Rest of the AFC West: Week 4 Takeaways

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DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 01: Head coach Jack Del Rio of the Oakland Raiders watches from the sidelines as his team plays the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on October 1, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

Raiders offensive line continues to struggle

The Raiders came into the season touting an offensive line that was thought to be one of the league’s best. The first two games of the season, they did not disappoint. Derek Carr was rarely pressured and the running game was reliable in their wins against the Titans and Jets. However, they did not perform last week against the Redskins. The Raiders could only gain 32 yards rushing and Derek Carr was sacked four times last Sunday. The offensive line needed to rebound against the Broncos. Needless to say, they didn’t.

Marshawn Lynch had no chance behind that line, only gaining 12 yards on 9 carries. The Raiders could only gain 24 yards on the ground as a team. The unit didn’t fare much better in pass protection either, with Carr and Manuel were sacked a combined 3 times. With the Raiders getting dominated at the line of scrimmage, it was very difficult for them to move the ball. The only success they did have was a beautiful touchdown pass from Carr to Johnny Holton. That single play accounted for 64 of the Raiders’ 254 total yards.

The Raiders defense did rebound nicely after getting shredded by the Washington Redskins last week. The pass rush was effective, as Siemian was sacked 4 times. The rush was able to help out the secondary, as Siemian could only pass for 179 yards on the game. The Raiders did struggle against the run throughout the game, but the 298 total yards allowed is a big improvement over last week’s outing.

The offensive line will have to figure things out quickly, as they will have to face the Ravens next week. Whatever the over/under is for that game, take the under.

Quick Notes

The shiny new Carr was towed to the shop and the Raiders didn’t know how to drive a Manuel (sorry for the terrible pun). Raiders franchise QB Derek Carr left the game after taking a knee to his back, causing him to have back spasms. Fortunately, this injury does not appear to be serious and he isn’t expected to miss much time. Backup QB E.J. Manuel looked decent in Carr’s absence, completing 11 out of 17 passes for 106 yards.

Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree was not active. He missed the game with a chest injury. First round rookie cornerback Gareon Conley also missed the game. He is dealing with a shin injury.

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