With the eyes of the fanbase strictly trained, the Raiders sought to rebound from the Kansas City debacle. Most believed the Tennessee Titans could serve up a remedy for what ailed the Silver and Black. The Raiders, in front of the home crowd, fell to Tennessee, 42-21. As a result, this dropped their record to 6-7. With this loss, a playoff spot appears all but lost.
Carr
All week long, the topic of the quarterback kept the airwaves abuzz. To his credit, Carr said the right things, and focused on the task at hand. Yet, Carr displayed the maddening consistency that continues to plague him throughout his entire Raiders tenure. In passing for 263 yards on 25/34 passing, Carr looked efficient in the first half. On the other hand, he faded. Carr led the Raiders to zero points in the final 30 minutes. Once again, frustration mounts with Carr. At this point, you need to ask if these are Carr’s final day with the team.
Josh Jacobs
Early this week, the Raiders rookie rusher revealed a broken shoulder. For a little over a month, Jacobs played through the pain. Entering this contest, questions abound whether Jacobs would even play. Subsequently, the team wisely decided to sit him. Jacobs, according to media, broke down in tears after being told. That, in itself, should give the franchise a tingly feeling of pride. Now, the question remains how long he will sit on the sidelines for.
Wide Open
Through the season, the inability of the receivers to make big plays plagued the Raiders. Yesterday, Tyrell Williams grabbed three passes for 35 yards and continues to sputter towards the finish line. Williams and Carr do not possess any long-lasting chemistry. In the offseason, the team needs to heavily address receiver.
Defense
With rumor of the Titans signing Ryan Tannehill to a long-term deal, the Raiders defense greeted him with little to no effort. The Titans rolled up 552 total yards. Receivers ran free, unencumbered by any defensive delay. In fact, AJ Brown torched Oakland for 153 yards and two scores. The secondary looks in shambles. The linebackers appears aimless, and most of the defensive line seems lost. Paul Guenther should not return as the defensive coordinator. Missed tackles, blown coverage, and a lack of gap integrity continues to plague this unit.
The Oakland Raiders enter the homestretch of their season. The playoffs are out of reach and players will need to figure out what their own future holds. Frustration and headshaking surrounds this team. Now what?
