sacks in the NFL with 27. This unit is really starting to play well.
Guys are stepping up when they need to. Jacoby Ford played the game of his life when he was asked to start for the injured Murphy. He was drafted for his speed and his abilities in the return game, which has manifested itself in this game, but not necessarily for his receiving abilities. He has shown that he can become another weapon that this team can utilize. The young cornerbacks also played big on Sunday. Ware had a big interception in the end zone at the end of the first half to thwart a scoring opportunity and Johnson came back in the lineup as a starter and played extremely well in the second half. Overall, the corners were blanketing the receivers, outside of the blown communication on the TD to Bowe. They needed this type of performance especially since Nnamdi wasn't there to shut down one side of the field.
Campbell seems to play well when it's most needed. Jason has his moments when he looks mediocre at best, but when it comes down to making a play at the end of the game, he always seems to get it done. One thing I have noticed with him is that when the running game is not going well, he tends to force things in the passing game and makes mistakes. When the running game is taking pressure off the passing game, he loosens up and just lets it fly. You have to give him credit for some of the success this offense has had during the winning streak.
Just Win, Baby. This team is starting to believe in itself and their ability to play with anybody. The old mantra is starting to become the new mantra again. They don't stop competing and believe there is a way to get back in the game. The defense tries its best to stop the opponent because now they feel that the offense will get back on track and get the team back in the game. They now expect big things to happen and are a team of big-play ability.
The Raiders are going to be in this race the rest of the way. The Raiders seem to just keep raising expectations. Who would have thought that they would win three in a row this year? I don't think it is out of the question for them to also beat the Colts at home and the Steelers on the road. Nothing is out of the question anymore with this team. They just go out and compete. The Chiefs aren't going to run away with the division and the Chargers still have problems. It's going to be a fight the rest of the way.
Well, it's our bye week. Do you have any thoughts on what is going to happen in the second half? Do you have any thoughts on this game? How about any topics you want to talk about these next two weeks? Post your thoughts and comments here.
How about a week-by-week "Post your own prediction" topic? You post the basic stats, no commentary, then have everyone else post their own prediction and commentary on the game. Then you can link your prediction commentary back to the "Post your own" and vice versa, to make it easy for people to navigate and interact. -Craig
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