The Raiders couldn’t get their footing – literally and figuratively – today in a 30-20 loss at home to Green Bay that not only officially eliminated them from the playoffs but also ruled out the possibility of them having their first winning season since 2002.
Now at 6-8 and with two games to play, the best the Raiders can hope for is tying the 8-8 season record that they scored in the back to back seasons of 2010 and 2011. Even that mark is going to be tough to achieve with short week game vs San Diego this Thursday followed by an away game at a likely playoff-bound Kansas City.
The Raiders struggled to generate much pressure against Rodgers in the loss, with Khalil Mack specifically struggling to keep his footing on the wet grass. Mack lost his feet at least five times during the game and he wasn’t alone – cornerbacks TJ Carrie and David Amerson each lost their footing in coverage, allowing big receptions or giving up a penalty while trying to recover.
The Packers, on the other hand, did not seem to have much trouble on the wet turf – possibly because they are more accustomed to poor weather conditions by playing in the northern Midwest.
More worrisome, the Raiders were put into a deep hole early in the game after second year QB Derek Carr threw two bad interceptions early in the game. The first was returned to the 2 yard line before a 15 yard penalty pushed the Packers back to the 17. The Packers still were able to turn it into 7 points. The second was an easy pick-six to put the Packers up 14-0.
Throwing for 2 touchdowns and the 2 Interceptions in the game, Carr now has 30 TDs and 11 interceptions on the season. The Raiders’ team record for TDs in a season is 34, a mark that Carr is poised to tie or beat with two games remaining.
Still, Carr needs to improve over the offseason, especially early in games. Asked about Carr’s accuracy issues in the post-game press conference, Del Rio acknowledged that Carr has had some recent issues and pointed to Carr struggling when he doesn’t set his feet.
This assessment rings true in my view – Carr’s accuracy early in the games do seem highly related to him throwing off his back foot and allowing his passes to sail. This is exactly what happened on his second, pick-six interception.
With the Raiders officially eliminated from the playoffs, the remaining two games have less spark to them but there are still achievements to be had. An 8-8 record is still on the table and would be a big step in the right direction, for example.
Amari Cooper crossed the 1,000 yard mark today and added 2 TDs to his resume, bringing him to 6 on the season. He also became the first Raiders WR to cross 1,000 yards since Randy Moss did it a decade ago in 2005.
After a 70 yard effort today, WR Michael Crabtree has 151 yards left to reach 1,000 yards on the season as well. With only two games to go, he would have to average slightly over 75 yards per game, which is higher than average for him, although clearly not unattainable.
More likely is Latavius Murray reaching the century mark in rushing – after a 78 yard game today he needs only 44 rushing yards over the next two weeks to cross 1,000. That would be the Raiders’ first 1,000 yard rusher since Darren McFadden reached 1,157 in 2010.
Those marks, along with Carr setting the franchise record for TD passes in a season are the best the Raiders can do for the remainder of this non-playoff season – the teams’ thirteenth consecutive season not making the playoffs.
The 2015 squad has taken a big step in the right direction for the franchise. Unfortunately, they also ended up slipping and sliding their way out of a winning season.
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