Game Grades: @ Denver Broncos

Alright, I needed more than 24 hours to cool down after the Raiders 23-20 loss to the Broncos in week 2. Mike Shanahan iced Sebastian Janikowski masterfully, but take solace in knowing that the Broncos don’t have a shot in hell in winning anything this season. Denver escaped losses against Buffalo & Oakland. They’ll get demolished against teams like Indianapolis and New England. And with that, here are my grades for week 2:

Passing Game: D-
Josh McCown only completed 8 of 16 passes for a measly 73 yards and a touchdown, but three interceptions will kill you every time. McCown’s first pick was initiated by a bad decision. He tried forcing a pass deep in his own zone and it cost him. We’ll never know if Champ Bailey was out of bounds on the play, thanks in part to poor television coverage and no challenge by the Raiders. The second pick was unlucky. The capper however is McCown’s final pick on what could have been the drive to win the game in regulation. Key Stat: Raiders netted +2 yards in passing in the 1st half.

Running Game: B+
What McCown couldn’t accomplish in the air, Lamont Jordan made up for it on the ground with a career high 159 yards on 25 carries. The only thing that was missing was a touchdown for Jordan. The Raiders challenged the Broncos front four all day, and Denver couldn’t stop the run. Jordan’s 33-yard run in overtime should have provided the boost to get the Raiders in the win column, but the drive was stalled after the passing game couldn’t help balance the attack.

Pass Defense: C+
The Raiders defense did pick off Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler twice (once for a big score), but the 2nd year signal caller did rip off 269 yards and a touchdown on 23 off 33 attempts. Thomas Howard’s interception and ensuing TD was the defensive highlight of the game for Oakland. The tackling woes continue, although not as glaringly as the run defense.

Run Defense: D+
Travis Henry seemingly had his way with the Raider defense all afternoon, but the most glaring failure of the run defense was on the game-winning drive. Henry’s 13-yard scamper on 3rd down, followed by a 7-yard run setup Jason Elam’s field winning goal. Henry amassed 128 yards. The Broncos combined for 181 yards total on the ground and a Cecil Sapp TD. Selvin Young busts a 40-yard run because of poor tackling.

Special Teams: C
Sebastian Janikowski does not make up the entire special teams unit, so his would be game-winning miss in overtime isn’t the only thing that goes into this grade. Janikowski’s failure to deliver is getting old, and it’s time for the Raiders to cut their losses (literally). The kicking game did net an onside kick recovery and held the Broncos to 6 yards on punt coverage.

Coaching: C+
Not having a passing game to balance things out did limit some of Lane Kiffin’s options, but there were flashes of creativity. Several running plays on obvious passing situations netted a couple of key first downs. One big blunder was a draw play called early in the 4th quarter that killed a drive. Loved the onside kick call.

Intangibles: C
This was a moral victory for the Raiders, because it showed that this team could compete with its divisional foe. Unfortunately, moral victories are for losers. Still, this team is showing signs of life, and players are competing. Hopefully defensive coordinator spends an entire practice on tackling fundamentals.

Officiating: C-
I can’t say that the officiating was horrible, but I certainly won’t say that is was great. Raiders drew 10 penalties for 70 yards. Broncos only draw 6 penalties for 34 yards. Nnamdi Asomugha is whistled for pass interference while running stride for stride with Javon Walker, but Dre Bly gets away with interference with Jerry Porter on what should have been a sure touchdown…no flag. An awful defensive holding call on Gerard Warren after Travis Henry runs for 10 yards.