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Raiders move up to No. 12 in Touchdown Wire power rankings

Raiders move up to No. 12 in Touchdown Wire Power Rankings

The Oakland Raiders got a big win in Week 10, defeating the Los Angeles Chargers in the final night game at the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum. That win moved the Raiders to 5-4, and they are now just one game back in the division.

With that win, the Raiders are starting to get more national attention, as well. In Doug Farrar’s latest power rankings at Touchdown Wire, the Raiders have moved all the way up to No. 12, just ahead of the Dallas Cowboys.

Considering the expectations heading into the season, the Raiders and their fans have to be thrilled with how the season is going. Here is what Farrar had to say about the Raiders this season:

Against the Chargers last Thursday, it was time for Oakland’s rookie pass-rushers to show up. This they did, as Clelin Ferrell and Maxx Crosby combined for three sacks and 10 total pressures. Rookie running back Josh Jacobs also scored the game-deciding touchdown in a 26-24 win that put the Raiders over .500 — that was the Raiders’ league-leading 13th touchdown by a rookie in 2019. Oakland’s personnel staff, led by general manager Mike Mayock, has put together the NFL’s most impressive rookie class this season. There’s simply no way Jon Gruden’s team would be in playoff contention had Mayock and his people not done such an incredible job up and down their draft board.

With an incredibly easy schedule coming up over the next few weeks, the Raiders could significantly move up lists like this and inside the top 10. The Raiders have a real chance to make some noise this season and into the playoffs.

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Rookie RB Josh Jacobs is PFF’s highest-graded Raider

Every week, Josh Jacobs is doing more and more to help the Raiders win. Whether it’s making plays in the passing game by blocking or catching, or dominating on the ground, Oakland is able to rely on their stud rookie to carry their offense.

While the production numbers speak for themselves, Jacobs is starting to earn some more national attention now that we are more than halfway through the 2019 season. According to Pro Football Focus, Jacobs is the team’s highest-graded player and is the No. 1 ranked running back in the entire NFL. Take a look at what the site has to say about the former Alabama star:

A first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Jacobs has lived up to the hype to start the season. He leads all NFL backs with 200 or more offensive snaps played in overall grade (90.4) and rushing grade (90.5) so far this season. He still needs more targets in the passing game, but he’s been nothing but dominant on the ground. He leads all NFL backs with 100 or more carries in forced missed tackles per attempt (0.27) and ranks fifth in yards after contact per attempt (3.6).

Through nine weeks, it’s relatively clear that Jacobs is the front runner for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award as he is going to set numerous franchise records for the Silver and Black. If Jacobs can continue to play at this level, look for the Raiders to make a run to the playoffs behind their workhorse back.

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Chargers open up as 4.5-point underdogs to Chiefs

The Los Angeles Chargers have opened up as home underdogs to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11.

The Los Angeles Chargers (4-6) opened up as 4.5-point underdogs to the Kansas City Chiefs (6-4) heading into their Week 11 matchup.

The Chargers are coming off a loss to the Oakland Raiders (5-4), which was a result of a poor offensive output and lack of execution when the game was on the line.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs also lost their Week 10 bout. After the Tennessee Titans clawed their way back into the contest to take the lead, Kansas City was relying on kicker Harrison Butker to tie up the game and send it to overtime. Unfortunately, his 52-yard field goal was blocked as time expired.

Los Angeles needs to win this game in order to keep their playoff hopes alive, while Kansas City is hoping to dig themselves out of a slump after dropping their last four out of six games.

Monday’s matchup will be played in Mexico City and will begin at 5:15 p.m. PT.

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Chargers travel to Colorado to prepare for Mexico City battle with Chiefs

After having the weekend off, the Chargers are hitting the road to prepare for next Monday’s matchup against the Chiefs in Mexico City.

After having the weekend off, the Chargers are hitting the road to prepare for next Monday’s matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs in Mexico City.

The Bolts are traveling to Colorado Springs, Colorado, for a week of practice ahead of the division battle, yet another must-win game in order to stay alive in the playoff race.

The team will have four practices at Air Force Academy in order to acclimate to Mexico City’s altitude. They will be at 6,000 feet above sea level for a few days before being tasked with playing at about 7,200 feet above sea level.

The Chargers don’t do anything like this to get ready for the Denver Broncos, whom they play annually a mile above sea level. But this will be a good trip for L.A. to get away, spend more time together and regroup after a slew of games that got away from them throughout the course of the season.

Sitting at 4-6, Los Angeles will need to be at their best in the final stretch of the season in order to make the playoffs. Realistically, they can’t lose a single game. If they are able to win out, the team would likely capture the AFC West title for the first time since 2009.

It all starts next week against the Chiefs, who have dropped the last four of their six games. Despite the struggles, the Chiefs are still a loaded team on both sides of the ball led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Monday night’s kickoff against Kansas City is slated for 5:15 p.m. PT and will be televised on ESPN.

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Ex-Chargers LB Donnie Edwards named NFL Salute to Service nominee

Former Chargers linebacker Donnie Edwards has been selected to be the team’s 2019 NFL Salute to Service nominee.

Former Chargers linebacker Donnie Edwards has been selected to be the team’s 2019 NFL Salute to Service nominee, the league announced.

The award, presented annually by USAA and the NFL, honors a league member who demonstrates commitment to honoring and supporting the military community across the country and overseas.

Edwards spent five seasons with the Chargers from 2002-2006. He was twice voted as an All-Pro linebacker and was one of only eight players in the history of the NFL to record 20 interceptions and 20 sacks over a career.

Edwards has founded the Best Defense Foundation that takes World War II veterans and Vietnam Veterans back to their battlefields and memorials so they can pay homage to their fallen brothers who never got a chance to live a full life.

Edwards brought sixteen World War II veterans back to the shores of northern France to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

Earlier this year, @DonnieEdwards took several Veterans back to Normandy. Here, at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, we celebrated ALL Veterans during our annual Honor Our Nation’s Heroes program, highlighting both Heroes. pic.twitter.com/WpMVAEZDX4

— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) November 11, 2019

Past nominees from the franchise include defensive tackle Sean Lissemore and Alex Spanos. Finalists will be announced in January, and the recipient will be recognized at NFL Honors, a two-hour primetime awards special to air nationally on Feb. 1, 2019 in Miami, FL, the night before Super Bowl LIV.

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Jon Gruden lays out Raiders top nickel option(s) should Lamarcus Joyner be unable to go

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Following the Raiders’ Thursday night win over the Chargers, Jon Gruden was initially most concerned about the apparent hamstring injury suffered by nickel cornerback Lamarcus Joyner. He pulled up without contact on the Chargers’ final possession. Those non-contact injuries are often the worst ones.

As it turned out, it was fellow defensive back Karl Joseph who had the more severe injury, and he was placed on the injured reserve list two days later.

While Joyner’s hamstring injury is not season-ending, he may still miss some time. The Raiders signed free agent DJ Swearinger to try and fill the void left by the loss of Joseph, but at cornerback, they recently traded away one of their starters, leaving them with some serious depth issues now that Joyner is a question mark.

So, who replaces Joyner at the nickel cornerback spot? Well, that depends…

“Nevin Lawson is a guy that can play inside,” said Gruden. “Worley can play inside. Isaiah Johnson can play outside, so we have some options. But we’ll see where Lamarcus is here in the next couple days.”

Lawson is the first option. Worley had been tried out at safety and nickel earlier in the season as the Raiders explored their best five options for the secondary. Moving to safety may have been an option had Joyner not been injured, but now Worley is desperately needed at the cornerback spot.

Whether Worley could be tried at the nickel spot is dependent upon where rookie Isaiah Johnson is in his development. Johnson was activated from the injured reserve list just last week and plays exclusively outside.

“We’ll see where Isaiah is with a full week of practice. Remember last week was his first full week active, and we didn’t even have a full-speed practice before the Charger game. So this will be really the first time we get a chance to see him on the practice field for a full week.”

Experience is undoubtedly a concern with Johnson, while Lawson is a veteran cornerback with 54 NFL starts in 66 appearances under his belt. So, it would seem there is a very good chance the cornerback trio will be Worley and Trayvon Mullen on the outside, Lawson in the slot, and Johnson and Keisean Nixon off the bench.

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Chargers OT Trey Pipkins shows flashes in debut vs. Raiders

Chargers offensive tackle Trey Pipkins made his debut the Raiders and while he did struggle at times, he did show some flashes.

On April 26, Trey Pipkins was pulled over on a highway as he was on his way to dinner when he received the phone call of his dreams. The former Sioux Falls product was about to be drafted by the Chargers in the third-round of the 2019 NFL draft.

Many people, including Pipkins, were shocked to hear his name called that early. The small-school standout didn’t have much tape available to see what he had to offer, but Los Angeles knew exactly what they were getting when they selected him.

Though he was inexperienced against top competition, they saw potential in him. To the team, Pipkins boasted the NFL frame, traits, and movement skills that could translate into solid player at this level.

Stamped as a developmental player and one not likely to play in Year 1, Pipkins was forced into his professional regular season debut in an unexpected manner when left tackle Russell Okung went down with a groin injury against the Raiders

Like any rookie, there came growing pains in the first game played. The pass protection was the worst that it’s been this season, allowing 5 sacks and while the majority of the pressure came from right tackle Trent Scott’s side, the Raiders exploited Pipkins’ inexperience at times.

A lot of Pipkins’ woes were resulted in not being able to handle speed off the edge. From the opposite angle, you shouldn’t see his jersey number so clearly if his block is effective. He attempts to get depth, but it’s not enough and defensive end Clelin Ferrell dips and turns the corner with a full steam ahead.

But Pipkins had a handful of positive reps, as well. He was effective to help produce gaps for running back Melvin Gordon on a few occasions.

Here, Pipkins mirrors well to stay in front of his defenders, using adequate footwork and hands.

Ferrell attempts to beat him with an arm over, but Pipkins gets underneath him and blows him off the line of scrimmage.

Pipkins takes Ferrell inside and he quickly recognizes the stunt to allow quarterback Philip Rivers time to throw the touchdown pass.

Here, Pipkins stymies defensive end Maxx Crosby and the defensive tackle.

The bottomline is while Pipkins is not necessarily someone that’s ready to take full-time starting job at the moment, he has made the strides to get adapted to the NFL speed and he has gotten stronger since coming onboard.

Okung is likely to resume his starting duties against the Chiefs next Monday night and moving forward for the rest of the season, but Pipkins showed promise of a player that could be called upon if needed and one that may be a starter down the road.

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Raiders tried to claim DJ Swearinger last year, now need him to ‘put it all together’ quickly

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Safety was a bit of a question mark for the Raiders late last season. So, when Washington waived DJ Swearinger on Christmas Eve, Jon Gruden hopes his brother had sent him a Christmas gift. Jon put in a claim for the former second-round pick. But it was the Arizona Cardinals who swooped in like a game of White Elephant and claimed Swearinger instead.

Swearinger started at safety for the first four games for the Cardinals. That’s when the Cardinals thought 5th round supplemental draft pick Jalen Thompson was ready to take over, so they cut Swearinger loose.

For five weeks, Swearinger was unemployed, waiting for an NFL team in need of his services. Last Thursday, his opportunity knocked when, on the last play of the game, Karl Joseph suffered an ankle injury and was lost for the season.

The former top pick safety is the second starting safety the Raiders have lost this season after first-round rookie Johnathan Abram was lost in the opener.

Joseph had played nearly every single snap at safety and made the game-sealing play of the game the past two weeks. So, losing him is significant. After him and fellow starter Erik Harris, there’s just Curtis Riley and Dallin Leavitt, who play almost exclusively on special teams.

Swearinger has started 70 games in 90 appearances in seven NFL seasons, but he has switched teams six times in that span. There’s a reason why a safety as once highly touted as Swearinger has been unable to stick with a team for long. Some have suggested it is his character that is most concerning. The Raiders don’t have the luxury of worrying about personality issues. They need what he can bring on the field. And they need it now.

“He’s got to put it all together,” said Gruden. “That’s what he needs to do. He’s got to start that process today. We need the very best of Swearinger.”

Despite some solid stints over 31 starts in Washington, Swearinger was waived just before the season finale. In his four starts in Arizona this season, the Cardinals weren’t getting the “very best” of Swearinger, and that was ultimately why he was let go this time.

Last season, Swearinger would have been a claim for the future. Now, in the thick of the playoff chase, he will be looked to bolster their lineup for the stretch run.

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Marquel Lee returns to practice for Raiders, starting clock on return from injured reserve

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Each team is allowed to have two players placed on injured reserve during the season to return. Last week the Raiders got rookie cornerback Isaiah Johnson back on schedule. And as of Monday, it was linebacker Marquel Lee whose return clock started as well.

That clock starts a three-week window of when the team must decide either to activate him or end his season entirely.

“NFL rules don’t allow him to play until the Kansas City game, so he’ll get a chance to be on the practice field and get re-acclimated to what he needs to do to get right,” Jon Gruden said of Lee Monday.

Lee had suffered an ankle injury in week three against the Vikings. They will face the Chiefs week 14 on December 1, which means, if Lee is activated at that time, he could play the final four games as well as any playoff games, should the Raiders reach the playoffs.

With the suspension of Vontaze Burfict in week 4, the Raiders could use Lee’s services. They also recently added free-agent linebacker, Will Compton.

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Happy Veterans Day: Mark Van Eeghen is Raiders USAA Salute To Service Award nominee

Today is the day we set aside to honor those who served in our armed forces. As a veteran myself (Navy) it is not a day that passes without note. For some, the duty to honor our servicemen and women is more than a one day thing. The NFL and USAA recognize those league members who demonstrate and exemplary commitment to honoring and supporting the military community.

The award is given out annually, with each team selecting their nominee. For the Raiders, the 2019 nominee is former running back Mark Van Eeghen.

Mark’s daughter Brooke was a Major in the Air Force. During the Raiders’ trip to London, Van Eeghen, along with some current Raiders players, visited the Royal Air Force Mildenhall Base in Suffolk England to meet with and support troops stationed at the base. He toured the base’s CV22 Ospreys and C130s and met the units assigned to the planes.

Van Eeghen met with active duty Airmen and their families, passed out Raiders gear, posed for pictures, signed autographs and was presented with a commander’s coin by the base’s commanding officer.

Ahead of the international matchup between the Raiders and Bears, Van Eeghen and other NFL alumni welcomed families of fallen heroes from the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) to the team’s morning walkthrough, handed out gift bags with Raiders memorabilia and led a tour of the team’s practice facility. Mark spent time with the 45 family members in attendance and toured the group around the team’s practice facility in Watford.

Finalists for the Salute To Service award are announced in January. The recipient will be recognized at the NFL Honors awards show in Miami on Saturday, Feb. 1, the night before the Super Bowl.

Past recipients of the award include Ben Garland (2018), Andre Roberts (2017), Dan Quinn (2016), Vincent Jackson (2015), Jared Allen (2014), John Harbaugh (2013), Charles Tillman (2012), and the late Tennessee Titans owner, K.S. “Bud” Adams, a WWII veteran (2011).

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