Fear. Straight up fear.
That appears to be the reason behind the Oakland Raiders reverting back to the dink-and-dunk offense that drove fans and football pundits mad and kept the scoreboard dim. And look at the cost. A 34-14 shellacking in Orchard Park, NY at the hands of the Buffalo Bills.
Why fear?
When asked why the Raiders veered away from the deep passes — throws that were present in the early going — head coach Jack Del Rio had a particular answer …
Coach Del Rio after Huge Raiders Loss to Buffalo https://t.co/YdwPhNNXe2
— RaiderRamble.comâ„¢ (@TheRaiderRamble) October 29, 2017
“I can’t answer that,” he said. “Nobody was saying, ‘Don’t take the shot.’ Can’t answer that.”
Well, let’s go to the man charged with pulling the trigger.
“You have to throw underneath or you’re throwing into double coverage,” quarterback Derek Carr said.
There’s asinine moment No. 1, folks. In a game where the Raiders were gun shy, they lost. And sure, double coverage isn’t the best scenario, but the Bills’ secondary was as decimated and decorated as the Raiders’ bare-bone and bone-headed bunch. Instead, we saw an offense back in a turtle shell. That fantastic and season-saving effort against the Kansas City Chiefs was all for naught. Pissed down the drain.
- Matt Milano’s too-easy fumble recovery and 40-yard jog for the score. Carr’s Captain Checkdown toss to running back DeAndre Washington on 1st-and-10 with 32 seconds left began well enough, but the Bills defense, which was in eager read-react mode, smashed the ball free and Milano was in perfect position.
- Jalen Richard’s slip and fumble on a third-quarter punt return. Rocket hit the slick turf and got up only to get the ball ripped from his hand’s by a slew of Buffalo gunners. Oakland’s defense held firm to allow only a field goal. But it sure felt the 17-7 lead was insurmountable at the time.
- Carr’s underthrown pass and interception in the following series. Yes, the ball was tipped by the Bills’ Preston Brown, but it was underthrown and the ricochet landed in the eager hands of Buffalo safety Micah Hyde. It was the ultimate “That’s how it’s done” from Buffalo to Oakland.
- LeSean McCoy’s 48-yard touchdown burst in the fourth quarter. The Raiders defense, gassed from being on the field way too long, was torched by a Shady gallop. McCoy was shown dancing on the sideline after. Double burn.
- Carr’s second interception of the game late in the fourth quarter. This one was an overthrow to Amari Cooper.