Final Oakland Raider Grades @ Denver Broncos; Week 17:
Denver Broncos 24 (9-7)
Oakland Raiders 6 (12-4)
In a game where the Raiders needed to show heart, grit and determination, they instead were lifeless and seemed happy just to be in the playoffs.
Quarterback:
This is the first time I’ve ever seen Matt McGloin overwhelmed. He’s always had heart but he didn’t Sunday. His accuracy was terrible and he looked like he wanted to be somewhere else. Connor Cook played fairly well considering the situation. He missed badly on two throws; one which was picked off; and his fumble was due to him not securing the ball. In the one scoring drive he had 3 nice throws.
GRADE: D+
McGloin isn’t a rookie and has started before so they should have opened it up more. To all of the fans that wrote me over the years telling me how good Matt McGloin is, please stop; enough. I don’t want to be mean but you, Jed York, and Trent Baalke have the same ability in judging talent. Come on. The hate mail needs to stop.
Running Backs:
Denver stopped the run and the Raiders had no imagination on offense and were very predictable when McGloin was in. DeAndre Washington looked good again though with 7 carries for 43 yards.
Grade D
As the announcers said several times; the Broncos were daring the Raiders to throw the ball. They stopped the run and the Raiders had no answers.
Offensive Line:
Denver put 8-9 in the box and if the Raiders weren’t doing a running play, they were now rushing 5-6 players to get to the QB. Not their best game but they are getting more blame than they deserved. They normalized things in the second half but the Raiders offense was fighting an up hill battle all the way.
Grade C
Just bad vibes in this game and the OL was a part of those vibes. Look for a bounce back game next week.
Wide Receivers:
Walford dropped a key pass and other than a great catch and run by Amari Cooper, it was a quiet day for this group. Obviously the issues at QB were a problem.
GRADE: C-
A forgettable game
Defensive Line:
The Raiders ended the NFL season last in sacks. The DL; like the rest of the defense; took the first half off. Denver seemed to do what they wanted and it was hard to watch an offense that struggled for a month, dominating them.
Grade: D
They played better in the 2nd half with some tackles for loss but the Broncos were just running out the clock for the most part. Denver had 143 yards on the ground. A forgettable performance.
Linebackers:
Another rough game. In several big plays, they looked lost. They struggled against the play action pass and their tackling was really awful at times.
Grade D
Ugly day. They improved in the second half but the damage was done.
Defensive Backs:
The soul patrol this isn’t. Wow what a bad performance. This is not counting the 3 times WR were open deep with Siemian missing them by a mile. I still don’t get what Nate Allen and Reggie Nelson are seeing. Their angles are so off that it’s not funny. Keith McGill was so bad the Raiders used 3rd stringer Bryndon Trawick who ended up having 10 tackles, an interception and a pass deflection. ESPN didn’t even know who he was and didn’t have him on their end of game tackle list. The NFL was abuzz when the Raiders signed Chiefs CB Sean Smith. Now they need to be buzzed to watch him play; another rough performance and his tackling was hard to watch.
Grade D-
If Siemian had a better night this would have really been ugly. The Raiders struggle against the deep ball, and if the pass rush isn’t there, they are sitting ducks.
Coaching:
Lifeless. The Raiders played like a team that was happy to be in the playoffs and had given up on the season because their starting QB was hurt. Unacceptable. Some fans may have blown off the season but the coaches and players do not have that luxury. It’s about heart and being professionals who make a lot of money. Fail.
The Broncos were determined to stop the run and the Raiders offensive game plan helped them do that. They played so conservative, twice running on 3rd down and 4. They were predictable and had way too many third and longs. The coaching staff obviously felt they could run on Denver like in the first game, but Denver made great adjustments.
The local media has said at times the Raiders read their own press clippings a little too much and I think they arrogantly thought they could run all over Denver. Del Rio even said in a local media interview he was shocked they couldn’t run more.
On defense there was no heart in the first half. Denver steam rolled them and did what they wanted. In a game where the defense could have made a statement, they instead reminded people they have significant holes.
Grade F
The coaches were like the players; lifeless. Players play but this was a game where the Raiders could have made a huge statement to the league and their fans saying they haven’t given up. They did the opposite. Players and coaches need to step up next week.
Special Teams:
Janikowski wasn’t a factor and Marquette King had a ball punting in the high elevation of Mile High. He was upset though on his punting inside the 20’s.
Grade B
King was good and the other parts of special teams were no factor.
How To Rebound Against Houston:
On Offense:
Raiders Offense: #13 passing: #6 rushing; #7 scoring
Houston Defense: #12 v.s. run; #2 v.s. pass; 24th in sacks
The Raiders coaching staff and players need to be embarrassed with that performance, and I think they will be. I see them playing their hearts out against the Texans.
If I’m running the Raiders, Matt McGloin lost his job. I don’t play him even if he is healthy; I go with Cook.
I also script some plays like the Bill Walsh 49ers used to. What a surprise to script 5-6 quick passing plays going no huddle. The Raiders will have to open up their offense a little because Houston is going to do what Denver did; put 8 or 9 in the box to stop the run and make them throw. Oakland has nothing to lose.
JJ Watt is out for the season but they are getting healthier in Texas. Cornerbacks A.J. Bouye and Johnathan Joseph are nursing injuries but both have said they are ready to go for the playoffs.
Houston’s way of winning is old school; play good defense and run the ball and control the time of possession. The Texans tend to get pressure on the QB but they don’t get a lot of sacks.
A couple of quick and easy passes to start the game would be a good idea. The Raiders are going to have to use a balanced attack and not be afraid to air the ball out. A long pass to Amari Cooper on the first play isn’t the worst idea in the world either. They have to stretch the field and not be so conservative as to allow the safeties not to respect their passing game. You can’t run if the safeties don’t respect your passing game.
Raiders On Defense:
Houston offense: #29 passing; #8 rushing, #28 scoring
Raiders defense: #23 vs run; #24 vs pass; Last in the NFL in sacks.
This might be the worst season in regards to quality of play in the NFL in the modern era. Houston won their division and were outscored this season by 49 points and the quality of QB’s in the playoffs is brutal. Some are saying the Raiders/Texans game is the worst QB match-up in playoff history. At 9-7, Houston was 4-6 outside their conference and 2-6 on the road.
The Raiders need to go all out. Houston’s Tom Savage and Brock Osweiler are as bad a tandem at QB as there is in the NFL. I blitz both often. The Raiders need turnovers to take pressure off the offense.
The Raiders need to do what teams are going to do to them. Load up the box and force Houston to pass the ball. RB Lamar Miller will be back and stopping him is a must. If the Texans can run, this sets up the play action pass and takes the pressure off of their QB’s.
Osweiler isn’t an accurate QB but he can hit an occasional long ball. The key to everything though is stopping their run game.
They do have weapons. Deandre Hopkins is a stud at WR and Will Fuller has had some nice moments as well. Big tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz has had a good year.
Jims Jamz:
This is going to be an old school ugly football game. Both teams are going to struggle scoring and each team will concentrate on stopping the run. Special teams may rule this game so Marquette King will be a big factor.
This game may come down to field goals with Janikowski (#12 in FG’s) and Nick Novak (#2 in FG’s). Novak has fought off injuries this year and he’s had great success. He has made 16 in a row and seems to be mostly recovered from a back injury.
I think the Raiders are going to come out with a lot of energy to erase the nightmare in Denver, and Houston will be excited with their crowd roaring it’s approval. To me this is a sloppy joe game. It’s going to be ugly and messy, but in the end it will be exciting but nerve racking for the loser, and a great taste for the winner. This one should go down to the wire.
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