Enough with the good news and the consolation prizes. now we move onto the nitty gritty...
Busters
Dennis Allen, Jason Tarver
Rarely have I seen a Raiders team more ill-prepared for a game than this one. Dennis Allen said all week that the Raiders were more than ready to face the Eagles' up-tempo offense because they had faced some up-tempo offenses already this season. This stat right here tells a different story: 26 passes, 7 touchdowns, zero interceptions. That's what Nick Foles' day looked like from the beginning up to when the Eagles scored 49 points.
As I mentioned in the opening, the Eagles scored on their first four possessions. They averaged 12.3 yards PER PLAY in the first three quarters. That's averaging a first down on every snap of the ball which is just insane. Their longest drive was their first one. It was 10 plays for 84 yards taking 3:58 off the clock. They also had drives of one play for 63 yards in :09 seconds and four plays for 61 yards in :46 seconds. All the while Nick Foles had all day to throw and targets to choose from.
The worst score of the day from a coaching standpoint was the Eagles' first touchdown of the third quarter. That means it falls squarely into the half time adjustment category. With the Eagles in 2nd and 10 from the Raiders 25 yard line, running back LeSean McCoy ran into the flat from the backfield and no one shadowed him. Foles threw him the ball and there was nothing but wide open space to run the 25 yards for the touchdown. Completely unacceptable.
D.J. Hayden
He was beaten early and often in this game. His first big gainer surrendered came on the second play of the game. It was a bubble screen to Riley Cooper and Hayden was too far off of him which allowed the defenders to block him out of the way for a 42-yard gain. It put the Eagles in Raiders territory right away and they finished with a touchdown.
The following drive, ended when on third and five from the 18-yard line, Cooper beat Hayden again. This time Hayden looked to be in position but mysteriously stopped on the route at the goal line while Cooper kept going to haul in a touchdown in the back of the endzone. It was so bad, Dennis Allen thought at the time that it was a pass interference. It wasn't. He just misjudged it and stopped.
The next possession things went from bad to disastrous when on one play, Foles went to the Hayden on Cooper well again and came up big time. Again, Hayden looked like he might be able to make a play but Cooper had gotten behind him and it was all over. Hayden tripped but by then it was too late - 63 yards for the touchdown and a 21-3 lead after three drives.
Hayden didn't give up any more touchdown catches after that but he gave up a 59-yard catch on the Eagles' final scoring drive to allow the Eagles to go 68 yards on three plays. That means he gave up 182 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
Brandian Ross
Some might argue Ross had a worse day than Hayden. That depends on how many times Ross can be blamed for being out of position on long passes. Even without knowing for sure when he was out of position or when that was simply where the defensive scheme called for him to line up, he still had a bad day. He started out by giving up a 10-yard catch on third and three to put the Eagles in first and goal from the 2-yard line on their first drive. On the Eagles' fourth touchdown drive - aka their fourth drive - he gave up a 20-yard catch and then gave up the 15-yard touchdown catch. On the Eagles' first drive of the second half he was called for pass interference although it was offsetting penalties. He then was way out of position to give up the Eagles' final touchdown of the day on a five yard pass.
Lucas Nix
His pass blocking is nearly non-existent and his run blocking is pretty poor as well. It has gotten to the point where it seems Lamar Mady couldn't possibly be worse. Nix again gave up multiple pressures as well as a sack and a run stuff. I could go into more detail but really what's the point? It happens so frequently, it would be a fruitless endeavor.
Terrelle Pryor
The frantic happy feet he exhibited at the end of the Chiefs game seemed to have returned from the very beginning of this game. At the first sign of pressure, he would instantly abandon trying to find a receiver and began trying to find an exit. It worked on one play of the first drive but on the next play he was sacked and nearly fumbled the ball. The Raiders got a reprieve following a running into the kicker penalty on the Eagles but three plays later it ended anyway. Pryor left the pocket and had room to run. He even had a blocker as Stefen Wisniewski was out there with him but he didn't follow Wisniewski's lead and was eventually tackled for minimal gain to end the drive.
After a huge 66-yard catch and run by Rod Streater to put the Raiders in first and goal at the Eagles' 9-yard line, the hopes of a touchdown ended three plays later after a short Pryor scramble and then Pryor not being able to find an open receiver on the final two plays. The first of which, Denarius Moore was open but Pryor didn't pull the trigger. The Raiders settled for the field goal.
The Raiders next drive ended when Pryor was called for intentional grounding. He didn't call an audible to cover the free blitzing defender and he was on him almost as quick as the snap. A sack would have been preferable as the intentional grounding meant a ten-yard penalty and loss of down.
His biggest play of the day came on the next drive in which he ran for 35 yards. But even then, with a full head of steam and just 195 lb cornerback Brandon Fletcher in the open field, he inexplicably slowed down, ran toward the middle of the field and slid down at the 8-yard line. Luckily Rashad Jennings finished it off with a touchdown run because the Raiders were stopped and held to a field goal in the same spot earlier in the game.
The following series was downright ugly. It last three plays in which he floated a ball intended for Denarius Moore that was nearly intercepted, kept the ball on a read option in which he was stopped for a one yard gain, and ended with him throwing too high for Juron Criner.
The second half was a comedy of errors in which drives ended with Pryor slipping for a sack, throwing low into the turf incomplete to end two straight drives, fumbling a snap which he recovered for a sack, and culminating in his throwing an interception. He finished 22 of 41 for 288 yards (121 yards of which were in garbage time) with no touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and a 55.7 QB rating.
Lamarr Houston, Sio Moore, Jason Hunter, Vance Walker
Also known as the Raiders primary pass rush. Also known as non-existent in this game. Not a sack or even a hurry among them. The tendency is to crucify the defensive backs for giving up catches but they cannot be expected to run around and cover their receivers all day. One of the biggest plays of the day for the Eagles came on their fourth scoring drive. The Raiders were down 21-10 after their first touchdown of the day so the game was well within reach. The Eagles had an incompletion, Nick Roach had a sack on a blitz, and the Eagles added a false start. They lined up in third and 16. It would mean a three and out and momentum would have shifted to the Raiders. But the Raiders could get no pressure on Foles and he eventually found a receiver for a 17-yard gain to keep the drive alive. They would score for their fourth straight time to begin the game and it proved to be the back breaker. Foles' receivers had time to get open and he didn't have a care in the world the entire day. It's a credit to the Eagles' offensive line as well but the Raiders were thought to have a much improved pass rush this season coming into this game and could muster up just two sacks, none of which came from the guys who are supposed to bring the most pressure.
Marquette King
His first punt was yet another touchback with a 34-yard net but he was bailed out when the Eagles were called for running into the kicker. Then he kicked a 36-yarder that was fair caught at the 16-yard line which is at least ten yards from where that punt should have landed. He helped his overall average on his next punt which traveled 57 yards but he outkicked his coverage and DeSean Jackson ran it back 32 yards and into Raiders territory.
His first punt of the second half traveled 47 yards and went out of bounds at the Eagles 43-yard line. The Eagles took the short field and scored a touchdown in three plays. His next punt was another touchback with a 35-yard net. The following punt was a wobbling line drive that traveled 38 yards with a 7-yard return. His final punt went 35 yards and out of bounds. Easily his worst day punting this season. With his accuracy not improving, he has no room for inconsistency with regard to his distance and hang time. He can't afford a lot of games like this.
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