FanPost

Darth Raider: Hulks Awaken

Before I wax poetic, I would like to mention the love of my life, Joanna.

Anytime I needed to be held during the Season, anytime I needed love, anytime I needed a smile around my presence, she would be there for me.

Anytime I needed a laugh, anytime I needed to be distant from Football, Anytime I needed to remember the important things in life, she’d be there for me.

Anytime our team failed to meet expectations, she was always there for me.

Last Sunday was no different.

You only received two hours sleep, came with cuts on your hands and still wanted to come with me and see our gritty Team battle against one of our most fierce rivals.

You arrived tired, groggy & tight eyed and still had enough energy to be the loudest in our End Zone, The Dark Side. You even looked out for my Mother and made sure she was protected while also making sure I had enough food & water (Just like Moms).

You are simply amazing. You will be the only one in my life who I dare to dream a beautiful future with. The raider tattoo on your sexy calf just seals it. Our hearts & minds Love the same thing: family, friends and the Raiders..

and that’s why you are my Queen. I Love you. Thank you for loving me, Sweetheart.

Now, let’s talk about the Dark Side..

and the light.

Our Team was powered by both sides of the Force last Sunday (Dark for D- Light for O).

It seemed like more than a few players had their best game of the season. I’m still rubbing my eyes to make sure it’s not a damn dream. Holy Toledo indeed!!

Offensive MVPs: Penn, Jackson, Wis, Howard and Barnes. That’s right, O Linemen- bow your Heads!! The Lord of the Sith finally respects you!!

You played absolutely magnificent! Derek Carr was looking more comfortable than an old man in a rocking chair due to your strong performance. You picked up the blitz with great teamwork and kept getting stronger after every Quarter. You were playing like 5 Hulks on the Field.

You pushed, pounded and pounced upon one of the NFL’s best premiere Defenses and I will never ever forget it.

You made it possible to open holes for our new starting Running Back Latavius Murray, who also had another stellar game (23 for 76 yards). Murray is clearly the main reason we won 2 games. I’m not entirely sold on him being the lead back for years to come (due to his practice work ethic mentioned by Coaches), but in the next three games? He might make a true believer out of me.

In addition, the O-Line was also the main reason Carr looked like a 10 year veteran rather than a Rookie.

Our main man Captain DC passed for 254 yards with THREE Touchdowns. He became more patient, directed players, gave receivers tight spirals and found Mychal Rivera a faithful target many times.

Our starting Tight End had the game of his life grabbing seven catches for 109 yards with one touchdown. Marcel Reece also had a dynamic impact with 7 catches for 64 yards with 1 TD. I can only ask "WHERE in the Hell has this kind of Offense been all year??"

Coaches, I admire your new found creativity. I just wish the new plays were ready sooner rather than later. Big man Penn in the End Zone was a highlight I will not forget.

Defense, you performed at a level that many never thought you were ever capable of.

You covered, pressured and terrorized Colin Kaepernick like a Rancor to flesh. The D Line was playing like it was their last game for all time. 5 sacks?!? I wasn't sure I was watching the same team! 2 by Smith, 2 by Mack and 1 by Mayowa. Kaep honestly looked as if he was running for his life a few times.

Frank Gore was also limited to 63 yards by the front 7 and looked pissed he wasn't getting as many carries as he should of. Ross and Woodson also had an INT to seal the deal. Creepy Carrie and Woodson combined for 14.5 tackles. DJ Hayden continued to play well and blanketed Receivers when he needed to.

Haters, it was an absolute pleasure seeing you all pay twice the price to see your team lose against one of your most hated Teams. Seeing all those sour and sad faces with folded arms just lit up my dark soul. Please never forget the 1st team that bought an NFL Championship to the Bay. Thanks!!!

NFL.com summary:

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Oakland Raiders ended their three-week roller-coaster ride on a high and sent the Bay Area rival San Francisco 49ers to their lowest point under coach Jim Harbaugh.

Derek Carr threw three touchdown passes and the Raiders bounced back from a shellacking last week by beating the 49ers 24-13 Sunday and putting a major dent in San Francisco's dwindling playoff hopes.

The Raiders (2-11) followed their exhilarating first win of the season against Kansas City with a 52-0 loss at St. Louis before delivering their most complete performance of the season against San Francisco (7-6).

"It's great for us to come off of a bye week and perform the way we did today," said safety Charles Woodson, who sealed the win with a late interception.

"Being able to bounce back from the way we felt last week was big for us. To win this game, the Battle of the Bay, your crosstown rivals, it's a big win for us."

Carr completed 22 of 28 passes for 254 yards and completely outplayed counterpart Colin Kaepernick in his best performance yet in his rookie season.

With a second straight loss the 49ers (7-6) are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in Harbaugh's four-year tenure. San Francisco trails three teams by two games in the NFC wild-card race with three games remaining after making three straight NFC title games.

"There is no surrendering," Harbaugh said. "You look for the next thing to win at."

A Thanksgiving night loss at home to rival Seattle prompted CEO Jed York to apologize to fans on Twitter and raise even more speculation that Harbaugh will not be back next season for the final year of his five-year contract.

Harbaugh even sparked the chatter where he might wind up next season when he walked out of the tunnel and straight to Raiders owner Mark Davis for a quick chat before his first game in Oakland since his tenure as an assistant with the Raidersin 2002-03.

Raiders interim coach Tony Sparano is making his case to keep the job by winning two of the past three weeks, including a 24-20 victory over Kansas City on Nov. 20.

"We said last night in the meeting, that somebody had to step up and make a couple of plays," Sparano said. "Today I felt a bunch of guys stepped up."

From Carr's big game to Mychal Rivera's 109-yard receiving day to a pair of sacks from Antonio Smith and Khalil Mack to a dominant offensive line performance that even included a touchdown catch by left tackle Donald Penn, the Raiders had plenty of big performances.

"This week it was preached to us just how important this game was," Smith said. "This week more and more of us became true Raiders, knowing what the heritage is about, knowing what this game was about, how important it was to this city."

Carr rarely faced any pressure, giving him plenty of time to find open receivers downfield. He hit all five of his passes for 73 yards on the go-ahead drive capped by a 9-yard pass to Marcel Reece that made it 17-13.

After a three-and-out by the 49ers, Carr led the Raiders to their first consecutive TD drives of the season with a 5-yard scoring strike to Rivera.

"They were able to go out there and take advantage of the mistakes we made," linebacker Aldon Smith said. "They just made more good plays than we did. He did a good job of getting the ball out and using his protection."

Kaepernick threw an interception on the first play from scrimmage, was sacked on San Francisco's last and wasn't much better in between. He finished 18 for 33 for 174 yards with one touchdown, two interceptions and five sacks as San Francisco failed to score 20 points for the sixth time in seven games.

The Raiders went ahead 10-7 in the second quarter on a 3-yard touchdown pass to the 330-pound Penn, who bowled over Eric Reid at the goal line and leaped into the Black Hole for a beer-doused celebration. It was Penn's third career TD catch and second against the Niners, having also caught one in 2010.

"I'm happy I'm able to live every big man's dream," Penn said.

NOTES: Niners LB Ahmad Brooks had his streak of 60 straight starts snapped because he missed a meeting Tuesday. Brooks did not play at all in the game. ... Carr's 140.2 passer rating was the highest for the Raiders since Rich Gannon posted a 141.9 vs. the Giants in 2001.

Alright Nation, I'll see you next week when we take on the Little Chiefs! Hopefully, we can give them something to remember again!!! May the Dark Side consume you all!

Peace!!!!

- DR