Raiders vs. Colts: Full Roster Report Card for Oakland

Few people gave the Oakland Raiders much of a shot going into the Week 1 matchup in Indianapolis—and for good reason. Oakland is still in a rebuilding mode, was starting a mostly untested and still very raw quarterback and had won only one of its previous 10 season openers.

That made for good fodder leading up to the game, yet as the clocked reached the final minutes, the Raiders were in position to pull off what would have been a stunning upset.

Granted, the ending was a familiar and painful one for Oakland fans. However, there is a definitively different vibe about the team after watching the Raiders take the Colts to the limit.

Here's our position grades for the Raiders from their 21-17 loss to the Colts.

Quarterback

Terrelle Pryor turned more than a few heads with his record-setting performance as the Raiders starting quarterback. Not only did he set the franchise mark for most rushing yards by a quarterback, but Pryor also gained more yards on the ground than any other player in the NFL in Week 1.

That, more than any other reason, is why Oakland was able to keep the game as close as it was. Pryor's ability to escape the pass rush and keep plays alive was huge, and he excelled at running the read-option.

As promising as all of that is, however, Pryor still looked very green in terms of his passing. Several of his throws were at or near receivers' feet. The timing on his deep throws was off for most of the game, and there were quite a few passes that were wobbly and off target.

Still, even the most ardent of Matt Flynn fans has to acknowledge that head coach Dennis Allen made the right call in going with Pryor. It wasn't always pretty, but it was far better than anyone could have anticipated.

Grade: B-

Running Backs

Darren McFadden was mostly a non-factor, as was the entire backfield. That's what made quarterback Terrelle Pryor's performance rushing even more impressive.

McFadden gained just 48 yards on 17 carries (2.8 average), with his longest run going for just nine yards. Unacceptable, particularly against a Colts defense that is not that good against the run.

Indianapolis did stack the box to try to take McFadden away, and for the most part, it worked. The Raiders, however, have to be aware that most defenses will follow that lead until Oakland's passing game proves it can carry the load.

Rashad Jennings only had two carries, and fullback Marcel Reece was inexplicably left out of the game plan almost entirely outside of blocking.

Not a good start at all when the quarterback was the most impressive runner in the game.

Grade: C-

Wide Receivers

The Raiders didn't take too many deep shots downfield and stayed mostly with the underneath patterns in order to play to Terrelle Pryor's strengths. Still, credit Rod Streater and Denarius Moore for repeatedly finding creases in the coverages.

Streater, in particular, stood out. He caught five of the eight passes thrown his way and turned three of them into first downs. He was also the target on both of Pryor's interceptions, showing the comfort level the young quarterback has with Streater.

Moore also made some key plays, including the pivotal 21-yard catch that set the Raiders up with a 1st-and-goal with less than two minutes left. Yet you had the feeling Moore could have—and should have—done more.

The only other wide receivers to catch passes were Jacoby Ford (1-2) and rookie Brice Butler (1-8).

Grade: C+

Tight Ends

Oakland's tight ends didn't really get involved in the passing game and instead spent most of the afternoon staying in to help the offensive line block. That wasn't surprising, considering the shape the O-line is in.

Mychal Rivera, a sixth-round draft pick, caught two passes for 26 yards, but he was also called for too many men on the field during Oakland's final drive. The Raiders overcame the gaffe, but the rookie has to be aware of the situation.

In a play that might have summed up the afternoon, Jeron Mastrud hauled in the Raiders' longest pass of the day when he caught a 41-yarder from quarterback Terrelle Pryor on the team's final drive. Mastrud went down injured on the play, however, and didn't return.

Until the pass protection from the offensive line improves, expect the tight ends to play a similar role in future games. 

Grade: C

Offensive Line

It really was a mixed bag of results for the Raiders front five.

On one hand, newly signed right tackle Tony Pashos held up very well in his first game with the Raiders. Pashos graded out the highest in pass protection among all of Oakland's offensive linemen, according to Pro Football Focus. Center Stefen Wisniewski also graded out well.

On the other hand, the left side of the line was a mess. Khalif Barnes, starting at left tackle, was called for a false start and had a holding penalty declined late in the game. Left guard Lucas Nix really struggled. Between him and Barnes, they allowed nine pressures on the quarterback, according to PFF.https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/09/09/refo-raiders-colts-week-1/

Their running game never got going, either, and that was supposed to be the strength of the offense.

It could have been worse.

Had Matt Flynn started at quarterback instead of Terrelle Pryor, things might have gotten real ugly. As it stands, it was a mediocre performance at best.

Grade: C-

Defensive Line

The Raiders have to be feeling pretty good about the play of their defensive ends despite not being able to put consistent pressure on Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck.

Lamarr Houston and Jason Hunter both had solid games.

Houston led all defensive linemen with five tackles, and he added eight pressures (one sack, one hit, six hurries), according to Pro Football Focus. https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/09/09/refo-raiders-colts-week-1/

Hunter played better than expected against the run, and he also dropped Luck for a sack just before halftime.

Oakland's interior defense wasn't as good, however.

Vance Walker had three tackles but just one hurry. Pat Sims, expected to be the anchor of Oakland's defensive line, was a non-factor most of the day. Sims' strength is taking on double-teams in order to free up other players, but the Colts often went at him with just one blocker.

Indianapolis didn't have a huge day running the ball, but the breakdown on Luck's 19-yard touchdown was stunning. The defensive line got blown off the ball, allowing Luck an open pasture to run through.

Grade: C+

Linebackers

The Raiders linebackers combined for 19 tackles, but far too often, those tackles were made going backward against mediocre running backs. There were more than a handful of plays where the Colts backs broke through the first level and met no resistance from the linebackers.

If there was a positive, it was from middle linebacker Nick Roach. Roach led the team in tackles, the majority coming in the second half after Oakland had made its halftime adjustments.

Kaluka Maiava, starting because of rookie Sio Moore's injury, didn't stand out much at all, while Kevin Burnett had six tackles, but most of them were in coverage.

Oakland's defense played much better in the second half than it did in the opening 30 minutes, yet the slow start is what ultimately doomed the team. The linebackers have to be more aggressive. Of the four sacks Oakland had, none came from the middle defenders.

Grade: C

Cornerbacks

From a pure numbers standpoint, it looks like the Raiders cornerbacks had a rough afternoon. Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck has a way of doing that to players.

Tracy Porter had good coverage on a pair of plays, yet Luck managed to thread the ball in, once for a touchdown. First-round pick D.J. Hayden also had solid coverage on three plays in nickel situations, only to see Luck find just enough room to complete his throw.

It was that kind of afternoon for the Raiders.

Mike Jenkins, Oakland's other starting corner, missed a tackle near the goal line and was beaten three times. He also picked up a penalty for pass interference.

Not a complete failure by any stretch, but not good enough either.

Grade: C-

Safeties

Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck did a good job most of the game of utilizing the underneath crossing patterns, and the Raiders never quite adjusted.

Charles Woodson didn't have much of an impact in his first game back in the silver and black. He made just three tackles and seemed to give up on Luck's touchdown run late in the game after what he perceived was a holding penalty against the Colts.

Woodson might not have been able to stop Luck, but it seemed odd when he was looking for the referee to throw a flag while Luck was still trying to bull his way into the end zone.

Tyvon Branch was a little more effective and did get one of the Raiders' four sacks. He was also called for a personal foul, which enabled the Colts to sustain a drive that ultimately ended in Luck's go-ahead touchdown run.

Grade: C+

Special Teams

You know it's going to be a long day when Sebastian Janikowski misses his first field-goal attempt of the season, a 48-yarder that is normally right in his wheelhouse. That was a critical miss, too, because it forced the Raiders to have to go for a touchdown rather than a potential go-ahead field goal on the final drive.

Janikowski did come back to nail a 38-yarder, but he and holder Marquette King have a lot of work to do to get comfortable together.

King had a pair of booming punts but still needs work with his directional kicking.

The return units weren't much of a factor. Jacoby Ford showed some good speed on kickoff returns but didn't get the downfield blocking he needed.

Janikowski also made sure the Colts didn't get a chance to return a kickoff, sending all four of his into the end zone for touchbacks.

Grade: C+