Busters
TJ Carrie
This could be the worst game I’ve ever seen from Carrie. He was absolutely brutal in this game. As bad as Sean Smith has been, it’s of little comfort when his replacement plays like Carrie did Saturday.
Early in the first drive, he was caught in the wash and was late to get over to cover his receiver for a 9-yard catch. That drive ended with Carrie getting caught looking in the backfield as his receiver was breaking wide open for a 23-yard touchdown.
The next Rams scoring drive, Carrie fell down to allow an 11-yard catch and on third and two gave up a 9-yard catch that put the Rams in first and goal at the 2-yard-line. They scored their second TD on the next play.
Their third scoring drive, Carrie gave up a 17-yard catch on third and 5, and a 7-yard catch on third and 5. It led to a field goal and a 17-14 lead for the Rams. He led the team in tackles (8), mostly because he gave up the catches to receivers that he then needed to tackle.
Mario Edwards Jr
Speaking of not promising… Edwards is supposed to save the Raiders and their poor interior defensive line play. He’s gonna need to play a lot better than he did Saturday if that’s gonna happen.
He missed a tackle in short yardage that converted the first third down of the game. A few plays later, he didn’t keep gap discipline and overran a play that resulted in an 8-yard run through where he was supposed to have been. The first play of the next scoring drive saw him get thrown upfield on a run play. The final scoring drive of the first half, Edward was driven back on a 5-yard run. He finished with two assists and no solo tackles in a full half of play. And no pressures.
Sean Smith
You didn’t think Smith was going to be left out, did you? Even though Carrie stunk much worse, Smith still had his share of issues. He entered on the second play of the game and Jared Goff went right after him, just like Carson Palmer did in the preseason opener. This time the result was a 10-yard catch. A few plays later, he missed a tackle that resulted in a 9-yard run.
His tackle woes continued on the next series, when he gave up a catch and then completely whiffed on his pathetic tackle attempt. It was nearly a conversion on third and 15, but Cory James stopped it just shy. Smith did it again later in the second quarter, taking a terrible angle on a catch that not only let the receiver around him, but tripped up teammate David Amerson and allowed a first down on 3rd and ten. Del Rio was seen looking at the replay just shaking his head in disgust. That catch put the Rams in field goal range and they added three points to take the lead at the half.
EJ Manuel
It was like Manuel and Cook switched bodies or something. While Cook was dealing (for one drive at least), Manuel looked completely out of sorts. Not at all the player we had seen in training camp and the first preseason game.
He completed just 3 of 9 passes for 16 yards in the game. Sixteen yards. The first completion was a low pass that Cordarrelle Patterson had to dig out, the second a 4-yard pass to Jaydon Mickens, and the third a dump off. Not even the completions were good. His best pass was dropped by Johnny Holton. All the others were just plain ugly.
His first two drives ended with him throwing into coverage to have them knocked down. A better pass in each instance may have yielded a completion. His fourth series started with a near interception, then a ball that sailed over the head of his receiver and ended on third and ten with that 5-yard dump pass. That ws his day.
Bruce Irvin
Paging Bruce Irvin? Can you please pick up the red courtesy phone? Irvin was on the field for the exact same amount of snaps as Khalil Mack (20), but while Mack was wreaking havoc, Irvin was a footnote. His only stat was one assist.
Shilique Calhoun
Speaking of invisible outside linebackers… Truth be told, Cahoun probably should have been a Buster last week too. He was just so out of sight he was also out of mind. He was again a ghost on the field for the Raiders. He didn’t record a single stat in 23 snaps. The only time I even noted his presence was when he missed a tackle to give up a 5-yard run on the Rams third scoring drive. The team’s third round pick a year ago is getting outshined by undrafted James Cowser.
Antonio Hamilton
The Rams’ final touchdown drive in the fourth quarter was a disaster for Hamilton. He gave up an 8-yard catch on third and 7 to keep the drive going. Then after a tackle for loss put them in 2nd and 16, Hamilton was called for holding to give them an automatic first down. Then in 4th and 9, he gave up a 17-yard catch to put the Rams in first down at the 20-yard-line. They scored the touchdown on the next play.
Jelani Jenkins
Jenkins did make a couple of great plays in this game, but they couldn’t make up for his mistakes. On the Rams’ second TD drive, he gave up a 12-yard catch to the tight end and two plays later, didn’t get containment on the outside to allow an 8-yard run.
The Rams’ next drive, he had a great tackle for loss, but on that same drive he gave up two 5-yard catches, with the second coming on third and two. He had another tackle for loss in the third quarter, but again it came immediately after not staying at home to allow a 13-yard QB scramble.
Oni Omoile
This performance is indicative of why he’s seen his job as the team’s third string center usurped by Ian Silberman. Working at left guard, Omoile still couldn’t keep it together. On just his second snap of the game, he missed his block, forcing EJ Manuel to flee the pocket and scramble for 8 yards. It happened again on the next drive, this time leading to a one-yard scramble. Early in the fourth quarter, in third and 14, Omoile was called for a false start, making a long shot even longer.
Jylan Ware
Just after Omoile was called for false start on third and 14, Ware was called for a false start on third and 21 to set up third and 24. Ouch. The Raiders really had no chance then. Ware made things difficult for Cook on the final drive too. He started by giving up a pressure that forced Cook to flee the pocket and finished off the game by giving up a pressure the led to a sack on fourth and ten. Game.
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