Raiders to host the Jaguars in final home game of 2019

Photo credit: bleacherreport.com

By Joe Hawkes
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — The Raiders end their 2019 regular season home schedule in Week 15 as they will host the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Sunday Dec. 15. This will mark the first time since 2016 that these teams have met each other in the regular season, when the Raiders traveled to northeast Florida and defeated the Jaguars 33-16 for Oakland’s first-ever road win in the series.

The all-time series is tied at four games apiece, with the Raiders riding a three-game winning streak dating back to 2012.

Kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m. PT with Kevin Harlan and Trent Green calling the action from the booth, and John Schriffen patrolling the sidelines.

The Raiders took one on the chin last Sunday, losing to the Tennessee Titans, 42-21 at home to fall to 6-7 on the year.

In the contest, quarterback Derek Carr threw for 263 yards on 25-of-34 passes and two touchdowns with 115.2 passer rating. It was the fourth time this season that Carr had a passer rating of 115.0 in a game.

Tight end Darren Waller registered six catches for 73 yards in the game. Waller, who has 72 catches for 880 yards, became just the third tight end in franchise history to surpass 70 catches in a season. With three games left in the year, Waller is on pace for his first career 1,000-yard season.

The Raiders didn’t have the services of talented rookie running back Josh Jacobs, who sat out the game with a shoulder injury. Jacobs, who is the sixth leading rusher in the NFL with 1,061 yards, is expected to return against the Jaguars.

Defensively, defensive tackle Maurice Hurst provided the lone bright spot for the Silver and Black last Sunday. Hurst registered his first career interception off a tipped pass from Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill, and returned it 55 yards to put the Raiders in position to score their first touchdown of the game.

Jacksonville is currently riding a five-game losing streak, after dropping their latest game to the Los Angeles Chargers, 45-10 at home in Week 14. The Jaguars allowed Chargers running back Austin Ekeler to explode in the game, racking up 213 yards from scrimmage (rushing for 101 yards on 8 carries, and 112 yards receiving on 4 catches). Ekeler’s 84-yard touchdown catch in the game was the longest completion in quarterback Philip Rivers’ 16-year career.

Following Sunday’s game, the Raiders will finish up their 2019 regular season schedule on the road with games against the Chargers and Broncos in Week 16 and 17.

Raiders travel to the East Coast to face the Ravens

Photo credit: reviewjournal.com

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — The Raiders hit the road once again as they will travel East to take on a tough Baltimore Ravens team to close out Thanksgiving Weekend. The Week 12 matchup will mark the fourth consecutive year that the two teams have clashed, with Oakland winning two of the last three contests, including a thrilling 28-27 victory in 2016 at M&T Bank Stadium. Baltimore won last year’s meeting 30-17 in Oakland.

Kickoff for the 11th meeting is this Sunday, Nov. 25 at 10:00 a.m. PT. The Ravens lead the all-time series, 7-3.

Last week, the Raiders (2-8) defeated the Arizona Cardinals 23-21 at State Farm Stadium.

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr earned his 15th career fourth quarter comeback, engineering an impressive 9-play, 63-yard drive in the final minutes of the game, capped off by rookie kicker Daniel Carlson’s 35-yard game-winning field goal through the uprights as time expired.

The win snapped Oakland’s five-game losing streak and more importantly, shinned a little light on what has been a dark season for the Silver and Black with the losses mounting up week after week.

Carr finished the game completing 19-of-31 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions with a 100.6 passer rating. His two touchdowns against the Cardinals moved him past Rich Gannon (114) for third on the club’s all-time list with 115, trailing only Daryle Lamonica (148) and Ken Stabler (150).

For Carlson, his three made field goals on the day from 49 (career-long), 21, and 35 yards (first career game-winner) earned him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. His 11 points (two made extra points) were also a career-high and were the most among kickers in the AFC in Week 11.

Defensively, cornerback Gareon Conley and safety Karl Joseph each recorded an interception that led to touchdowns on ensuing drives, and rookie defensive tackle Maurice Hurst tallied a sack for the second consecutive week, bringing his total to four on the season and elevating him to second among rookie defenders in the NFL.

After coming of their bye week, the Ravens defeated their AFC North rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals 24-21 in Week 11 at M&T Bank Stadium snapping their three-game losing streak.

Baltimore’s offense was paced by two rookies in quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Gus Edwards.

Jackson did throw one interception in the game, but showed why he was a dual-threat quarterback at Louisville, completing 13-of-19 passes for 150 yards and rushing for 119 yards on 26 carries (team-high) in his first career start in place of franchise quarterback Joe Flacco. Flacco was inactive for last week’s game due to a injured hip.

Edwards, an undrafted rookie from Rutgers University, rushed for a career-high 115 yards on 17 carries and one touchdown.

Following Sunday’s game, the Raiders will return home for two weeks to take on two first-place teams in the AFC, as they will host their AFC West rivals the Kansas City Chiefs (9-2) in Week 13, and the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2-1) in Week 14.

The Ravens (5-5) who trail the Steelers in the AFC North, hit the road for back-to-back games against the Atlanta Falcons (4-6) in Week 13 and the Chiefs in Week 14.

Raiders to host the Packers in final home preseason game Friday at the Coliseum

Photo credit: raiderswire.usatoday.com

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — The Raiders and Packers link up for the third time in the preseason since 2014 when Green Bay visits the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum Friday night at 7:30 p.m. PT. The last time the two teams met each other in the preseason was in 2016 at Lambeau Field.

Last week, the Raiders traveled to Los Angeles to take on the Rams. It was the first time that that the Silver and Black played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum since 1994, the final season for the Raiders in Southern California before the team moved back to Oakland at the conclusion of that season.

The Rams held off the Raiders for a 19-15 victory last Saturday, with neither team playing their starters on either side of the football, which wasn’t a huge surprise. It was odd seeing the two teams playing a preseason game against each other, given that the two teams will meet each other in Week 1 of the regular season in Game 2 of ESPN’s Monday Night Football doubleheader on Sept. 10 in Oakland.

Rookies were the story of the game on both sides of the football for Oakland, even in the loss.

Running back Chris Warren III saw plenty of action rushing for 110 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown. With veteran Marshawn Lynch slated as Oakland’s starting running back, the undrafted Warren III’s play has earned him strong consideration to make the team and contribute significantly.

Defensive tackle Maurice Hurst recorded two tackles and one sack against the Rams. The fifth-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft has had great practices during training camp and could see some action with the first-team defense against the Packers.

Typically, the third preseason game is where the starters play the first-half of the game so expect to see quarterback Derek Carr along with new Raiders wide receiver Jordy Nelson on the field Friday night.

Nelson signed a two-year $14.2 million ($13 million guaranteed) contract with Oakland in the offseason after spending his first 10 seasons in the NFL in Green Bay. Seeing Nelson in the Silver and Black of the Raiders instead of the Green and Yellow of the Packers will take some time to get used to.

Green Bay defeated the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers, 51-34 last week at Lambeau Field.

Following Friday night’s game, both teams will have a short turnaround to end the preseason on the road. Oakland travels to Seattle to face the Seahawks on Thursday Aug. 30, and Green Bay will meet the Chiefs in Kansas City the same day. With the conclusion of the preseason, all NFL teams will make their final roster cuts on Sept. 1, reducing their roster to the mandated 53-man limit.

This will mark the 13th straight season that Oakland has finished the preseason schedule against the Seahawks, with nine of the 13 games coming in Seattle, but this will be the first time since 2015 that the Raiders will finish in Seattle.