Coliseum a sight for sore eyes
After 48 days away from home, Raiders will see fans again today vs. Lions
OAKLAND >> Sure, it’s a dump. But to the Raiders, for at least five more regular-season games anyway, it’s home.
The Raiders will have been away an unprecedented 48 days when they host the Detroit Lions today at the Coliseum, having last played there on Sept. 15 when there was still a baseball infield and Patrick Mahomes was leading the Kansas City
Chiefs to a 28-10 win.
“I’m excited, man.
I can’t wait,” Raiders safety Karl Joseph said.
“It feels like it’s been forever. We’ve been on the road so long I think I forgot what it looks like.”
It was tough to know what to make of the Raider when they left town. They have returned with a 3-4 record, having won two of the five games away from the Coliseum (including a 24-21 win over the Chicago Bears in London that is officially designated as a ‘home’ game).
A personality has developed, with the Raiders staying competitive with a balanced, hard-nosed offense, key play-makers in running back Josh Jacobs and tight end Darren Waller and an efficient quarterback in Derek Carr. The defense is better, although still deficient in terms of rush and coverage.
The schedule is more favorable too, and not just because the Raiders are
returning home. It begins with a Lions team that is 3-3-1 and led by quarterback Matthew Stafford, and he’ll be a handful. But before the Raiders deal with Stafford and Co., they’re looking forward to taking in the home ambiance and hearing the roar of the crowd.
“I hope it’s rocking. It’s always the same to me,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said. “It’ll be great to be at home and play in front of our fans. We can’t wait to get out there.”
Carr knows what to expect.
“Oh, it’s going to be rowdy, I know that,” Carr said. :”I think our fans miss us, and we miss them. We need a home game. We need each other. I can’t wait to see our fans, running out that tunnel. There’s nothing like it.”
Left guard Richie Incognito, having been to the Coliseum as a visitor, is looking forward to having the dark side on his side. Incognito and cornerback Nevin Lawson were serving suspensions when the Raiders opened the season with two home dates.
“I remember we ran a ‘97 G-lead’ into the end zone by the Black Hole when I was with the Bills,” Incognito said. “I kicked out Bruce Irvin, we went in for the score. I grabbed the running back to celebrate and there was everything being launched at us. It felt good back then putting it on the Black Hole, but now we want to play well, score a bunch of points and get those guys rowdy.”
The road trip is long enough that there are eight players who weren’t on the 53-man roster on Sept. 15: Incognito, wide receiver Trevor Davis and Zay Jones, cornerback Nevin Lawson, linebackers Brandon Marshall and Will Compton, center Erik Magnuson and defensive tackle Terrell Mcclain.
1. GROUND THE PASSING FANCY >> The Raiders defense is allowing opposing quarterbacks a passer rating of 115.5. To put that in perspective, Peyton Manning had a rating that high for a single season exactly once. Tom Brady has done it once. Drew Brees has done it once.
Stafford, in his 11th season out of Georgia, has thrived in offensive coordinator Darrell Bevel’s system and has completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 2,093 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. He can spin it with the best of them, including Deshaun Watson and Aaron Rodgers, both of whom had their way with the Raiders the last two weeks.
So what’s to prevent the Lions from placing a “554” circled on the blackboard, throwing the ball on every down and trying to break Norm Van Brocklin’s all-time single game yardage figure set in 1951? Nothing really, except trying to preserve Stafford’s right arm.
Stafford’s got a trio of dangerous outside targets in Marvin Jones, Kenny Golladay and slot receiver Danny Amendola and a first-round draft pick at tight end in T.J. Hockenson.
Lawson, who signed with the Raiders after five seasons in Detroit, offered the following scouting report.
“They have two great receivers on the outside I know very well and they play with a chip on their shoulder They play angry,” Lawson said. “They have a dude in that’s been in the league for a long time. He’s very crafty. He knows what he’s doing. It’s going to be a tough task, but I feel we have the players in our secondary and as a defense to do what we need to do.”
2. GET JOSH JACOBS GOING >> The Raiders never said it, but they lessened the load a bit on Jacobs last week because of a shoulder injury. He carried 15 times for 66 yards. Jacobs came off the injury report entirely Friday, and he’s been bounding about the locker room this week with a smile on his face and without a care in the world as the newly crowned AFC Offensive Rookie of the Month.
The surest way to make sure Stafford doesn’t have a record setting day is to keep him standing on the sidelines, and the best way to do that is to run Jacobs early and often, getting him 20plus carries and more than 100 yards. The good news is the Lions are ranked 26th in the NFL against the run (130.7 yards per game).
If Rodney Hudson plays this week and the Raiders are at full strength up front, the potential is there to simply take this game by the throat physically and set up Carr to pile up the completions and take the occasional downfield shot.
3. PLAY TO THE CROWD >> There’s a synergy in the Coliseum between the Raiders and their fans when the going is good. The way to make sure all that pregame tailgating is put to good use is another quick start from Gruden’s opening script, and then a few defensive plays when the place is rollicking.
Joseph is convinced it makes a difference defensively.
“I’m excited to get back in front of our home fans and have that noise while we’re on defense,” Joseph said. “I think it brings a different energy to us when our crowd is loud when we’re on defense.”
Raiders players who scored touchdowns should visit go the stands, regardless of whether it’s the south or north end zone.
Pregame interaction with fans during pregame introductions should be encouraged, if not made mandatory.
4. GET A TAKEAWAY OR TWO >> The Raiders have one interception in the United States, and it came from Erik Harris in Week 4 which he ran back 30 yards for a touchdown. Get one of those Sunday and the chances of a win increase dramatically. The other two interceptions came from Gareon Conley and Nicholas Morrow in London against an overmatched Chase Daniel.
Beating a good quarterback means standing up and making a play, whether it’s a pick or sack-fumble.
An eager fan base would respond favorably to either.
5. KEEP THE STREAK GOING >> Raiders wide receiver Tyrell Williams immediately got back into the end zone after missing two games with plantar faciitis, catching a 46-yard touchdown pass from Carr.
Williams also couldn’t come up with two catches (with admittedly a high degree of difficulty) late in the game that could have helped the Raiders beat Houston. Williams now has touchdown receptions in five straight games in which he’s played.
Carr said he intends to keep going to Williams when he’s singled up, so there should be an opportunity for a TD in six straight games.
The only two receivers to have six games streaks over the past four years? Minnesota’s Adam Theilen, and some guy named Antonio Brown of the Steelers.
• Defensive end Maxx Crosby was again the subject of NFL discipline, incurring two fines for a total of $52,462 for separate offenses in a 27-24 loss to the Houston Texans.
Crosby, according to a league source, was fined $10,427 for unnecessary roughness and then $42,115 for a hit on Deshaun Watson. Both fines are pending appeal.