Oakland Raiders: What You Need to Know Heading into Week 9

With two wins in their last three games, the Oakland Raiders are building a little momentum as the season nears the midway point. They can get to .500 by beating the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 9, a game that is shaping up to be pivotal for both teams.

Before that, however, head coach Dennis Allen and his staff still have plenty to correct.

As nice as Sunday’s 21-18 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers was, the Raiders didn’t exactly dominate and had to withstand a late surge by the Steelers before holding on and improving to 3-4.

The offense was completely shut down in the second half, and quarterback Terrelle Pryor and the passing attack never really clicked. Even defensive coordinator Jason Tarver, whose squad played perhaps its best game overall this season, couldn’t escape criticism.

Tarver was caught on national television flipping his middle finger at officials on the field after a penalty was initially called against the Raiders during the game against Pittsburgh. Tarver issued a statement of apology, though he’s still likely to get fined by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Here are a few other things to be thinking about as the Raiders prep for the game against the Eagles.

Division Standings

Team	Record	Games back
Kansas City Chiefs	8-0	--
Denver Broncos	7-1	1
San Diego Chargers	4-3	3 1/2
Oakland Raiders	3-4	4 1/2

The Kansas City Chiefs got a tougher-than-expected game with the Cleveland Browns but held on for a 23-17 win to remain the NFL’s only unbeaten team at 8-0. Denver stayed a game back after rallying from an early deficit and scoring 38 unanswered points to overcome three interceptions and a fumble by quarterback Peyton Manning in a 45-21 win over the Washington Redskins. San Diego had the week off because of the bye and is three-and-a-half games off the pace at 4-3. The Raiders’ ability to shut down the Pittsburgh Steelers allowed them to improve to 3-4 with a softer portion of their schedule coming up.

Injury report

Right tackle Tony Pashos	Hip Flexor
Center/guard Andre Gurode	Quad
Safety Tyvon Branch	Ankle

For the first time this season, the Raiders didn’t have a lengthy injury report. In fact, Coach Allen didn’t have any injuries to report at all.

On the contrary, Allen actually delivered some encouraging news during his Monday press conference.

Left tackle Jared Veldheer, out since training camp with a torn triceps, was scheduled to meet with a doctor in Los Angeles for a check-up. Though Allen didn’t go into detail, it’s hoped that if everything checks out that Veldheer can begin the next phase of his rehabilitation.

Also, linebacker Miles Burris and offensive lineman Menelik Watson are expected to practice with the rest of the team on Wednesday. Burris has been on the physically unable to perform list after undergoing knee surgery in the offseason, while Watson has been plagued by a calf problem since before the start of training camp.

There was no update on any of Oakland’s other injured players, specifically right tackle Tony Pashos and backup center Andre Gurode. Both players were inactive for the game, as was safety Tyvon Branch.

News

Tarver issued a brief one-paragraph statement apologizing for his actions during the game, and Allen seemed satisfied with it.

“I don’t think it’s one of those things you say, ‘Let’s forget about it,’” Allen said. “Listen, he’s made his statement about what happened. The only thing I’ll say is I think he’s done an outstanding job with this defense. He’s a fiery and emotional guy and I think our players have really taken to that type of attitude. He’s got the defense playing at a high level right now.”

What must improve

• The Raiders had a terrible second half offensively against Pittsburgh, and Allen blamed his own players for a lack of execution. That’s true to a certain extent, but it’s the second time this season they’ve allowed a big early lead to slip away.

Opponents are making adjustments at halftime and Oakland has had trouble handling it. At some point the coaches have to take responsibility.

• Center Stefen Wisniewski returned to the lineup but was noticeably rusty, according to Allen. That’s to be expected considering he’d missed three weeks. Now that he’s back, however, the Raiders need Wiz to get back up to speed as soon as possible.

Oakland hasn’t had much stability at all up front due to injuries up and down the line, and the running game has taken a hit because of it. Wisniewski’s presence in the lineup should be a calming influence, but the offense will continue to sputter the longer he takes to get to the form he had before getting hurt.

• Wide receivers Denarius Moore and Rod Streater have been fairly consistent for the most part. The same can’t be said of backups Jacoby Ford and rookie Brice Butler.

The two men suffered through a nightmarish afternoon. Ford fumbled twice on special teams and a third time on offense, while Butler dropped two passes, including one that bounced off his hands and into the arms of a Pittsburgh defender.

Having a consistently productive third option in the receiver corps would go a long way toward speeding up the growth of quarterback Pryor, who still has a tendency to panic sometimes when his first and second reads aren’t available.

• Pryor’s 93-yard touchdown run against the Steelers put him into the record books. It also masked an otherwise erratic game for the Raiders’ quarterback.

While only one of his two interceptions was truly his fault, Pryor had several of his throws sail off target. He partially blamed the weather, as heavy winds whipped through the Coliseum all afternoon.

Still, Oakland’s offense will only go so far as Pryor’s passing can take it. His abilities as a runner are unquestioned but teams will eventually take that away until Pryor can prove he can consistently move the ball throw the air. He’s getting better at it, but it has to be more than just baby steps.

* Any quotes and information contained in this and any report by Michael Wagaman were obtained first-hand.