We all knew this was coming.
The Philadelphia Eagles staggered into this game with three straight losses and with a major stink hovering over their offense. Yet, have no fear the Las Vegas Raiders were
coming into town.
Just like that, the Eagles looked like the team that won the Super Bowl last season.
It’s pretty easy when you play the Raiders. They roll out the same game every week.
They can’t move the ball on offense. They allow long drives on defense. They are terrible on third down on both sides of the ball. They lose the time of possession battle by a lot and they just don’t compete under first-year coach Pete Carroll.
And that what happened Sunday was as the Eagles cruised Las Vegas 31-0. The Raiders are 2-12 and have eight games in a row.
It was was the Raiders’ second 31-0 shutout loss of the season, the first coming in Week 7 at the Kansas City Chiefs. The Raiders have trailed by, at least, 17 points in eight of their 14 games.
This game was just a classic Raiders’ performance under Carroll, who seriously has to be worried about going one and done this season.
The Raiders had just 75 yards of total offense (their fewest in a game since 1961 per ESPN), the second time they have failed to reach 100 yards in a season. No, the unit has not improved under interim offensive coordinator Greg Olson, who replaced the fired Chip Kelly three games ago. This effort came against an Eagles’ defense that was gutted in the past three weeks.
The Eagles had three touchdown drives of 10 plays or more, continuing a nasty trend. Also, on cue, the Eagles had the ball for 39 minutes and 25 seconds, continuing yet another ugly trend.
The Raiders, who are in a battle with the New York Giants for the No. 1 overall draft pick, are a dreadful team with many, many holes. This team badly needs a quarterback, but that’s not all. they need everything including new coaching staff.
This is just not working and are getting painful reminders of exactly how bad of a state this franchise is in on a weekly basis.
Here are some key aspects of the game:
Pickett doesn’t do much:
Kenny Pickett wasn’t the primary reason why the Raiders lost this game, but he didn’t do much to help, either as he started for the injured Geno Smith. Pickett completed 15 of 25 passes for 64 yards and was part of the Raiders’ offensive woes. Friday, Carroll said Smith, who is dealing with shoulder nd back issues, could play next week at the Houston Texans. Pickett’s performance didn’t do much to change the Raiders’ thoughts about playing Smith when he is ready,
Third down issue again:
The Raiders have been a disaster on third down on both sides of the ball. The Eagles converted 10 of 13 times on third down and the Raiders’ offense was three of 12. Over the past three games, the Raiders; offense is eight of 29 on third down and defensively they 29 of 42.
Goedert gets them:
Eagles’ tight end Dallas Goedert had a big day as he had 70 yards and two touchdowns on six catches Sunday.
Keep an eye on Chiefs’ game:
All the focus is on the top draft pick and the big game is in Week 17 when the Raiders host the 2-12 New York Giants. But the Raiders have another winnable game in Week 18 when they host the Kansas City Chiefs. They have been eliminated from postseason play and they star quarterback Patrick Mahomes may have suffered a serious knee injury. Gardner Minshew could mess up the Raiders’ draft status.
Defense is awful:
The Raiders; offense has been so bad this season, the defense may have been given some grace. But it’s not been good, especially lately. That allowed three scoring drives of 10-plus plays and couldn’t cover or tackle well Sunday. The stagnant Eagles’ offense had 387 yards of offense and sat quarterback Jalen hurts and most of the other starters for most of the fourth quarter. Game broadcaster Greg Olsen offered this of the unit: “They just can’t execute basic coverage.” This team has so many holes to fill.
Offensive line has rough game … again:
The Raiders allowed four sacks Sunday. They have done so in six strait games. And yes, the rugged Houston Texans are awaiting next week.
Tough sequence for rookie cornerback:
Raiders’ rookie cornerback Darien Porter will playa lot with Kyu Blu Kelly out for the season. It was a rough late first quarter and early second quarter for Porter, though. Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith got past Porter on a 44-yard pass from Jalen Hurts to to the Raiders’ 22-yard line. Later, on the same drive, Porter then committed pass interference on third down near the goal line to give Philadelphia a first down.
Double digits for Maxx:
Raiders’ star defensive end Maxx Crosby sacked Hurts early in the second quarter in the red zone on third down to force an Eagles’ field goal. It was his 10th sack of the season. Crosby has registered double-digit sacks for the fourth time. His career high is 143.5 sacks in 2023.
Another bad start on defense:
The Raiders had been good to start games defensively. But for the third straight game, Las Vegas allowed a long touchdown drive to open the game. The Eagles cruised down the field on a 13-play, 67-yard drive that took seven minutes, nine seconds off the clock.
Cappa stays at center:
Alex Cappa remained the Raiders’ center. Jordan Meredith was inactive. Has a foot injury, but he he did practice fully during the week. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Cappa remains the center for the rest of the season. Rookie guard Caleb Rogers started for the third straight game and should remain there for the rest of the season.
New guy is up:
Cornerback Chigozie Anusiem was active Sunday, five days after being signed from the Arizona Cardinals practice squad. Rookie cornerback Greedy Vance was inactive. So, clearly, Anusiem had made a fast, good impression on the coaching staff.
Chinn moves around:
Versatile Raider’s safety Jeremy Chinn started the game at linebacker. He’s a valuable player.
Special guest:
Former United States president Joe Biden was in attendance at the game.
