Instant post-game reaction via RaiderRamble.com as the Oakland Raiders hosted the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5.
Unfortunately, it seems not even being back in the friendly confines of Oakland Coliseum could help the Oakland Raiders in Week 5 against the Baltimore Ravens. A few bright spots but in the end, the losing continues for the Silver and Black.
The ominous signs of recent struggles were evident as early on Mike Wallace burned Sean Smith for a 52-yard pass completion, a familiar sight as Raider Nation can attest to this season. To be fair, however, defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. is doing this in the midst of several key injuries to his defensive backfield. Missing the likes of David Amerson, Gareon Conley, and rookie Obi Melifonwu is crippling this thin defense.
EJ Manuel, in spite of the defensive struggles, shined in moments of brilliance. These moments were mostly in times when Manuel had to scramble and make something happen with his legs; a clear sign Todd Downing was simply too predictable. The question on many minds right now is the same as last week: why isn’t Jamize Olawale being utilized more?
The better question than Olawale is where has Amari Cooper gone? One thing’s for sure in all this and that’s the fact that Michael Crabtree truly is the number one receiver. Another receiver that didn’t fare well in this contest was Jared Cook, who now in back to back weeks has dropped balls that had game-deciding impacts.
Back to the defense, there were zero sacks by Raiders defenders in this contest. Didn’t mean to rub more salt on the wound there but that’s simply atrocious. In fact, Joe Flacco looked his seasons’ best with 222 passing yards coming on 19 out of 22 completions. The lust and magical expectations have now disappeared for the Raiders, but not all is lost just yet. We’ll have to wait and see what adjustments the coaching staff will make, in particular, Downing and obviously, we’ll keep an eye on the Derek Carr injury situation.