After the Raiders were able to hang around with the Chiefs in Week 4, you got the sense that even in the loss, they felt like they proved some doubters wrong. Well, that mixed feeling has passed. You get that one time and then after that, it's just simply wins and losses.
In the Ballers & Busters it's about individual performances, so, sure, giving credit to those who played well despite the loss is part of that. And, yeah, tying the game twice, including midway through the fourth quarter is worth something. On the other hand, each time the game was tied, it was the Raiders having to claw back to get to that point. That was the case starting in the second quarter. And you can't keep playing from behind against a team like the Bills and expect
to come out on top.
With that said...
Busters
C Tyler Linderbaum
After a second field goal drive from the Bills, the Raiders still held a 7-6 lead early in the second quarter. They followed up that second Buffalo score with a three-and-out. And the play that stood out in that series was Linderbaum getting tossed out the club to get Mike Washington stuffed at the line.
Next drive, the Raiders made it into the red zone. They found themselves in fourth and one, which means their version of the tush push. This time they tried to get tricky a little bit with Connor Heyward initially lining up on the right side of the line. But he would come in motion and set up behind center. At which point Linderbaum began leaning forward before the ball was snapped. He was flagged for a false start -- the third penalty he's had on that play this season -- and the Raiders instead kicked the field goal.
With the Raiders tying it up at the end of the second quarter, they would get the ball again to start the third to try and double up. That next possession ended with another three-and-out. On second down, Linderbaum didn't pass off his man on the stunt and got Kirk Cousins nailed and driven into the turf. It was clearly a very painful moment for Cousins. The pass was incomplete, as was the next one and it gave way to another Bills scoring drive to break the tie.
It was the Bills who would get the double up off the turnover and take a 10-point lead. The first play of the Raiders' response, Linderbaum gave up a run stuff for a loss. That one they were able to get out of. But the other mistakes were all very costly.
CB Darien Porter
The first play of the Bills' second drive saw Porter give up a 37-yard catch. In the fourth quarter, right after the Raiders had tied it up at 23-23, the Bills called a swing pass on the left side, and Porter bit hard inside, leaving James Cook open for a 26-yard catch and run to the three-yard-line. They scored the TD on the next play. And the final Bills scoring drive, it was Porter who gave up the 15-yard catch that put them in field goal range to be able to make it a two-score game.
DC Rob Leonard
As mentioned before, the Bills are a tough out. But what we're seeing the Raiders defense routinely give up this season are some of the most wide open swing passes and check downs I've ever seen. And multiple times a game you see it. The Bills' first TD drive of the game had two of them. The second was the biggest play of the drive. And the touchdown in the fourth quarter that broke the tie it was the same thing. Josh Allen rolls out, James Cook leaks and there's nobody home. Easy throw, catch, and huge play. These are either a matter of scheme, play calling, or discipline. Regardless of which, it's on Leonard to get it fixed. Because it has become an epidemic for this defense.
WR Cody White
With several big catches early in this season, you start to wonder how White could have been cut by the Seahawks and was available to be signed to the practice squad. Then there are moments where you go, oh yeah, that's why.
He had two targets in this game and dropped both of them. Neither were nice, easy catches, but both are catches he absolutely should have made and didn't. One was up high on a cross and he was nailed immediately after. But not before he dropped it. If he dropped it because he knew he was going to get taken out, well, that's kinda what separates the greats from the not-so-greats. Those balls that you get taken out and still hold on.
The worse one was at the goal line in third and five. He went on a quick slant and was in position to make the catch. Kirk Cousins put it low, which is where you want that pass to be, so he can go down and get it and the defender can't. He went low and didn't hold on. Again, it's a catch you see good receivers make all the time. Had he made it, the Raiders would have tied made it a 23-20 game instead of 23-16, making it possible that instead of then tying it up on their next drive, they could have taken the lead. A four-point play in a game that ends with a three-point deficit is significant.
LB Segun Olubi
Special teams play seems to become more important later in games like this. The Bills went up 30-23 late and the Raiders needed a touchdown to respond. The distance they would need to go was lengthened due to Olubi being flagged for holding on the return, putting them back at their own 18.
They went nowhere on the drive, which wouldn't help in their dire need to win the field position battle. Made much worse was Olubi being flagged for a facemask penalty on the punt return which had the Bills drive starting in Vegas territory already at the 49. Two plays and they were in range to make it a two-score game. Brutal couple special teams plays by Olubi completely shifted field position when the Raiders could least afford it.
See Raiders Week 6 Ballers
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders Busters for Week 6 vs Bills
