One-sided: Down early and couldn’t catch up
Three straight losses, a bevy of question marks across the board and a quarterback who may not be ready to play next week.
That’s the situation Jack Del Rio and the Raiders find themselves in following Sunday’s 30-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, a setback that was stunning and alarming for many reasons.
And on the sixth anniversary of the death of Al Davis, no less.
That 2-0 start? A distant memory. Those preseason predictions of challenging the Patriots for supremacy in the
AFC? A heartwarming thought, perhaps, but nothing more at this point.
“I don’t even know what to say,” running back Jalen Richard said in the quiet of the Raiders’ locker room. “It’s like a bad shock. We just keep getting our ass whooped. It’s just going to come down to when (are) we going to get tired of getting our ass whooped.”
At 2-3, Oakland is in third place in the AFC West and only one game ahead of the Los Angeles Chargers, who come to town next week for a game that will leave the loser in the division cellar.
Who will quarterback the Raiders in that game remains uncertain. EJ Manuel started in place of the injured Derek Carr against the Ravens and was ineffective much of the afternoon. He completed 13 of 26 passes for 159 yards and a touchdown, but he was sacked three times and missed two open receivers in the end zone prior to Marshawn Lynch’s 3-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
Lynch’s score cut Baltimore’s lead to 24-17 and provided a glimmer of hope, but that wound up being one of the few highlights on a day when the Raiders suffered their first home loss since Oct. 16.
“Pretty disappointing,” Del Rio said. “Down 14-0 before the fans are sitting down. Just not playing well. Not playing well enough. Tough loss, and not real happy about it.”
Before Lynch’s touchdown, Oakland’s bright spot came in the second quarter when Manuel ducked under a sack attempt and found Michael Crabtree racing past Baltimore’s secondary for a 41-yard touchdown.
Beyond that, the day belonged to Baltimore.
When Oakland punted after going three-and-out on its first drive of the second half, boos cascaded down from the Coliseum crowd — an emphatic stamp on a disappointing afternoon.
“That’s football,” linebacker Bruce Irvin said. “You’re going to face adversity, you’re going to face situations like that. You have to keep fighting and keep fighting and try to overcome it.”
The Ravens entered the game nursing an offense that had been held to 16 points combined in its previous two games. But quarterback Joe Flacco was nearly flawless while leading Baltimore to three touchdowns and a field goal in the first half, putting the Raiders in a hole they couldn’t climb out of.
Flacco was 19-of-26 for 222 yards, leading an offense that piled up 365 yards. The Ravens mixed things up nicely, getting 143 yards on the ground.
“That’s what we’ve been wanting to do, get the ball in the end zone, and we were able to do it a few times today,” Flacco said. It got ugly quickly. On the first play from scrimmage, cornerback Sean Smith was burned for a 52yard completion from Flacco to Mike Wallace, helping set up a 2-yard touchdown run by reserve tight end Vince Mayle. Smith later was beaten on a 54-yard completion that set the stage for a Baltimore field goal.
The Ravens were in the end zone again 95 seconds after Mayle’s touchdown when cornerback Jimmy Smith scooped up tight end Jared Cook’s fumble and returned it 47 yards for another score.
By the time Javorius Allen bulled his way in for a 1-yard touchdown early in the second quarter, the Coliseum was a den of silence, in stark contrast to three weeks earlier when Lynch danced on the sideline and the fans celebrated with a raucous party.
The boos returned in the fourth quarter when the Raiders, trailing 27-17, punted from the Baltimore 44 rather than go for a first down on 4thand-3 with nearly nine minutes left.
Carr, who spent the afternoon watching from the sideline, was inactive because of a broken bone in his back but could be cleared for the Chargers game after being limited in practice last week.
Then again, with all of the problems facing the Raiders, the question is whether it matters.
“I think Coach Jack said it best: You get what you earn, and right now we’re 2-3,” safety Karl Joseph said. “We have to dig ourselves out and get ready for next week.”