Besides the Raiders big come back which included allowing 35 points and a game-winning two-point conversion in the last minute, the defense was bad beyond that.
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The folks at ESPN Stats and Info, who do wonderful work finding excellent fun and interesting stats, tweeted out a note that according to their probability model, Del Rio had a better chance of winning the game by kicking.
Following a controversial pass interference call on 4th down, the Raiders added a touchdown and two-point conversion from quarterback Derek Carr to Michael Crabtree to take a 35-34 lead with 47 seconds left in the game.
Del Rio said that Smith, one of Oakland’s top free agent acquisitions this offseason after signing a four-year contract worth almost $40 million, will start again this week in the Raiders’ home opener against Atlanta.
“That long run really gets under my skin, because I felt like they weren’t getting much at all explosive-wise”, Laurinaitis said.
It is only Week 1, and two games remain to be played on Monday night, but thus far the National Football League has produced as many 400-yard passers (one, Drew Brees, 423 yards in a Saints loss) this season as 100-yard rushers (Lamar Miller, Texans, 106 yards).
Last season, the Oakland Raiders were a young and talented team that shined at times, but ultimately failed to improve enough to end their postseason drought. “I said, ‘When we score here, we are going to go for two and win it right here'”. Oakland kicked a field goal on the drive to pull to within 24-13, then scored 22 points in the fourth quarter as quarterback Derek Carr threw for 111 yards and a touchdown, completing six of 10 passes.
RECORD TD: Brees’ touchdowns included a franchise-record 98-yarder to Brandin Cooks, who beat Sean Smith in single coverage and raced away from free safety Reggie Nelson. “I could see us doing that”. I’d prefer him not to run the option again, but Brees was fabulous on Sunday.
He said he, Harris and Crawley are “definitely looking to get better”, but weren’t entirely discouraged by how they played in their first regular season game. Recently drafted players such as Carr, Amari Cooper and Khalil Mack are the foundation, but the right mix of hungry veterans are now around them. True, Fleener seemed to stay in for blocking assignments quite a lot during this game, but his debut in New Orleans was quite underwhelming.
Previously, Billy Joe Hobert and Eddie Kennison owned the Saints’ longest scoring play – a 90-yard connection against Atlanta on October 10, 1999. “He looked like Usain Bolt running down the sideline there”. This set up the Saints with a 61-yard field-goal attempt for the win. Ware finished the day with 199 total yards for the Chiefs, including 129 yards through the air. The Saints’ previous longest play from scrimmage was as 96-yard passing play from Billy Kilmer to Walter Roberts on November 19, 1967, the franchise’s inaugural season.
The injuries have been even more costly because they have predominantly affected the defensive side of the ball, the area the Saints most needed to improve to be successful. The offense came in wanting to establish the ground game, but had just 10 carries for 40 yards at halftime.
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He will be joined by rookies De’Vante Harris and Ken Crawley.
