Another NFL team just took this ignominious title from the Saints

Silver linings are hard to come by a losing stretch. The Lions scored 52 points in Week 8, so the Saints have no longer allowed the most points in a game this season:

There was one good thing that came out of Week 8 for the New Orleans Saints, and it happened far away from Los Angeles. The Saints no longer hold the honor of allowing the most points in a single game this year.

New Orleans allowed 51 points to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was an ugly game that feels like the kick-starter for the current temperament in town, despite not being the beginning of the losing streak.

Dennis Allen and Mickey Loomis can send a thank-you card to Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions. Detroit absolutely demolished the Tennessee Titans and hung 52 points on the board. It’s just a one-point difference, but the Saints are off the hook, at least in this stat. They won’t be remembered for allowing the most points in a single game this year.

There are still 10 weeks left in the season, and someone could go higher than 53. Two teams scored 60 or more points last year, but the most important thing is that someone has surpassed 51.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

5 Reasons for Optimism for Raiders Week 7 vs Rams

It may seem like every team the Raiders face is in better shape than them. But that isn’t always the case. In fact, the Raiders actually have a better record than their next opponent. The Raiders are at 2-4 on the season, while the Rams are 1-4. So, …

It may seem like every team the Raiders face is in better shape than them. But that isn’t always the case. In fact, the Raiders actually have a better record than their next opponent. The Raiders are at 2-4 on the season, while the Rams are 1-4. So, while there are certainly causes for concern, you probably don’t have to look too far to find some reasons for optimism. Here’s a few.

Each week since Crosby missed his first career game, he has looked better and better. Last week in the loss to the Steelers, he was racking up the pressures and only Justin Fields’s supreme athleticism and quick decisions kept him from getting blown up by Crosby. Matt Stafford is not nearly that fleet of foot and is more likely to stay in the pocket than Fields was, opening up the possibility of Crosby getting home a few times.

These days the closest the Raiders have to a number one receiver would appear to be Bowers. He had nine catches last week and leads the team in targets (46), receptions (37) and yards (384). He leads the league in receiving among tight ends, and has him on pace to surpass 1000 yards on the season. Not to mention when he gets the ball his hands, he is among the league leaders in yards after catch. The Raiders will continue to feed him so long as defenses fail to stop it.

Currently the Raiders have the second worst rushing offense in the league. But this week they will go against the very worst run defense, so maybe they can get something going? The Raiders had the worst rush offense while Zamir W/hite was the feature back, so his potential return doesn’t necessarily mean a whole lot. But it can only help to have one more healthy back in the stable along with Alexander Mattison whose four combined touchdowns leads the team.

Looking at the kind of points the Rams have given up had me doing a double take. They have given up at least 24 points in all five games this season. Even the win. And they gave up 41 points to the Rams. The Raiders, on the other hand, have only scored more than 24 points once this season (26). So, maybe the Rams defense is bad enough that the Raiders offense can actually put some points on the board.

SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Raiders’ home away from home. In fact, when they play the Chargers in LA, they get their best crowd of the season. Rams fans represent better than the Chargers, but even still, LA is Raiders country. And for that reason, the crowd is expected to be about 60-40 in favor of the Raiders. Which is about what you get at Allegiant on a good day. That should help the Raiders feel more welcome as well as keep down the noise when they’re on offense.