When the Oakland Raiders started their 48-day excursion away from home, the road began in Minnesota. Facing a Vikings team determined to dominate the line of scrimmage, the Raiders fell to Minnesota, 34-14. With this loss, it drops their record to 1-2. On top of this, the team will not see home until November 3rd. With that said, this begins the strongest test of the mettle.
Carr
If you look at his stats, you’d say that Carr enjoyed a decent afternoon. However, if you remain honest, many of those yards arrived in garbage time. When the game stood in doubt, Carr did his team no favors. after watching his passes sail wide, Sunday did not look to be his day. After his 81st start, the time to question him begins, in earnest.
Run Game
While the Raiders average 4.4 yards on twenty carries, they could not build momentum. With the score growing increasingly out of control, they needed to abandon the run immediately.
Blocking
When the Raiders blanked the Broncos’ pass rush, many lauded the performance. However, today should draw a measure of concern. The Vikings excelled at getting home and hitting Derek Carr, with ferocity. Both Kolton Miller and Trent Brown surrendered sacks. More importantly, the Vikings’ blitz forced the Raiders into max protect, limiting the route tree.
Pass Rush
Key, Hall and Hankins hit Kirk Cousins. Yet, no one registered a single sack. Cousins moved the pocket at will and looked comfortable.
Coverage
If the pass rush is absent, cannot expect the secondary to coverage all day. On the other hand, Curtis Riley saw Adam Thielen streak by him for the first score of the day. Plus, Karl Jospeh covering Kyle Rudolph remains a nightmare scenario.
Coaching
On third and eleven, why are the Raiders choosing to run screens? In addition, when does Paul Guenther assume some of the blame? From start to finish, Mike Zimmer and his staff outmaneuvered the Raiders at every turn.
Up Next
The Raiders travel to Indianapolis to face a Colts team that looks crisp on both sides of the ball and executes. With thirteen games remaining, the time for Oakland to start fixing the season is now.
