The other two trips resulted in field goals of 21 and 20 yards by Matt Bryant.
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Atlanta Falcons is coming off a disappointing loss at home to their division rival, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Falcons would prefer to avoid a shootout through the air, even though Matt Ryan threw for 334 yards and two scores last week. Every time the Super Bowl victor comes out of your division, that division elevates and I believe the Oakland Raiders are right there. Oakland maintains a slight 7-6 edge in the series entering this meeting. Cooper had 137 receiving yards in Oakland’s season-opening win.
The Raiders followed with a run play up the middle, and running back Jalen Richard was stuffed for a gain of only one yard. Latavius Murray had a solid game, with 101 total yards and a TD. 4. OAKLAND WEEK 1 RECAPThe Oakland Raiders had one wild finish to their first game of the season vs the New Orleans Saints on the road. They also gave up 35 points this week after giving up 34 points in the opener.
The Raiders fell to 1-1, already a game behind the defending Super Bowl-champion Broncos in the AFC West. The problem is he hasn’t been consistent throughout his career.
The Raiders were determined to improve a run game that averaged just 91 yards per game past year and didn’t have options outside Latavius Murray. The Falcons cleaned it up in the second half, but finished with seven penalties for 73 yards. Derek Carr has established himself as a quality National Football League quarterback. But it was pretty obvious Heeney was struggling out there, and Del Rio said the issues were more mental than physical, which would signal a change in the calls from the sideline and those being made on the field.
“If he is going to be following me, that means most likely they are going to be in a lot of man” coverage, Cooper said.
OUR PREDICTION: The Raiders scored 35 points against a disgusting Saints defense and while the Falcons aren’t as bad defensively as New Orleans is, Atlanta still doesn’t own a pass rush. And Smith, who was “getting killed” by the Saints last week to the point where he was benched midgame, was this time used on slant routes by Julio Jones. When Smith talked to the media this week, he didn’t make any excuses for his play last Sunday. “I was bad out there”.
Griffin’s effort to rally his team from a 12-point deficit inside the final four minutes against the Eagles proved costly. Coach did what he had to do. A rather uneventful beginning led to a combined six touchdowns between the two teams over the second half.
ABOUT THE FALCONS (0-1): Ankle injuries have become the norm for Atlanta early on, as rookie linebacker De’Vondre Campbell and wide receiver Mohamed Sanu have joined Jones with the ailment.
It’s game day, Raider Nation.
JD: Did you see how many touchdowns Jameis Winston threw against the Falcons last week?
Tyrod Taylor tried to get the Bills offense going, and completed 18 of 30 for 297 yards and three touchdowns, however, Buffalo were just too inconsistent throughout the night and lacked efficiency in their play.
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On the other side of the ball, the defense – the secondary in particular – will be looking to bounce back from a awful performance against New Orleans. The 35-34 win marked the first time the Raiders won a season opener since 2011. Staley has written for Bleacher Report, the Miami Herald and the Palm Beach Post and is a reporter for Pro Player Insiders.
