Ballers & Busters – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Ballers for Raiders Week 6 loss vs Steelers

Those who deserve the credit for playing well and the blame for the collapse.

You will rarely see a game where a team couldn’t get out of their own way quite the way the Raiders did on Sunday against the Steelers. There were some good performances in the game, but they were overshadowed by all the mistakes. And often times those mistakes literally wiped away those plays.

As always (or usually) we hand out the credit to those who played well before we get to those who tore it all down.

Ballers

LB Divine Deablo

Divine was feeling it in his first game back off injury, making plays all over the field. It was a tackle for loss on a catch in the flat that was the key play to end the Steelers’ first drive and force them to settle for a field goal. Then in the second quarter, he blew up a trick play and Justin Fields with it for a 13-yard loss that took them out of Vegas territory and ultimately ended the drive.

It was still a 7-6 Raiders lead late in the second quarter. A turnover gave the Steelers the ball on the Vegas 30-yard-line. But two plays later, Deablo picked off a pass over the middle to get the Raiders the ball back. At least for an instant he did. A roughing the passer penalty wiped it away and the Steelers kept the ball. They would ultimately get the touchdown, but on the two-point conversion, there was Diablo to knock it down to keep the score at 12-7 at the half.

Diablo would finish with six tackles, two for a loss, a sack, a QB hit, and a pass breakup (which he wasn’t credited for because it was on a two-point conversion).

DE Maxx Crosby

Early in the second quarter, the Steelers mounted their second scoring drive. But Crosby didn’t make it easy. On the second play, Justin Fields saw Crosby screaming around the right edge off the snap and instantly tucked it and ran for 14 yards. Two plays later, Crosby drew a holding penalty which got eight of those yards back. The Steelers still managed to get a couple catches and a run to make it to the 31. Maxx stopped them there with two pressures leading to incompletions and they settled for a field goal.

The next drive, Crosby would draw another holding penalty. Two plays later he would get another pressure to force an incompletion. Three plays later they punted it away.

Early in the fourth quarter, with the score still 22-7, Crosby filled his gap, leading to a tackle for loss, and blew up another run in the backfield for a loss. They couldn’t get it back and punted. He finished with a half sack, three QB hits, and two tackles for loss and affected the game even more than the stats showed.

TE Brock Bowers

The Raiders drove for a touchdown on their opening drive and the offense went through Bowers to do it. He laid a key block on a seven-yard run. Two plays later he caught an eight-yard pass. Next play he blocked on a nine-yard run. And finally, on second and goal from the two, Bowers cleared the path for the touchdown run.

To lead out the third quarter, Bowers made ten-yard catch followed by a nice catch for 18 yards on a ball thrown behind him while he was running right to left. Unfortunately that catch was wiped away by a holding penalty on Andre James.

Even without that catch, Bowers led the team with nine catches for 71 yards.

Honorable Mention

RB Alexander Mattison — Had 19 touches (5 receptions) for 65 yards and a touchdown. And had a second touchdown called back by a very suspect illegal man down field penalty.

Continue to the Busters…

Busters for Raiders Week 6 loss vs Steelers

The poor performances that led to the Raiders collapse against the Steelers.

Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. The Raiders did it time and time again in this game. So, as you can imagine, there were a lot of Busters for this one. Let’s get to it.

Busters

HC Antonio Pierce

Just like last week in Denver, one mistake and this team lost its way and went off the rails. Everything just fell apart. And kept falling apart. One thing after another. First it was randomly giving a rookie a carry and then that rookie fumbling the ball away. That seemed to be the mistake that sent the team into their spiral.

From there it was a roughing penalty that wiped away an interception (leading to a touchdown), a holding penalty that wiped away a long completion (leading to a punt), a blocked punt (leading to a field goal), another roughing the passer penalty that kept a drive alive (leading to a touchdown).

Those mistakes put the Steelers up 22-7. The Raiders would mount a drive that looked to have ended with a touchdown. Twice. The first time, a Mattison TD catch was wiped away by a highly questionable ineligible man downfield penalty on Jackson Powers-Johnson. That sucks, sure, but on the next play Ameer Abdullah ran toward the endzone, diving for the goal line and looked like he may have scored. He was ruled down at the one, but after further review, it looked like he may have gotten in. But rather than challenge it, Pierce rushed the offense to the line for another play. Abdullah got the ball again and fumbled it away.

That was as close as the Raiders would get to making a game of it. An interception on the next possession gave the Steelers first and goal and they put the game away with over eight minutes left. What a discombobulated mess this team is right now. It started in week three and has only gotten worse since then. The blame starts with the head coach.

QB Aidan O’Connell

Everything looked great on the opening drive! But once things went off script, all that ended. Two consecutive three-and-out possessions in which he went three of five for seven yards.

O’Connell was overthrowing his receivers a lot in this game. Either too high or too long. Four of the first five drives from the end of the second quarter to fourth quarter ended with passes that were too high. The final one led to the game sealing interception.

RB Dylan Laube

His fumble started the implosion. His first career carry was a fumble. That’s gotta hurt.

DT Matthew Butler

That fumble would have been largely forgotten had Deablo’s interception stood. It didn’t because Butler was flagged for roughing the passer. It was an iffy call, but Butler made it easy when, after he landed on top of Justin Fields, he stayed in his face for a few seconds taunting him.

S Chris Smith II

It was still a one score game to begin the third quarter. Then AJ Cole’s punt was blocked. And it was Smith who missed his block that caused it. The Steelers got the ball inside the ten and added a field goal to make it an eight point game.

DE K’Lavon Chaisson

Chaisson got his first sack as a Raider. But before we could congratulate him on it, the very next play he was flagged for roughing the passer on a play the Raiders had stopped to force a punt. Instead the drive was kept alive and led to a touchdown.

LB Robert Spillane

That touchdown after the Chaisson roughing penalty came on a 36-yard run by Najee Harris who took the handoff out left and Spillane missed the tackle, allowing Harris to be gone for the score. The next Steelers touchdown after the interception came on a play action fake in which Justin Fields kept it on a naked boot. But Spillane bit hard on the play fake and Fields was already streaking for the end zone by the time he realized what was happening.

His eight tackles in this game were is fewest of the season and the first time he failed to hit double digits. That’s gotta sting against his former team.

RB Ameer Abdullah

From what could have been a touchdown to a fumble. Hero to goat. In one play. The Raiders defense held up to get the ball back. But Abdullah muffed the punt which had their drive starting at their own 13. That wasn’t his first mistake on punt return duties either. In the second quarter, he fielded a punt and ran backward, losing a yard to be stopped at the 16.

See the Ballers

Ballers for Raiders in Week 5 loss to Broncos

Detailing the standout individual performances in Raiders loss to the Broncos.

Just five weeks in to this season and it seems each gam brings less hope than the last. Even the win in Week four over the Browns didn’t do much to raise hopes. Especially considering the next day, Davante Adams requested a trade.

With that drama as its backdrop, the Raiders headed to Denver to face a Broncos team coming off two straight wins, but with issues of their own, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

The first quarter it was dominance by the Raiders. They led out with a touchdown drive, then drove for a field goal, and drove all the way to first and goal at the five, looking to go up 17-3. Then it all fell apart and imploded on them in an instant.

We’ll get to that implosion in more detail in the Busters. For now, let’s get some Ballers out the way first.

Ballers

DE Maxx Crosby

Crosby loved playing the Broncos. He showed his love in this game with two sacks, two tackles for loss, and two QB hits. His first sack came on the Broncos’ second drive, taking them out of field goal range. They would get some yards back a couple plays later, hitting on a long field goal.

With the Broncos leading 13-10 to start the third quarter, Crosby ended their first possession with a three-and-out with his second sack of the day. He would nearly get his third on the following drive, but Nix would just barely lean over the line of scrimmage to get a yard.

TE Brock Bowers

The one big play in the game for the Raiders was Bowers leaping in the air and making a play on the ball before streaking for a 57-yard touchdown. It came on the third play of the game and it was Bowers’s first career touchdown.

A couple other times in the game Bowers broke open for what could have been touchdowns, but Gardner Minshew overthrew him on those passes. Aidan O’Connell’s interception late in the game went off Bowers’s hands, but that pass had way too much on it for point blank range, he hadn’t gotten his head turned before O’Connell released it, and it was just a tough catch out in front of him. A bit less on the ball or a split second later and Bowers makes that catch.

Even with those misses, Bowers finished with a team leading 97 yards and a TD on eight catches.

Honorable Mention

DT Christian Wilkins — He was injured for much of the second half, but before he left, he was doing some work. His five tackles was third on the team and included a tackle for loss and a sack.

Continue to the Busters…

Busters for Raiders Week 5 loss to Broncos

Which Raiders players shoulder the greatest share of the blame in the loss to the Broncos

A collapse like this has many searching for answers. Hopefully the Busters list can provide some. At least in terms of how I saw it go down.

Busters

QB Gardner Minshew

As my mom used to say, “one ‘Oh, sh*t!’ can ruin a hundred ‘Attaboys’.”

Minshew started this game with a few attaboys. But none of it mattered when the ‘Oh, sh*t’ happened.

He had the Raiders offense rolling. Looking for a score on three straight drives to begin the game. A nine-yard completion to Brock Bowers and the Raiders were in first and goal at the nine-yard-line. Minshew rolled left and had Bowers wide open at the goal line. For whatever reason, he overshot him and Patrick Surtain intercepted it and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown the other way. Complete momentum stealer.

Instead of 17-3 it was tied 10-10. The Raiders offense seemed to close up shop after that. On three possessions the remainder of the second quarter, Minshew had one completion for one yard. And he even overthrew Bowers again.

The third quarter saw Minshew pinball around the pocket twice for sacks and then throw behind Tre Tucker for another interception. That was his last play of the game as he was pulled for Aidan O’Connell.

HC Antonio Pierce

Speaking of pulling Minshew… Pierce is far too reactionary. Sure, you want to protect the ball, but there just isn’t enough of a leash for Minshew to allow him to make mistakes or be aggressive. Twice in five games he’s been yanked and Pierce wouldn’t commit to him as the starter after the game.

This game was still in reach when Minshew was pulled. It was just 20-10. Minshew came back against the Ravens in Week two. Seemingly in part because Maxx Crosby came out and showed him a little faith and gave him a pep talk. Meanwhile, even when the problem has clearly been the scheme and the running attack, Pierce always seems to go back to placing the blame on not taking care of the ball.

Pierce talks about not riding the wave of emotion after games, but no one is more emotional during and after these games than him. He’s too high after wins and too low after losses, talking about ‘business decisions’ and benching players and having his star receiver requesting a trade.

As far as game management, he continues to make the wrong decisions on fourth downs. In this game, the offense ran it on third and five from the Denver 45 — which you only really do if your plan is to go for it — got three yards on it, setting up fourth and short and then oddly punted it away. That’s simply the wrong decision however you look at it. And he makes a poor fourth down decision seemingly every week.

Oh, and TWICE the Raiders defense was flagged for 12 men on the field. Just inexcusable.

LB Tommy Eichenberg

The rookie was making his first start. And it kinda looked like it. He had just one assist in the game. And should have had a lot more than that. His one assist came on an eight yard run on fourth and one. So, even that tackle wasn’t notable.

The score was still just 13-10 in the third quarter. Eichenberg gave up a 13-yard run on the second play. But thanks to a Denver holding penalty and a Crosby sack, they got out of it. They weren’t so fortunate on the next drive.

It started with Eichenberg getting blocked so hard on the punt return, he took out another coverage guy, allowing a huge return that may have been a touchdown had John Samuel Shenker not made the shoestring tackle to stop it at midfield. It didn’t end up mattering much though, because a few plays in, Eichenberg missed the tackle on a nine-yard run and later gave up the touchdown on a catch out right from four yards out.

The next touchdown drive began with Eichenberg missing another tackle in an 11-yard scramble. Later he gave up a 19-yard catch that put the Broncos in first and goal. He was flagged for holding on the Broncos’ final touchdown, which means had they not scored on the play, they would have been in first and goal at the four-yard-line anyway.

CB Jack Jones

Jones’s day got off to a good start. He made the pass breakup on third down to force a punt on the Broncos’ first drive. Not much went right for him after that.

He was flagged for illegal contact on the Broncos’ first scoring drive. On their next scoring drive, he gave up a 19-yard catch on third and seven that put them in field goal range in the final seconds. He had a missed tackle on a 27-yard catch and run on their third scoring drive And he gave up the final touchdown from nine yards out.

G Jackson Powers-Johnson

Far too often during a play, JPJ ends up flat on his face. It’s odd, really. He gets up slowly as if he was either injured on the play or is fighting through an injury. But that’s not it. I just think he gets dejected when he can’t hold his block or is tossed to the ground.

The second play of the game, he was beaten to give up a tackle for loss on a run. The second play of the next drive, he was put on his face to allow a run stuff for no gain. Then on the second play following the game-tying pick six, he gave up another run stuff at the line, helping lead to a three-and-out.

A couple possessions later, he was flagged for a false start, helping lead to another three-and-out.

Gotta figure out these NFL DT’s, young fella. And maybe, pop back up after being beaten and get back at it because, if nothing else, staying on the ground like that after the play isn’t a good look.

WR Jakobi Meyers

Nothing was working for the Raiders offense after that pick six. But Meyers might have helped spark things. Instead he had a one-yard catch, a drop on third down, and then an offensive pass interference leading to two three-and-outs.

His stats were a bit misleading considering half his catches (3) and most of his yards (43) came after the game was out of reach.

DE Tyree Wilson

Last week, Wilson got the seemingly random PFF pat on the back; apparently for having a couple QB hits, even though he didn’t really impact the game in any meaningful way. This week, despite 34 snaps — which was second only to Maxx Crosby among DE’s — he was completely invisible. His stat line consisted of one assist.

See the Ballers

Ballers for Raiders Week 4 win over Browns

Sifting out the notable performances for the Raiders in their win over the Browns.

For the third week in a row, the Raiders went against the grain and shocked the world. Week two it was an improbably win in Baltimore. Week three they were trounced by the winless Panthers. And this week, despite a slew of injuries including to their two best players, they beat the Browns.

They did so by spreading out the Browns’ defense while the Raiders defense completely shut down the Browns offense after the first quarter.

We start with those who were most responsible for that big win.

Ballers

DE Charles Snowden

A month ago, Snowden was cut. Now he’s playing hero for a Raiders team desperate to replace both of the guys they were going to count on to be their starting pass rushers. His biggest play was the last one when he chased down Deshaun Watson on fourth and three to sack him and end the game.

How he even got there is the most impressive part. Snowden came around the right side on a stunt and Watson rolled left, running all the way to the left sideline and Snowden still caught him.

That wasn’t his only big play tho. Two plays before that, he got pressure and batted down a Watson pass. In total, he tied for the team lead with three QB hits and a tackle for loss.

S Isaiah Pola-Mao

That game-ending sack never would have happened if not for Pola-Mao. He made the tackle on the previous play, stopping it short of the sticks to force fourth down. Pola-Mao also made the big play on the Browns’ previous drive, flying over from center field to knock the ball out of the hands of Jerry Jeudy on what was actually a long catch for an instant. He also made the drive stalling tackle on the Browns’ second drive to hold them to a field goal.

WR Tre Tucker

Tucker had a hand in both of the Raiders touchdowns in this game. The first touchdown drive, he made a 14-yard catch on third and seven to keep the drive alive. Then finished it off with an end around from three yards out for the touchdown.

The second touchdown, he laid the final block near the goal line, driving his man out of bounds to ensure DJ Turner could get the final few yards to get in the end zone.

DT Adam Butler

With the leadership void due to the absence of Maxx Crosby, Butler stepped up. He gave a speech to the team inspired by his military upbringing. Then brought that passion to the field. The first third down of the game, he came flying into the backfield on a pass to absolutely bury Deshaun Watson. He was flagged for a horrible roughing the passer penalty, but so what. It wasn’t roughing and the message needed sent.

The next drive ended with a field goal in part because Butler got into the backfield again to make a run stuff for a loss and they couldn’t pick it back up.

The final play of the third quarter for the Raiders’ defense was a sack. Christian Wilkins and Janarius Robinson split credit for it, but Butler was in on it as well, coming right up the gut to ensure the sack sandwich from each side.

The final two Browns’ possessions at the end of the game, Butler had three tackles and a QB hit in which he had Watson wrapped up and off the ground right as the ball was released. The next play, the game was over.

Butler finished tied for second on the team in tackles (six) along with a QB hit (two really) and a tackle for loss.

RB Alexander Mattison

The running game came to life in this game. In part because of the use of jet sweeps and reverses to spread out the defense. But the only back on this team who was consistently making good use of it was Mattison.

He had three huge runs in this game on just five carries. All three of those runs was longer than any run the Raiders had had in the three game to start this season.

The first big run went for 24 yards — double the previous longest run coming in — and it set up the Raiders game-tying field goal before the half. His second big run went for 16 yards to the 19 and the Raiders scored the touchdown around the outside on the next play. His final big run went for 18 yards late in the fourth quarter to help take time off the clock and win the field position battle.

Mattison finished with 60 yards on five carries (12 yards per carry) and Antonio Pierce has said since then that he has earned more carries as a result.

LB Robert Spillane

Once again, Spillane led the team in tackles, putting up double digits for the fourth straight game this season. The first three of those tackles came on the Browns’ opening drive and all for three yards or less.

He made two stops on each of the Browns possessions in the second quarter, including a tackle for loss and a three-and-out.

S Tre’von Moehrig

He had the Raiders only takeaway, hauling in an interception off of Amari Cooper’s chest. It set up the Raiders final touchdown drive. Also on the final Browns drive, Jerome Ford burst for a 35-yard run that might have been a touchdown if not to Moehrig making the tackle at the 16-yard-line.

DT Christian Wilkins

Wilkins tied for the team lead with three QB hits. He also shared a sack and forced a holding penalty that called back a long touchdown that would have put the Browns ahead in the fourth quarter.

Honorable Mention

WR Jakobi Meyers — led the team with 49 yards on five catches and forced a pass interference.

WR DJ Turner — scored a touchdown on a reverse from 19 yards out and would have had a long catch as well, but the pass was overthrown.

TE Brock Bowers — Had a 12-yard run and made a huge block on two defenders that sprung Turner for his 19-yard touchdown.

TE Harrison Bryant — Had several nice blocks including on the 12-yard Bowers run and a 10-yard run that put the Raiders in first and goal on their first TD drive.

P AJ Cole — Two huge punts in the fourth quarter helped to keep the Browns from scoring and hold the Raiders’ 20-16 lead.

Continue to the Busters…

Busters for Raiders Week 4 win over Browns

We know the heroes for this come-from-behind win over the Browns. But it wasn’t all good in the hood. The Browns were able to stay within striking distance for a reason.

Busters

T Kolton Miller

Myles Garrett has a way of making opponents look silly. But this isn’t about judging the quality of the opponent. And there’s no softening things because of it.

Things started to go badly for Miller on the final drive of the second quarter. The Raiders got the ball with 1:20 left to the half. A 17-yard run on first down had them thinking they might be able to get a score before heading into the locker room. But that hope ended on the next play when Miller gave up the sack. So, they opted to just head for the locker room with a 10-10 tie instead.

The Raiders got the ball first in the second half and on their first third down, Miller gave up a big hit on Gardner Minshew that would have ended the drive if not for Garrett being flagged for roughing the passer. Still not good to get your own QB blown up like that.

To begin the fourth quarter, the Raiders were clinging to a four-point lead after a fumble return for a touchdown by the Browns. They had moved to midfield on their drive when on third and two, Miller gave up another sack to end the threat.

With 4:55 left in the game, the Raiders were hoping to keep possession long enough to drain the clock out. But on the very first play, Miller was late getting to his assignment, causing a tackle for a loss of five yards. It led to a three-and-out and just over a minute and a half off the clock, giving the Browns plenty of time to drive for the winning score, which they very nearly did.

RB Zamir White

While the rest of the offense came out of their running futility funk, White did not. He had a season-high 17 carries and the result was a season worst performance, averaging just 2.8 yards per carry with the team’s only turnover on a fumble that was scooped up and returned for a touchdown.

The team turned to Alexander Mattison after White’s fumble, but when they gave him the ball again, he was promptly stopped in the backfield for a loss of five yards.

In the second half, with the Raiders needing to score and then keep the ball away from the Browns’ offense, White had six carries for a combined four yards and a fumble, giving them their only points in the second half. During that same time frame Mattison had four carries for 36 yards. A change at feature back is forthcoming.

QB Gardner Minshew

14 of 24 for 130 yards and no TD’s with two rushes for negative two yards and two sacks. Yeah, the Raiders got the win, but it wasn’t on the arm or the legs of Minshew.

The first drive was dead in the water, but might have come out of it had Minshew been able to connect with DJ Turner who had gotten behind the defense on what would have been a huge gain. Perhaps even a touchdown. But Minshew overthrew him. Turner is very fast, so that’s not easy to do. The result was the Raiders were down 10-0 before Minshew had completed a pass.

To his credit, he did complete a few passes to help the Raiders tie the game up in the second quarter. But another drive would end with a bad throw to an open receiver. This time is was underthrown into the turf and Daniel Carlson had to connect on a 52-yard field goal as a result.

The first drive of the third quarter only got into scoring range due to a roughing the passer penalty. And it ended two plays later with Minshew overthrowing Jakobi Meyers. The touchdown drive on the next possession featured one completed pass and two overthrows. The final 35 yards came on the ground.

The fourth quarter saw Minshew convert zero third downs with just one first down total through the air.

LB Luke Masterson

The only touchdown drive for the Browns was their first drive of the game. And it had Masterson mistakes all over it. First play he was out of position on a six yard run. A few plays later he would miss a tackle on a five-yard run. They had driven to the 12-yard-line and Masterson gave up a seven-yard catch. Two plays later, he gave up the first down run to put them in first and goal at the one. Two plays after that, he bit hard on the play action to allow a wide open touchdown to the tight end.

The next defensive series hadn’t even started yet and Masterson was already hurting them. He was flagged for being illegally downfield on the punt.

Late in the second quarter, the Browns were driving to try and re-take the lead. And they nearly did it thanks to Masterson giving up two catches for 36 yards.

I counted at least three missed tackles by Masterson, which means he had nearly as many missed tackles as he he solo tackles (4).

T DJ Glaze

Nothing went right on the Raiders first possession of the game. But the worst part was Glaze being flagged for holding on the second play which backed them up to their own eight yard line.

Glaze gave up a hit on Minshew in the third quarter. Then on the first play of the fourth quarter, he was beaten off the snap to get Zamir White smacked in the backfield and White fumbled it away. It was returned for a touchdown to make it a four-point game.

See the Ballers

Ballers for Raiders Week 3 loss to Panthers

Singling out the performances in Raiders Week 3 loss to Panthers

There wasn’t much to sing about if you’re the Raiders in their loss to the Panthers. The 36-22 final score didn’t tell the story at all. The real score was 33-7 which sealed it early in the fourth quarter.

A lopsided score like that suggests a complete collapse on both sides of the ball. They couldn’t run the ball, they couldn’t stop the run. They couldn’t pass the ball, they couldn’t stop the pass.

Andy Dalton was picking them apart through the air and Chuba Hubbard (who?) ran all over them on the ground. Gardner Minshew completed one deep pass and the Raiders still have the worst rushing attack in the NFL dating back like 25 years at least.

Anyway, let’s see about them Ballers, eh?

Baller

WR Tre Tucker

That one deep completion went to Tucker. He got behind the defense and made the long catch 54 yards downfield. It set up the Raiders only touchdown that actually mattered. It tied the game at 7-7 in the first quarter.

When the game essentially was over, he had three catches for 64 yards. But he didn’t just pack it in, he added four more catches to finish with 98 yards and a touchdown.

That’s it. That’s the list.

Continue to the Busters…

Busters for Raiders Week 3 loss to Panthers

Singling out the many poor performances in the Raiders Week 3 loss to Panthers

Welcome to the primary portion of the program. There was a lot more bad news in this one than good. In fact, it wasn’t all that easy to find anything good to say about this performance by the Raiders.

So, let’s not belabor the point any longer.

Busters

OC Luke Getsy

Run, run, pass. Run, run, pass. Run, run, pass. Sensing a pattern? Yeah? Well, you’re not alone. The Raiders opponents do too. Perhaps Getsy thinks it’s like a pendulum that will lull opposing defenses to sleep because that is his approach so often, it’s downright maddening.

If this were a situation where the Raiders were having some success, it would be one thing. But they’re not. For whatever reason they are not running the ball at an NFL level. And you have to wonder if it’s the scheme that’s the problem because this wasn’t the case last season. Quite the contrary actually, they were the best running team in the league the final four games of last season. Now they’re the worst.

Four times on the first three drives of this game the Raiders started a series with consecutive runs. One of those they did three straight runs. Only once did they get a first down on the ground. And it wasn’t the one where they ran it three straight times! That one they went for it on fourth down and didn’t pick it up. The defensive backfield literally stood in a line three yards off the line and all the Raiders’ receivers ran that far. Minshew threw for Brock Bowers and it was knocked down easily. Terrible play call against the defense designed to stop that very thing.

Down 21-7 going into the third quarter, and you’ll never guess what they did then. Run. Run. Pass. Punt. So, they were down 24-7 before they finally stopped doing that.

This is a replay of the first two games. They bang their heads against a wall for three quarters and then try to make a late comeback. The defense was able to keep them in it the first two weeks. That didn’t happen this time. And it should never have to happen that way.

Something needs to change right now because right now their run game is broken. Whether it’s moving away from zone blocking, leaning more on the passing game, or just mixing things up a bit more to keep the defense honest.

QB Gardner Minshew

Whatever he found in the fourth quarter in Baltimore he lost again. Too often in this game he seemed gun shy, pulling his passes back, dancing around the pocket, and bouncing off his linemen like a pinball before either getting sacked or throwing it away.

Through three quarters — remember that’s when the game ended for all intents and purposes — he had completed 10 passes for 127 yards and no touchdowns. Most of his yards came on one completion to Tre Tucker for 54 yards. That was one of just four first downs he had through the air.

WR Davante Adams

Adams wasn’t helping things much. He had two drive killing drops in the second quarter alone. The first one came on third and short to end the drive. The second one took them out of field goal range and Daniel Carlson just missed the 57-yard attempt wide left at the half.

CB Nate Hobbs, CB Jakorian Bennett, CB Jack Jones

A week ago we were celebrating their work on the outside. Not so much this week. This week Andy Dalton made burnt toast out of them all.

The first drive Hobbs gave up a 17-yard catch and the touchdown catch from six yards out.

Second drive, Bennett gave up a 24-yard catch on third-and-14, Tre’von Moehrig gave up a 35-yard catch and run, and Jones gave up the touchdown on third-and-goal from the five.

Their third touchdown drive saw Hobbs give up a catch to Diontae Johnson, then try to chase him down only to whiff on the tackle for a 35-yard play. The next play Jones gave up a 31-yard touchdown catch to Adam Thielan.

The final touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter started with Bennett giving up an 11-yard catch. Then Jones missed a tackle on a 14-yard run, Bennett missed a tackle on a five-yard run, and on third down, Bennett was flagged for pass interference in the end zone to put the Panthers in first and goal from the one. They punched it in two plays later to go up 33-7.

Jones added to his poor day when he didn’t bother to try and make the tackle on a ten-yard run that led many to accuse him of being the player Antonio Pierce was referring to when he said players were making “business decisions” in the game.

RB Zamir White

I don’t know if he’s just trying to stick with what he thinks he’s trying to do or what. But there were so many times he just seemed to run right into a tackle or right in to the back of his own lineman. One of those times was the second play for the offense when he landed on the legs of Thayer Munford, causing him to leave the game with an injury and not return.

He was having much more success late last season. Now he looks like the least effective running back on this team. He’s averaging just 3.2 yards per carry and despite his size and apparent strength, they don’t even use him at the goal line. They give it to Alexander Mattison who has two touchdowns this season as a result.

LG Cody Whitehair, C Andre James

They’re just not getting any push up the middle. They aren’t creating any running lanes. The Raiders went for it on fourth down twice in the first three quarters. The first time Whitehair was driven back into Minshew’s lap as he threw. The other time it was a QB keeper that James got no push. Both attempts failed.

DT John Jenkins

You know who was getting push? The Panthers offensive line. Often times it was Jenkins who was getting pushed around. Jenkins had one tackle in the first three quarters. It was on a six-yard first down run. He also gave up the Panthers’ final touchdown from one yard out.

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Busters for Raiders Week 2 win vs Ravens

Those whose play required heroics to overcome.

There wouldn’t have been a need for heroics had the Raiders not put themselves in a hole in this game. And it was pretty obvious at times what the problem was.

Busters

LT Kolton Miller, LG Andrus Peat, RT Thayer Munford

Let’s be clear, no one on this offensive line was good. The run game was historically bad and that falls on everyone. But these three were SO bad, they get special mention.

Last week Kolton Miller had what seemed to me to be the worst game of his career. Well, that wasn’t a fluke. He had another brutal game in this one.

Miller gave up a sack on the very first play of the game. And it was a strip sack which he luckily fell on or the Raiders would have been looking at going down a score seconds into this one.

Getting the start next to him was Andrus Peat, taking the place of Cody Whitehair. Three plays in, he was shucked out of the way to give up a run stuff for a two-yard loss. The Raiders moved backward on two of their first three plays and punted it away.

Second drive, Miller didn’t block the end to give up a free sack on third down.

The second quarter, the Raiders finally got a first down. They even drove into scoring range. But it ended with Peat missing his block to give up a tackle for loss, leading to a 53-yard field goal.

They got into scoring range again later in the second quarter. But Munford was beat around the edge and since Peat was also beaten up the middle, Minshew had nowhere to go and was sacked, leading to a 51-yard field goal.

Peat was sent back to the bench for the second and Cody Whitehair took over.

Munford had a disastrous possession in the third quarter. Starting out by blocking no one to give up a run stuff. Then two plays later losing his block to give up another run stuff for no gain, following immediately be giving up a tackle for loss. They convert on third and long and ended up turning it over on downs.

The offense may have come up late in this one, but the run game never did. And Minshew still had to overcome poor pass blocking as well. Miller gave up another sack, as did Munford.

S Tre’von Moehrig, S Marcus Epps

Weird to think all the starting cornerbacks are Ballers and both starting safeties are Busters. Not sure I’ve seen that happen before.

The biggest play of the Ravens first drive of the game was a 19-yard catch given up by Epps on third and seven. And they got on the board with a field goal.

The next Ravens scoring drive started with Moehrig giving up a 17-yard catch. And the final scoring drive of the first half saw Moehrig give up an eight-yard catch that put them in scoring range at the 34.

They would go for a touchdown to open the third quarter and the big play was a 30-yard run by Derrick Henry on which Epps missed the tackle near the line. Two plays later, Moehrig gave up the touchdown catch from eight yards out.

To begin the fourth quarter, the Ravens would drive for another TD. They would drive into Vegas territory at the 48 and Epps would miss a tackle to give up a 15-yard run. Two plays later came the biggest play of the drive with Epps getting blocked to give up a 17-yard run and Moehrig tacking on a few more with a late hit out of bounds call. This put the Ravens in first and goal at the six-yard-line. They scored two plays later.

DE Charles Snowden

That first touchdown drive to start the third quarter saw Derrick Henry break off a 30-yard run. He got the edge to begin with because Snowden was blocked. Then Snowden tried to recover and chase Henry down only to embarrassed by a wicked stiff arm.

Their second touchdown drive, that 17-yard run mentioned a couple paragraphs back began with Snowden missing a tackle. He showed some pass rushing prowess in the preseason, but his tackling leaves much to be desired.

Also see the Ballers

Ballers for Raiders Week 2 win vs Ravens

What a game. Through much of this game it was looking like a replay of the season opener against the Chargers. Where the Raiders defense keeps it close while the offense flails and ultimately sees the opposing team put things together late to win it.

Even early into the fourth quarter, it still had that feel. The Ravens drove for a field goal to end the first half and a touchdown to begin the third quarter to make it a ten-point game. Meanwhile it was most of the way through the third quarter and the Raiders still hadn’t gotten in the end zone and were down by ten.

Then suddenly they turned it on and scored three straight times while the defense allowed one score and they pulled off the upset.

There were so many heroes, it was hard to pick a Top Baller this week. But I managed.

Ballers

LB Robert Spillane

To be the biggest playmaker in a game full of playmakers is quite an accomplishment.

He led the team with ten combined tackles (eight solo) and nearly all of them were huge plays. The first Ravens drive featured two Spillane run stuffs for a net two yards and the third down tackle on a catch short of the sticks.

Spillane stalled another drive in the second quarter by tracking Lamar Jackson on a rollout to the right sideline to keep containment and force him to make a bad pass incomplete.

The Ravens got in the endzone on their first drive of the third quarter. But Spillane did his part to try and keep that from happening when he stuffed a run at the line on first and goal. The next drive, he intercepted a Lamar Jackson pass off a deflection to give the Raiders another shot with great field position. They took advantage of it to drive for their first touchdown, making that turnover crucial to the outcome.

The Raiders would pull within seven points midway through the fourth quarter, putting it in the hands of the defense to give them a shot to tie it up. They did the job too, with Spillane batted down Jackson’s pass on third down to send the Ravens offense away with a three-and-out.

After the offense drove for a game-tying touchdown, the defense came out to try and keep the Ravens from driving for the game winner. Spillane followed up a big sack by Maxx Crosby with a run stuff for no gain. The Ravens couldn’t make up the third and long, giving the Raiders a chance to win it in regulation. And they did just that.

DE Maxx Crosby

He was his usual holy terror self, which is not always the easiest thing to do against a multifaceted quarterback like Lamar Jackson.

Crsoby had a run stuff on the Ravens’ first play from scrimmage and a sack on the fourth play. Then he had a run tackle for loss on the second possession, leading to a three-and-out. So, yeah, it was shaping up to be a long day keeping the Condor contained.

First play of the second quarter was another Crosby run stuff for a loss, leading to another three-and-out. He added a batted pass on the next drive.

After the Raiders tied it up at 23-23 midway through the fourth, Crosby came flying up the gut right into to Jackson’s face for a nine-yard sack. That sealed the Ravens’ fate.

QB Gardner Minshew, WR Davante Adams, TE Brock Bowers

We pick up the action in the third quarter. That’s when the Raiders offense started to get things rolling. The first big completion went for 25 yards to Brock Bowers to put them in scoring range. But ultimately the Raiders could go for it on the 4th and short and fail, with Minshew’s pass for Davante a bit short and Adams unable to make the catch around a defender. But it was a sign of things to come.

The Raiders defense would take the ball back and the offense returned to mount another drive. The big play saw Minshew stand tall in the pocket as he waited for something to open up and then Bowers came back to his QB to make the catch inside the five and put the Raiders in first and goal at the one. They punched it in on the next play.

Next possession they were on the move again. It featured consecutive connections with Adams for 26 yards and 30 yards. The 26-yarder came on a perfect pass from Minshew, throwing it before Adams had even made his break, so he turned the find the ball right there. The 30-yard catch was especially impressive, with Adams leaning out of bounds, dragging his toes.

That drive ended in a field goal, which meant a touchdown was needed to tie it up. First play of the Raiders next drive, had well placed ball from Minshew with Davante’s notorious late hands ensuring the defender had no shot at it up the left sideline for 29 yards. Bowers got hte next first own on a 15-yard grab. Then Bowers would convert on third down with an 11-yard catch to put the Raiders in first and goal at the nine. Adams was interfered with to put it at the one. Where Minshew had a masterful read option where he pulled it back and threw it over the defense to Adams for the game-tying touchdown.

CB Nate Hobbs, CB Jack Jones, CB Jakorian Bennett

Just like the above trio, I just couldn’t separate these guys. Bennett showed up first with a huge pass breakup on a deep ball attempt up the left sideline in the second quarter. This forced a 56-yard field goal attempt which Justin Tucker missed wide.

The next drive began with a coverage incompletion by Jones. Bennett would also force an incompletion on the drive with tight coverage. And finally, Jones made the tackle short of the first down to force the Ravens to settled for a field goal.

The third quarter saw Bennett break up another pass. This time Spillane was there to intercept it off the deflection. The takeaway led to the Raiders getting their first touchdown of the day.

With the Raiders making a push, and within a score, Jones helped that effort by stopping Lamar Jackson for a loss on a scramble. Jones would then effectively end the game with a pass breakup on a deep attempt up the right sideline that looked for a moment to be a catch that would have been enough for the Ravens to tie it up. Clutch.

Nate Hobbs just simply locked it up on the day, giving up just one catch for 13 yards.

K Daniel Carlson

He was 4-for-4 on the day with field goals from 53 and 51 yards. That’s doing his job.