LONDON – The Raiders played some terrible football in Sunday's 27-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Fans who travelled from the Bay Area to London’s Wembley Stadium should get their money back.
Yeah, it was that bad.
That’s why it only took one letter to fill out the report card. The Raiders have to fix so much during the bye week, get healthier, and find a way to be competitive against lesser opposition coming up.
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If not, they could go on an epic losing streak that lays this season in ruin and heartbreak for Oakland fans who only have two seasons until the Raiders are set to leave for Las Vegas.
Here’s a look at the Raiders' report card after a lopsided loss in London.
Rushing offense
The Raiders wanted to establish the run early on, giving Marshawn Lynch a steady workload early on. Beast Mode wasn’t able to do much against his former team, averaging 3.5 yards per carry while routinely getting hit first at or behind the line of scrimmage.
NFL
The offensive line never got a solid push, giving Lynch no time to work some magic. Derek Carr’s running (more like scrambling) make the run totals seem better, though they weren’t truly effective.
Grade: F
Passing offense
Derek Carr’s passing chart shows a bunch of short passes, something those ignoring context will rip him for. Understand this: He had no time at all. A banged up offensive line couldn’t protect him against Seattle’s front, recording six sacks and 10 total quarterback hits. They couldn’t get anything going, and were eventually just trying to survive, get a first down and avoid getting Carr killed. He came up with an ailing left shoulder, but the Raiders dodged a bullet there. Gruden and Carr said the quarterback should be okay.
To make matters worse, the Raiders were down to just three receivers after Amari Cooper and Seth Roberts were concussed.
Grade: F
Rushing defense
Seattle continued its streak of strong rushing performances, with 37 carries for 155 yards, good for a 4.2-yard average. The Seahawks established the run early and relied on it throughout the game to take firm control and never let go.
The Raiders didn’t give up many long runs, but weren’t able to keep the ground game contained.
Grade: F
Pass defense
Russell Wilson’s a tough quarterback to defend, even though his numbers aren’t astronomical and he doesn’t run as much as he used to. The threat of him taking off is strong, and forces defenses to play honest.
That said, the Raiders' pass rush was nonexistent. Wilson was able to bobble a snap, recover it off the ground and throw a touchdown pass without pressure in the pocket. Daryl Worley and Rashaan Melvin gave up big plays, and yet again the safeties weren’t terribly effective.
Grade: F
Special teams
The Raiders have a problem at punter. Rookie Johnny Townsend had two efforts go less than 30 yards and had a 30.7-yard net average. That’s not good enough, even with a slick field after morning rains.
The Raiders have a problem at kicker, too. Matt McCrane missed his fourth field goal in three professional games. That’s not good enough, even though some misses were from deep. There would be no surprise if the Silver and Black was in the market for a new kicker.
Grade: F
Overall
This loss was an unmitigated disaster. The Raiders got beaten so badly, there is little to take from it -- save the terrible feeling these players won’t want to repeat.
The execution was poor. I’m normally a believer in the Raiders' gameplans and play-callers Jon Gruden and Paul Guenther. This, however, was a different story. The Raiders got outplayed and outcoached.
Grade: F