Raidersblog.com

Stayin' alive. The Raiders did just that Sunday with a win over Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos to go 5-0 in the division. The Chiefs and Chargers won, meaning the #Raiders need a lot of help to get to the postseason. Specifically, the Raiders need a Chiefs loss in week 16 and a Chargers loss in either week 16 or 17 as well as winning the next two games. Raiders must beat Peyton Manning and the Colts and the Chiefs in Kansas City. The Raiders must take care of business and they need help from the Denver Broncos or Cincinnati Bengals and the Tennessee Titans. There is a reality check here. The Raiders need a ton of help from subpar teams. The postseason may well have been thrown out the window with the Raiders loss in Jacksonville or any of the other regrettable defeats the Raiders suffered this season. The team just wasn't quite there, but the team is bearing late season fruit and the harvest conditions are favorable for 2011. With the playoffs simply a pipe dream, there is a ...

No one runs the ball better than the Raiders, except the Chiefs. Remember that line from week nine? In week 14, it could be rephrased. No one runs the ball better than the Raiders, except the Chiefs and Jaguars. The Raiders and Jaguars are surprisingly in the thick of the playoff run. Both teams are largely reliant on the running game to generate offensive production. The two ground games will battle at EverBank Field today, looking to make a statement about their playoffs chances. Maurice Jones-Drew is rolling and the Raiders front seven must do what it takes to keep him contained. On offense, the Raiders must get their own ground game going as the entire offense flows from a healthy running game, The run game aspect of this match up has been publicized, but how hard is it to stop Jones-Drew and how hard is it to run on the Jaguars? During Jones-Drew's streak, five 100-yard games, he's faced the Cowboys, Texans, Browns, Giants and Titans. Team Run Defense vs, Jones...

Nnamdi Asomugha went down with a high ankle sprain injury against the Seahawks and when he returned last week against the Dolphins after three weeks of rest he clearly wasn’t himself. Now it appears his ankle is worse than previously believed or got worse during the game on Sunday. Asomugha could miss more time. Chris Johnson was also out with a groin injury and could also miss this week’s game in San Diego. That leaves Stanford Routt and rookies Jeremy Ware and Walter McFadden as the only healthy cornerbacks. Jeremy Ware drew poor reviews from the coaching staff in Pittsburgh and was inactive last week. Walter McFadden was active and had a rough day against Miami. Both will be relied upon against the second best passing team in football. When the Raiders defeated the Chargers in Oakland, Philip Rivers threw for 431 yards and two touchdowns. He was unstoppable against the Raiders secondary, which included Asomugha and Johnson. Michael Huff will likely see additional snaps at corn...

The aftermath of the Raiders blowout loss at home Sunday was about as ugly as any post game in the past seven seasons. It rivaled Bill Callahan’s “Stupidest Team in America” and Art Shell’s catatonic press conferences towards the end of a one-win season. The post game press conference was reminiscent of Lane Kiffin defiantly jabbing Al Davis and his scholarship players in the media. It was ugly. Things everyone knew, but was no one admitted publicly finally came to light. The dysfunction finally reared its ugly head. Jason Campbell is Al Davis’ choice at quarterback. Bruce Gradkowski is Tom Cable’s choice at quarterback. Just as sure as Al Davis’ Friday night KFC Cole Slaw, such a differing opinion would be grounds for firing. Especially after such a poor display by the coach’s quarterback. It probably would be or could be if not for Hue Jackson. Jackson backed Tom Cable’s choice at quarterback saying about switching quarterbacks that, "It was just about a feel - sometimes a ...