As the Raiders got prepared for the Week 3 Sunday night tilt in Washington, all was so great. They had scored 71 points in the first two weeks. In those two games, David Carr was 45-60 for 492 yards with 5 touchdowns and no interceptions.
And then the Washington game happened. On a national stage, Carr looked like a rookie. On the second snap of the game, he threw a horrendous interception in double coverage. As the game went on, it didn’t get any better. Washington was able to get pressure on Carr. Even when pressure didn’t get there, Carr looked skittish in the pocket. He ended that night 19-31 for 118 yards with two interceptions. And, lets all be honest, that line doesn’t do justification to how bad he was that night.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Raiders headed to Denver. Not a place where you want to go when you’re struggling. The offense looked just as bad under Carr before he left the game with an injury. An injury that will reportedly keep him out 2-6 weeks.
It’s not all on Carr. The offensive line has struggled with speed rushers the last two weeks and the running game… well… that disaster.
Like most teams, the Raiders are trying to go the running back by committee route. It hasn’t been effective. They are 24th in the league in rushing. Beast Mode? Try Least Mode.
Though the defense has played better than most expected the defense backfield is still horrid. There isn’t a quarterback who isn’t licking their chops when they see ol’ 21 (Sean Smith) on the field. In the last two games, the elderly Vernon Davis and AJ Derby have caught a combined 9 passes against this defense. It’s not shocking that the Raiders are 6th worst in the league in Opponent Third Down Conversions.
Over the next three weeks, Oakland’s temporary tenants face the Ravens, Chargers and Chiefs all at home. All are must win especially when you consider how well the Chiefs are playing. It took 4 weeks for one of the most popular picks in the offseason to be in a full blown panic situation.
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