Midterm report: At 3-5, 2nd-half surge needed
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Starting slow was not a problem for the Raiders on Sunday, as their offense marched 81 yards in a crisp 13 plays for a touchdown and early seven-point lead on the Bills.
It was simply everything after that. The offense slowed. Holding onto the ball proved difficult. A willing defense bent as it was repeatedly pressed into action in the second half.
The result was a 34-14 Oakland loss that tempered the excitement surrounding its last-play win over Kansas City 10 days earlier. Halfway through the season, the Raid-
ers are 3-5, already eclipsing last season’s loss total. They will stay on the East Coast this week before playing Miami on Sunday and then have their bye, during which Oakland will have a chance to diagnose what has gone wrong in a season that began with so much promise.
“Got to man up and recognize that’s what it is,” head coach Jack Del Rio said of the Raiders’ record. “That’s what we’ve earned to this point. Halfway mark, 3-5, clearly not what we were looking for. But it’s what we’ve earned to this point.”
Del Rio said protecting the ball was a point of emphasis for the Raiders against a Buffalo team that came into Sunday leading the NFL with a plus-10 turnover margin. Instead, that figure grew to plus-14 as the Raiders committed four turnovers, including three in a pivotal span of five minutes of play.
With 41 seconds left before halftime in a 7-7 game, quarterback Derek Carr threw a short pass to running back DeAndre Washington, who was hit hard by cornerback Leonard Johnson. The ball popped out of Washington’s arms and into those of linebacker Matt Milano, who returned it 40 yards for a touchdown and sharp momentum swing.
Washington said Johnson’s helmet “hit the ball. Good hit on contact. Gotta hold onto the ball, though, regardless.”
The Raiders forced a punt to open the second half, but return man Jalen Richard fumbled and lost the ball at the 14-yard line. Oakland’s defense held Buffalo to a field goal, and then found itself right back on the field after a Carr third-down pass for Michael Crabtree was tipped and intercepted by safety Micah Hyde.
Buffalo kicked another field goal and all but sealed the game with its next drive, a 12-play, 80-yard slog that ate up the final 7:16 of the third quarter and the first three seconds of the fourth. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor lunged over the goal line for a 1-yard touchdown and Stephen Hauschka’s extra point made it 27-7.
“At the end of the day, the biggest detriment or factor was minus-4 in turnovers,” Del Rio said. “It’s hard to go minus-4 and have the game go the way you’re looking.”
The Raiders actually outgained Buffalo 367 yards to 331. Carr eclipsed 300 yards passing for the second straight game — after not doing so in his first five games — but needed 49 attempts and threw two interceptions.
He started strong, going 5-for-8 passing on an opening drive that seemed to carry over from the 31-30 win over the Chiefs in Oakland’s previous game. Carr set up a 1stand-goal at the 1 with backto-back completions of 21 yards. And fullback Jamize Olawale, who’d extended the drive by converting a 4thand-1 run, barreled into the end zone for his first touchdown of the season.
Oakland’s next drive began with a 40-yard pass from Carr to Crabtree. But rarely again was the offense so aggressive, and with running back Marshawn Lynch serving his one-game suspension, the ground game was minimal. Richard and Washington combined for 11 carries and 47 yards, though they were active in the passing game, combining for 13 catches, 97 yards and a touchdown.
Asked if the Bills defended them differently after the opening drive, tight end Jared Cook said: “Nah, we were just shooting ourselves in the foot, man. We were doing things that winning football teams shouldn’t do. Turnovers, penalties, bad field position. We gotta keep the chains moving.”
A 4-yard touchdown pass from Carr to Washington trimmed the deficit to 27-14 early in the fourth quarter. The Bills responded with a 48-yard touchdown run from LeSean McCoy, who had a season-high 151 yards on 27 carries.
“You have to give credit to the team we played against,” said receiver Amari Cooper, who had five catches for 48 yards. “They came to play. They made more plays than we did. We just have to get back in the swing of things.”
Carr threw his final pass of the day in Cooper’s direction. It was intercepted at the Buffalo 3 — and served as a reminder that the Raiders still are the only defense in the NFL without an interception this season.