Raiders at Colts Week 1 Review

It is never a good feeling to lose, especially not in a game that was so close. Unfortunately that is exactly what happened in this exciting season opener for the Raiders as they drop to the Colts 21-17. Terrelle Pryor played very well all game but just a couple of mistakes by the Raiders was all that Indy needed to seal the deal. Raiders officially are now 0-1 to start out the season.

The Raiders got the ball to start out the game and immediately showed the potential to move down the field against the Colts. Terrelle Pryor was making plays with his arm and his legs as the Raiders steadily moved into Indy territory. You could tell Terrelle was really feeling it as he tried to air it out for a TD on that first drive but he threw the ball up for grabs and the wrong team came down with it for the first of two big interceptions by Pryor in this game.

As soon as the Colts got the ball it was Andrew Luck time as he gashed the Raiders defense time and time again in the beginning of this game. The first drive for Indy was a thing of beauty for Colts fans as they drove the ball right down the Raiders throats in a 10 play, 89 yard drive that ended with a 12 yard TD pass to Reggie Wayne. The Raiders even got pressure on that play and there was decent coverage but Luck just tossed it up into the air perfectly for Wayne.

The Raiders next drive came up just short of a first down on a short pass to McFadden and the Colts got the ball back at their own 31 yard line. Once again no time was wasted as Luck meticulously diced through the Raiders defense on an 8 play, 69 yard drive that finished off with Andrew's 2nd touchdown of the game. At this point it was 14-0 Colts and not looking pretty for the Raiders, especially considering that Luck had yet to throw an incomplete pass.

Terrelle Pryor didn't get the memo that it was suppose to be a blow out though. He moved on from his early interception and continued to efficiently move the Raiders offense. This drive is exactly what all Raiders fans dream of seeing their team consistently do. Pryor was a boss as he led the team on an 11 play, 85 yard TD drive. Darren McFadden powered the ball in from the 1 to make the score 14-7 but the drive was all Terrelle Pryor. His 29 yard run to help get the Raiders into Colts territory was an eye opening showcase of his speed.

After that the Raiders defense finally got their head out of their bottom parts and managed to stop the Colts potent offense. They still hadn't forced an incompletion but they did force a punt. The offense wasn't able to do anything with the ball and had to punt it right back but it was a start for the Raiders D. The Colts got the ball back but it Oakland's defense was ready to built on their play from the last drive. They forced a three and out with a nice pass break up by Charles Woodson and gave the ball back to Terrelle with just over a minute to go.

Pryor moved the ball to within field goal range after a short 34 yard punt from the Colts. They couldn't move it that far though and still left Janikowski with a 48 yard field goal attempt. Normally that is no problem for Sebastian but he hadn't been practicing with an injury all week and the rust was obvious. He kicked it far enough but just outside the upright so the score would be 14-7 at the end of the 1st half.

The 2nd half was mostly all Raiders but it just wasn't enough to win. It started out their way right off the bat as the Colts moved only backwards on their first drive. Then sure enough the Raiders got the ball back and Terrelle Pryor once again was able to make some plays. He led them down the field on a 10 play, 65 yard drive that ended in a made field goal to bring the score to 14-10.

The Colts still couldn't get anything going against a suddenly stout Raiders defense. The Raiders defense just kept pressuring Luck and getting to him several times in the second half. They once again had to punt the ball back to the Raiders who now had a chance to snag their first lead of the game.

Oakland took advantage of that chance. They looked good as they moved down the field to take the lead but they just left too much time on the clock for Luck. Their TD came on a 3rd down and goal slant pass to Denarius Moore who held on to make the score 17-14 Raiders with just minutes to go in the 4th quarter. Just one stop and they would have won this game, but it was not to be.

The dagger came on a run from Andrew Luck who had been bottled up well all game. The Raiders got pushed out of the middle to each side and Andrew took off down the middle of the field. There was only one Raider with a good chance to tackle him but DJ Hayden got stood up on a block by former Raider Darrius Heyward-Bey. Luck's run of 19 yards for the game winning TD was the capper of an 11 play 80 yard drive. The Raiders would have one last chance but Terrelle Pryor's second interception of the day would make the final score be in favor of Indy 21-17.

Pryor on his debut went 19-29 for 217 yards, 1 TD, 2 interceptions and a whopping 13 carries for 112 rushing yards which set a new Raider QB rushing record formerly held by Rich Gannon. The Raiders didn't win this game but they were very competitive. If they play like they did today all year the season won't be as ugly as we all fear it will be. It's just too bad they couldn't pull out a victory today despite playing well against a tough opponent.