The Oakland Raiders continued to get break after break from the “Football Gods” heading into Sunday afternoon’s Mexico meeting with the New England Patriots.
The Kansas City Chiefs were stunned by the hapless New York Giants just a few minutes before, opening the door even more for the Raiders to make the playoffs.
Then Jack Del Rio’s squad slammed the door shut — emphatically. The only thing Oakland manages to do routinely well is break the hearts of its rabid fan base. The 33-8 dismantling at the hands of the Patriots was a mesmerizing display of the inept. Brady’s Bunch was masterful in its demolition of the Raiders who sit at 4-6 overall.
That’s a good Raider football team that we saw. Really appreciate everything they did,” said New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick.
I didn’t know Belichick was as masterful as a troll as he is a head football coach.
How things could have been different with a win: 5-5 with the Chiefs 6-4. Instead, the only playoff the Raiders are participating in is of the Top 10 pick variety in the draft; Top 5 even.
Yeah. They do a great job of — they don’t do anything special, they just do everything right,” Raiders quarterback Derek Carr said of the Patriots. You sit there and in the first half they don’t have any turnovers, they don’t — I don’t think they had a penalty. And they do the little things right and it starts in the off-season. It starts how their culture in their building and all those kind of things. It’s something that we’re building, it’s something that we’re striving for, that efficiency and those kind of things. But, obviously, we have a long way to go.
It’s not a long wait to hit the Quick Slants:
Seth, Seth, Seth. It was inexcusable the cavalier way Seth Roberts held out the ball one-handed after the catch. It was waiting to be stripped and, lo and behold, it was. That play serves as a proper microcosm of the Raiders disappointing season.
Where was Beast? So, you have 4th-and-1 and are in dire need of a first down. And you give the ball to … Jamize Olawale!? Lynch on the sideline on that play was just as reprehensible as Roberts’ gaffe.
This was an all-around cluster-you-know-what. Coaches, players and management deserve equal blame in the latest dubious debacle. The coaches instill ideals and values but it’s up to the players to execute on the field. And it’s up to management to provide quality players for coaches to teach. There’s a big disconnect in that process.
About that weak defense … Giving up 33 is one thing, but Oakland only putting up 8 against a defense categorized as bad as its own leaves many flummoxed. What was considered to be potentially a shootout wasn’t.
Pep in his step. Lynch looked mighty spry in Mexico. The punishing tailback churned out 67 yards on 11 carries and certainly had more in him. But the Raiders inability to consistently possess the ball helped create the deficit, thus negating the run game.
Seven snaps. That’s all rookie Obi Melifonwu could handle at left cornerback during the Patriots’ first drive. He was sucking wind gravely as New England smartly went to a no-huddle and had to come out.
Tom was Terrific. As expected, Tom Brady surgically dismantled the Raiders secondary with precise throws all over the yard. Perhaps Melifonwu was mesmerized by Brady when Brandin Cooks ran past the rookie for a 64-yard touchdown bomb on New England’s opening second-half drive.
JDR spat venom at the post-game presser. Jack Del Rio was none too pleased about playing a ‘home’ game in Mexico. His disdain was clear. If only that same type of vigor was directed at his own shortcomings as head honcho.
Carr takes blame at same presser. When the topic of dropped passes came up, Carr said blame him. Yeah. I got to throw the ball better, the drops — it’s got to be something to do with me, I got to throw it better, I got to put it on them, better timing, it’s on me. It’s on me to get that fixed and I’m going to work to do that. Wow. The franchise QB has more accountability than the head coach.
Limping a bit. Anyone else notice Carr with a noticeable limp after getting sacked? He was walking quite gingerly and tilted to one side. And near the end, the incomplete pass to Roberts, he was huffing and puffing as he walked before lightly jogging back to sideline.