Raiders keep their season alive with a 27-20 victory over the Chargers and get a crucial divisional and season saving win. Another slow start, but Josh Jacobs and Davante Adams are just those guys. Another Great Josh Jacobs stat, leads the league in rushing through 13 weeks, Raiders O Line ranks 25th in run blocking. Derek Carr, even though starting the game with a pick 6, has shown some real resolve and focus the last couple weeks, as well as some nice touch throws and real dimes the last couple weeks. The offense is starting to look more comfortable and the offensive unit had zero penalties this past Sunday. Defensively we saw another week of players stepping up, this time with Chandler Jones and Jerry Tillerey creating some considerable pressure on Herbert this game. With the Rams injuries effecting the left side of their O line, as well as no Stafford or Kupp, Raiders have a real possibility to impose their will on defense. Rams ranks 26th Overall for offense, while being 30th in passing and 31st in rushing. Combine this with no Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey allowing a 126.1 QBR on the year, the Raiders have an excellent opportunity to establish a convincing victory on Thursday night in LA.  

Raiders win 40 - 34 and continue to build on the growth from the last couple weeks. Josh Jacobs goes off for 229 yards rushing, 74 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns in this crucial Raiders victory in Seattle. With Jacobs continued success and in a career year we look briefly at his contract options and potential for the team, and try to settle temperaments over the urgency of the situation. With Jacobs' setting franchise records, we look at a couple of other franchise records that can be in the grasp of a couple players this year. 

Raiders look to carry over their momentum from Sunday's win in Denver to Seattle. Seattle's defense seems to have playmakers on a couple of different levels, and may be an issue for the Raiders offense in this game. Defensively, Nate Hobbs does have a chance to play in this game, and could be a key piece in slowing down Seattle's offense. In addition to Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf, rookie Kenneth Walker III could pose a key threat to a struggling Raider LB core. Raiders are going to be consistent on both sides of the ball for an entire game if they look to win this game. Defense being able to generate pressure and force Geno Smith into making mistakes, along with a solid offensive performance are critical for victory for the Raiders.

The Raiders beat Denver on a walk off touchdown in Overtime to complete the divisional sweep of the Broncos and improve to 3-7. One of the biggest takeaways from this game was the player resolve and sense of urgency shown by the team. Adams, Carr, and McDaniels all spoke to how the sense of urgency carried over from the week's practice, and like I was thinking, Derek Carr's emotional break has provided the groundwork for a new headspace and opportunity for growth. Maxx Crosby had 2 sacks and a blocked FG, and The Raiders defense showed some significant grit and resolve down the stretch. Newcomer Jerry Tillery may prove to be a significant piece on the interior D line and add the pressure necessary to give Crosby and Chandler Jones some more opportunity on the edges going forward. Shout out to Jermaine Eluemunor on having to jump to LT and on playing well with no penalties. Overall great win for the Raiders with the post game giving us a look at a locker room that is starting to find an identity and rally around McDaniels and Zeigler.   

With the Las Vegas Review Journal article earlier this week reiterating Mark Davis' commitment to Josh McDaniels and Dave Zeigler, it appears that McDaniels and Zeigler are part of the near future and will get a real shot to establish their vision for the success for the Raiders. Hearing Davante Adams and Derek Carr speak today was a total vibe that, for whatever reason, gave a little bit of hope that they may turn the corner on this thing. No one is talking about playoffs (pro football focus gives Vegas a 1% chance) but all I'm saying is we may see this thing start to really come together. For as critical as I have been of Carr and his struggles, what I heard from him today gave me some hope that this guy might really take this to the next level. Regardless, we can all take a moment to just consider that Carr will forever be tied to the Raiders, and even after his career will be holding many franchise records and will be an integral veteran of this team.  One thing we do know is that McDaniels and Carr will be here for the rest of the season, and I personally feel that after Sunday's post game pressers, this team had an emotional break that could potentially be the catalyst for that culture change we keep hearing about.

Raiders lose another 1 score game and fall to 2-7 on the year.  For all of the things we could talk about, another post game of McDaniels, Carr, and Davante Adams is the real story with the team. Chemistry and execution proved to be the reason this team was unable to come away with a win on Sunday despite lacking considerable depth on the defensive side of the ball. Raiders showed flashes and had the opportunity to win, but ultimately fall short. McDaniels and Davante Adams both assert that offensive penalties and execution are keys issues, while Derek Carr continues his descent into an existential crisis. Mark Davis was said to head into the locker room post game, and ultimately will have to decide what the path of success looks like going forward.   

With Monday's firing of Frank Reich and the naming of ESPN's Jeff Saturday as Interim Head Coach, the Raiders have been thrown into a bit of a media frenzy with this matchup. If that wasn't enough the Raiders saw some significant roster updates with Divine Diablo being placed on IR, Jonathon Abram being released, and Blake Martinez retiring all within a couple of days of each other. Jayon Brown and Luke Masterson are assumed to get more playing time in this game, with newcomer Sidney Jones added to the roster as well as Isiah Palo- Mao from the practice squad. On the other side of the ball, Former Raiders DC Gus Bradley and his defense as been one of the few successes of this Colts team so far this season, and Derek Carr is going to have to get the ball out quickly and early to overcome Indy's defensive front. Kelan Cole, and Dj Turner may see some more playing time, but the Raiders will need to really play consistently on offense in order to win this game.  

After squandering another 17 point lead and falling to 2-6, the Raiders are essentially out of the playoff picture and beginning to show some significant issues with consistency and overall team unity. Post game pressers offer some insight into the issues on offense, with McDaniels' echoing the fact that the Raiders had ample opportunity to win the game in the second half. In Carr's response he mentioned having to adjust to changeover in coaching in his career (?), and having some things that he would like to say but can't. Given this, it's not too far removed to infer that Carr and McDaniels are not the duo we had hoped for, and McDaniels' feels he needs someone else in at QB. Davante Adams spoke to poor execution in the second half, and from what I heard is more a criticism of Carr than McDaniels. Carr still lacks the ability to take responsibility for offensive struggles and this alone can prove to be a deciding factor in the future of the his position with the team. For context, compare what Derek Carr and Josh Allen said after Sunday's games in regards to what happened in their respective losses.

Raiders spent the week in Sarasota and from all external sources seemed to have had a great opportunity to come together as a unit, and find some sort of rallying point as a team after this season's rocky start. Jacksonville has some playmakers on a couple levels on defense and the Raiders will need to adjust to create a real passing game this week. Even with the success of Josh Jacobs, if nothing else we have effectively amplified the deficiencies on offense and given opposing teams a blueprint to shut down the offense. Defensively, Trevor Lawrence has a significant drop in passer rating when under pressure, and the Raiders will need to put pressure on early and shut down Etienne. We also take a minute to give further perspective into the organization's long term plans this year and going into next year, as well as some context in regards to the league and what this off season may look like with recent Dan Snyder news. 

Little bit of a fiery episode today. Has a bit of the 'I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed' vibe to it, but overall I think you're right there with me. Derek Carr is as exciting as a dry bologna sandwich at this point and has no ability to lead and inspire this team. Josh McDaniels isn't known as being that figurehead for a team to rally around, so if your Head Coach and Starting QB can't inspire your team, then who else is going to do it?