Before I get to my ‘Goodbye Oakland’, ‘Merry Christmas you filthy animals’, and the ‘Fuck The Donkeys’ speech, I have to get this off my chest.
Arden Key is going to be a monster. Don’t look at the stat sheet, please, watch the game film if you can. Once he adds a little bulk, starts playing with speed and instinct, he’ll become a game changer. There were numerous plays last night where Key was in the backfield in the run game, wreaking havoc. And all though nothing will show on the stat sheet as far as sacks, watch the film, the pressures are there. Ask Keenum and Valdheer if Key wasn’t an issue last night.
Will he ever be Mack? probably not. But I believe he can become a 10-12 sack guy by year 3.
In what could have been the Raiders final game in Oakland, the fans were treated to an old fashioned ass whipping, dismantling the Denver Broncos and probably ending the Vance Joseph era. They led from the start of the game and never looked backed after a 17-0 first-half lead.
On to the actual highlights of the game.
War Dwayne Harris!!! The Harris punt return has to be one of best highlights of what has been a disappointing season. If you’re looking for a silver lining though, the Raiders have won 3 of last 6 games. I know a possible 4-12 finish isn’t exactly something worth cheering for, but the strong finish shows that players are playing for Gruden and each other.
Behind a line that struggled all year with injuries, bad play from bookend rookie tackles and inconstancy, Doug Martin looked like the hamster muscle of old. Martin broke a 24-yard touchdown run in the 2nd quarter and finished with his only 100 yard game of the season.
Besides a 1st quarter sack, the line kept Carr clean all night. Brandon Parker shutout Von Miller from the stat sheet. Kalechi Osemele and Rodney Hudson manhandled the interior line of the Denver Broncos. The gameplan was executed perfectly has the offense moved the ball, controlled the clock and allowed the defense to rest all night.
Derek Carr was efficient, picking up key 1st downs while not throwing an interception for the 10 straight games. Jordy Nelson caught 7 of his 10 targets and was a first down machine last night. Even with Jarod Cook disappearing once again, Richard picked up some of the slack with 4 catches for 40 yards. With a rain-drenched field, it’s exactly what we needed from the passing game.
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The defense stepped up last night.
Denver needed a big night from rookie sensation Phillip Lindsay and the running game. Lindsay, before exiting with an injury, was held to only 46 yards. Most importantly, they held Lindsay and company to a long of 11 yards on the day.
Kase Keenum was forced into throwing 2 interceptions on the night as our secondary shut down the Broncos receiving core without Conley and Worley on the field. Both his touchdowns came from great throws but both his interceptions came from the defense reading his eyes and reacting. All in all, it was a great performance from our secondary.
if your asking yourself how stopping a depleted offense on a bad field is good, it’s simple. A bad defense, which we have been for most of the year, could easily have been taken advantage of last night. With Hurst out, both are starting cornerback missing, the defense showed up and showed out. Rashaan Melvin and Tahir Whitehead were all over the field, as were Karl Joseph and Erik Harris.
It might not be safe to say out loud but Karl Joseph might have finally arrived. His presence over the 2nd half of the season pops on the game film. With a large amount of money available in cap space and draft equity, we might not have to spend much on the back end of the secondary. Karl and Harris will still need backups but I’d be fine with both gentlemen manning centerfield for us next year.
If the season ended today, Oakland would be picking 4th in the upcoming draft. DE Clenin Ferrell, OLB Josh Allen or CB Greedy Williams would all be ideal picks at #4.
As the season nears its ends, we can all agree, it wasn’t as bad as many perceived it to be. Gruden is changing the culture and rebuilding the foundation for a better future. Carr looks to the quarterback we drafted with high hopes in 2014. We have some young players on the defensive end to build around. The offense, if Miller and Parker develop into a good pair of starting tackles in the offseason, will need some playmakers. We’ll have the draft picks and money to add those pieces in the before the 2019-20 season.
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