The Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs meet in a Week 15 matchup featuring two teams that are very similar, with one exception. Dennis Allen’s Raiders are simply playing out the string for a second consecutive year, while the Chiefs are hoping to clinch a playoff berth.
Both teams have gotten sporadic performances out of their respective offenses, although Kansas City running back Jamaal Charles is far better than anything Oakland can counter with. He can also stay on the field, something the Raiders’ Darren McFadden has been unable to do.
Until recently, the two teams also relied heavily on their defenses.
The ...
The strength of the Oakland Raiders early in the season was the defense’s ability to get to the quarterback. Now it’s become an acute weakness and is a prime factor in why coach Dennis Allen’s team has lost three straight to fall out of playoff contention.
Oakland’s defense has given up an average of 381 yards of offense in each of the past four games, during which time the Raiders have gone 1-3. During that stretch, defensive coordinator Jason Tarver’s unit has produced only seven sacks and put very little pressure at all on opposing quarterbacks.
The drop-off has been across the ...
Reggie McKenzie has had to make do with very few resources during his first two years as the Oakland Raiders general manager. As a result, it’s been somewhat difficult to evaluate his performance. He’s had some success in free agency, but not much yet with the draft.
Heading into the offseason, the Raiders will once again have several holes to fill and it will be up to McKenzie to make the right call. The only difference from 2011 and 2012 is that McKenzie’s job might very well be on the line this time around.
Even with an estimated $50 million worth of ...
Although the Oakland Raiders still have three games remaining in the 2013 season, the Raider Nation is likely already looking ahead to what should be the most eventful offseason for their team in quite some time.
This is a team that on the surface looks to be a number of years from contention, but if the right moves can be made, it could happen much faster than many think.
The front office will have a number of ways in which to do so, possessing both a full slate of draft selections and what should be more salary-cap space than any other team ...
Despite losing to the New York Jets by a score of 37-27 on Sunday, Oakland Raiders quarterback Matt McGloin has seemingly done enough to maintain his starting role for the foreseeable future.
According to Scott Bair of CSNCalifornia.com, McGloin will continue to start for the remainder of the season unless something unforeseen happens:
McGloin has certainly surpassed expectations after joining the Raiders as an undrafted free agent from Penn State. He started the season third on the depth chart and now finds himself cemented as the starter for the Raiders' remaining three games.
When looking over the production this season between McGloin and ...
He didn't win for the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, losing 37-27 to the New York Jets. However, Matt McGloin has shown some signs that maybe, just maybe, he's actually the right guy in Oakland.
Even though he was somehow relieved in the first quarter for Terrelle Pryor, McGloin finished the day completing 18-of-31 passes for 245 yards with a pair of touchdowns and one interception. He also ran for 20 yards on two carries, the longest being a 20-yard scamper up the middle of the field, making a few Jets' defenders miss, one of them being safety Ed Reed.
But despite the ...
Only a month ago, the Oakland Raiders were positioned to make a run at the postseason. Following their third straight loss and fifth in six games, however, coach Dennis Allen’s team won’t even be able to finish with a winning record.
The breakdowns in Oakland’s Week 14 loss to the New York Jets came in all three phases, and not even a few solid individual performances were enough to prevent the team's 13th consecutive loss in the Eastern time zone.
At 4-9, the Raiders are guaranteed an 11th consecutive season without a winning record, and the slide isn’t over yet.
Here’s a look at the Raiders’ ...
Using both Matt McGloin and Terrelle Pryor at quarterback might have been part of the Oakland Raiders game plan going in, but it was also indicative of the situation the franchise is in at the most important position on the team.
Coach Dennis Allen told reporters after the 37-27 loss to the New York Jets in Week 14 that rotating the quarterbacks in the first half was not a knee-jerk reaction and that it had been in the works all week. Whatever it was, it didn’t work out as well as the Raiders had hoped.
Not that it should be that surprising.
Oakland’s quarterback ...
The Oakland Raiders played two quarterbacks, got a much-needed boost to the offense from fullback Marcel Reece and scored more than 24 points for just the third time this season. It still wasn’t enough to snap their losing streak, which is now at three straight following a 37-27 loss to the New York Jets.
Oakland has dropped 13 straight games in the eastern time zone, extending a streak that is now four years old and counting. The Raiders have also lost five of their last six to fall to 4-9, assuring themselves of an 11th consecutive non-winning season.
This was a collapse ...
The Oakland Raiders have held the lead at the half of seven games this season, but they have only won three of those games. The Raiders have crumbed in the second half, leading many to assume the coaches are doing a poor job of adjusting at halftime.
When the Raiders take the field Sunday in New York to play the Jets, there could be something at stake. How the Raiders finish over the final four games may determine if head coach Dennis Allen returns next season, and winning would elevate Oakland’s record to a somewhat safer 5-8.
With three tough division games ...