Bengals vs. Ravens Greetings
http://www.oaklandraidersteamonline.com/p.j.-hall-jersey , Raider Nation! Tonight the second week of the NFL season begins, with a Thursday
night matchup between bitter divisional rivals Cincinnati and Baltimore. Both
teams were victorious last week as the Ravens walloped Buffalo and the Bengals
took care of the Colts.Both teams are a half game ahead of the Browns and
Steelers, who hilariously tied in Cleveland last week. After this game, one of
them will be alone in first place in the AFC North. Both of these teams are
future Raiders opponents later in the season, so this game will provide some
valuable insight into both of them.The running game will be key for both the
Ravens and Bengals tonight. The Bengals have the explosive Joe Mixon, while the
Ravens employ the tough-as-nails Alex Collins. Cincinnati might be a bit more
stacked at receiver with AJ Green and John Ross, but Joe Flacco should have an
easier time against the Cincinnati secondary.AFC North games are always brutal
and physical, so we should be in for a fun game tonight. You can watch live on
the NFL Network at 5:20 p.m. Pacific.Raiders first quarter report For a moment
it looked as if the Raiders would get off to an 0-4 start, but thanks to a week
four come from behind win in overtime the Raiders finish the first quarter of
the season witha 1-3 record. It certainly has not been the start Raiders
players, coaches, and fans were hoping for.Anytime your head coach and general
manager trades a future hall of fame pass rusher away one week before the
season, things are bound to be a little rocky.There are multiple ways to assess
the first four weeks of the 2018 season, and that depends greatly on if you are
a “glass half full” or “glass half empty” kind of thinker.No matter how you look
at it
Authentic Marcus Gilchrist Jersey , the Raiders have earned themselves a 1-3 record, last in the AFC west division.Offensive and defensive ranksCurrently,
the Raiders rank second in total offense with 1,767 yards (441.8 per game).The
majority of the yards come through the air (333 per game).It was nice to see
Marshawn Lynch have a big game in week four, the run game needs to improve if
the Raiders are to have success in the next quarter in the season.The Raiders
average 108.8 rushing yards per game, 15th in the NFL.Despite the high volume of
yardage, points have come at a premium.Point totals of 13, 19, and 20 before the
45 point explosion versus the Browns.Derek Carr ranks fourth in yards passing
with 1,373, 20th in touchdown passes with six, and fourth in completion
percentage (71%).As good as the numbers look for Carr, a major reason for the
Raiders three loses is Carr’s carelessness with the football.A stat no
quarterback ever wants to lead the league in is interceptions.Derek Carr’s seven
interceptions is tops in the league.Marshawn Lynch has quietly put together a
great first quarter of the season.His 300 yards rushing ranks fourth in the
league.He also has scored three touchdowns.Jared Cook
Womens Mike Nugent Jersey , surprisingly ranks 10th in receiving yards with 370 yards on 26 receptions.Cook has benefited from Jon Gruden’s ability to call up
plays that put Cook in favorable match ups.Defensively, the unit has shown
flashes of great things but statistically they rank 5th in total yards given up
with 1,610 (402.5 per game).They also give up the second most points in the
league, 123 (30.8 per game).There’s no way around it the run defense has been
bad, giving up 139.3 yards per game (3rd in NFL).With a nonexistent pass rush,
the secondary has been asked to do more.Unfortunately, they have not been able
to answer the bell consistently enough.The 1,053 yards of passing given up ranks
them 15th.The underlining issue is lack of pass rush.Without Mack, the defensive
line does not have a player capable of demanding double teams or who teams need
to game plan against.The Raiders have five sacks on the season, dead last in the
NFL. One final glaring stat from the first quarter of the season is the turnover
differential.The defense has only generated 5 takeaways, four came against the
Browns.Derek Carr’s seven interceptions puts the Raiders at a negative two
turnover differential (T-20th).Highlight of the first quarterThere are several
plays to choose from but for me the highlight play from the first four games
took place in the overtime win against the Browns.With 4:39 left to play in
overtime, the Raiders on their own 26-yard line were faced with a critical 3rd
and 3.Both teams had possessed the ball once, so it was next score wins.As he
had been doing all game
Authentic Jared Cook Jersey , Browns defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams dialed up a blitz.Derek Carr stood tall in the pocket knowing he was going to take a
big hit.With pressure in his face, Carr delivered a beautiful ball to Jared
Cook.As great as the throw was, Cook made an unbelievable catch as he was laying
out full extension for the ball.Derek Carr took a brutal hit to the chest but
got up and finished off the drive that would eventually end with a Matt McCrane
game winning 29 yard field goal.What to expect in the next fourThe schedule
looks fairly friendly in the next quarter of the season.In week five the Raiders
will travel south to take on the Chargers.That should feel more like a home
game.This game is especially important being a divisional game.Week 6, the
Raiders make the trip over the pond to take on the Seattle Seahawks.Seattle
certainly isn’t the franchise they once were.A lot depends in this game on how
well the players adapt to the long travel and schedule adjustments they will
face.Returning home from London, the Raiders have their bye week. After that
they welcome in the Indianapolis Colts.Andrew Luck has looked pretty good in his
return to the field, but this is still a roster that lacks talent.This is a very
winnable game for the Raiders.In week 8, the Raiders will play their third game
in four weeks in their home state of California when they head to Santa Clara to
play the 49ers in primetime on Thursday night football.The 49ers two best
players have been lost for the season with ACL tears, the Raiders will fully
expect to win this one.
