Houston Texans vs. Oakland Raiders: Full Report Card Grades for Oakland
For the second week in a row, the Oakland Raiders failed to meet their own expectations. A disappointing performance to start the season raised some concerns. But now that the team has played so poorly in consecutive games, fears are starting to arise that perhaps this really is the type of performance that should be expected from this team in 2014.
The matchup against the Houston Texans was supposed to be a winnable game, but the Raiders were never really in it. The final score of 30-14 is misleading as the Raiders didn't score until the fourth quarter, at which time they were already down 27-0. The late touchdowns provided little more than moral victories.
The most frustrating part of the loss is that it's difficult to pinpoint exactly what went wrong against Houston. Despite being outplayed for four quarters, it would help if the team could point at something and say, "That's what needs to be fixed."
It becomes a lot more difficult when the thing you're pointing at is the entire team.
No matter what area you look at on offense and on defense, Oakland was outplayed. But as bad as the Raiders played, they still have to get ready for next week. This might not be a .500 team this season, but it certainly has the talent to be better than what it's shown through the first two weeks.
Here's a position-by-position assessment of the team's performance in Week 2.
Quarterback
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Whenever a team has a rookie starting quarterback, it's common for the coaches to try to protect him with short passes and an emphasis on the running game. The first of those has been somewhat true for Derek Carr, but he's been asked to throw a lot through the first two games of his career.
After throwing 32 passes in his debut, Carr threw 42 times against Houston. Despite his inexperience, he actually performed well given the increased workload. He completed 27 passes while averaging 6.3 yards per attempt, and he didn't take a single sack.
The problems for Carr came in the turnover department. He threw a touchdown pass, but he also had two interceptions. However, one of those was arguably a fluke. The first interception he threw was a forced pass into tight coverage, and he should've gone elsewhere with the ball. The second interception occurred when he was hit as he threw, and the ball fluttered into the hands of a pass-rusher.
Overall, Carr actually played pretty well. He continued to look comfortable and in control, and the offense did look more effective than it did the previous week. This is what you hope to see from a rookie: week-to-week improvement. The interceptions hurt his performance as well as that of the offense as a whole. But, overall, he continues to look like the right man for the job.
Grade: C-
Running Back
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The running game once again didn't have a major impact in this game, but as was the case in Week 1, this is largely due to the lack of touches.
For the game, the Raiders only had 17 rushes, but they managed to break the 100-yard mark against Houston. This was in large part due to Carr's surprise run that went for 41 yards, but Darren McFadden also looked good.
His numbers might not be too impressive, but they don't tell the whole story. While McFadden finished the game with 12 carries for only 37 yards, he looked stronger as the game progressed, and he picked up his first touchdown of the season. He showed the powerful, violent running style that he's capable of, and he began to impose his will on the defense, exemplified by the huge hit he laid on would-be tackler Darryl Morris.
Unfortunately, the Raiders were down early, which led to the offense quickly abandoning the running game as it played catch up. But it was a good sign that McFadden ran strong, and that he was able to do so for four quarters. If he's given 20-25 carries in a game, his numbers will improve given how he looked against the Texans.
This could provide the support Carr needs to balance out the offense and make it dangerous or, at the very least, efficient.
Grade: D+
Fullback
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Marcel Reece was supposed to be a major contributor this season. But that hasn't been the case through Oakland's first two games. In fact, ESPN.com's Bill Williamson noted that Reece's touches have actually gone down this season, and he played in only a third of the offensive snaps on Sunday.
Per Williamson, head coach Dennis Allen had this to say following the game: "Marcel’s a player that we think can help us. We’ll try to use him the best that we can and give us a chance to have success."
Reece is a player that can have a major impact offensively but potential doesn't help the team. Unless he actually gets the touches, he won't be able to contribute. He only had one touch against Houston, making him a non-factor. Until he gets more touches, both as a runner and a receiver, he'll continue to be a forgotten man on offense.
Grade: N/A
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Tight End
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As the tight end, Mychal Rivera is supposed to provide some security for his rookie quarterback. He needs to be a dependable option and a consistent threat. He was that on Sunday, catching five passes on seven targets for 31 yards. But his overall performance was marred by a costly fumble that killed momentum on what had been a solid drive.
Rivera's fumble looks even worse given the Raiders' odd fumble problems on Sunday. It was part of a long day in which the Oakland offense couldn't get out of its own way. Whether it was penalties or turnovers, the offense did more to stop itself than the Houston defense did.
But aside from the fumble, Rivera played solid overall. He was a reliable target as a receiver and was a major factor in Oakland's blocking scheme that successfully contained J.J. Watt.
Rivera averaged 6.2 yards a reception, and the offense is going to need better than this from him. It wasn't a great performance, but it also wasn't defined by the fumble. Yes, it was costly, but it doesn't negate his overall production as a receiver and as a blocker.
Grade: D+
Wide Receiver
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In Week 1, Maurice Jones-Drew provided one of the strangest plays I've ever seen when he took a hand-off, got clothes-lined by a defender and ended up punting the ball right back into the hands of Derek Carr.
That's hard to top, but James Jones certainly tried on Sunday when he fumbled the ball twice—on the same play.
The play was emblematic of the offense' performance. The first fumble came after a good pass from Carr and a nice grab from Jones, negating a good gain. After he picked it up, he continued to run for an even bigger gain, then fumbled again, once again stopping the offense's momentum. Oakland just couldn't get out of its own way.
The passing game was unable establish consistency. While the receivers made some nice catches, there were also several drops. Like the turnover, these drops stopped several series in which the offense had momentum.
The Raiders could've scored more points. The frustration comes from the fact that on too many drives, it wasn't the Houston defense getting the stop. It was the offense stopping itself.
Oakland isn't good enough to overcome major mistakes. The wide receivers have to be reliable, something that they weren't on Sunday.
Grade: D
Offensive Line
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On a day when the Raiders under-performed in pretty much every area, the offensive line had a quietly efficient day.
The biggest question was how this unit, which looked completely overwhelmed just a week ago, would fare against the league's top pass-rusher in J.J. Watt. The result was surprising: Watt was not only held without a sack, he was held without a tackle for the game.
Part of the credit for this also goes to Reece and Rivera, both of which were regularly sent to Watt's side to help out. But the bulk of the work was done by the offensive line, particularly Donald Penn. This was one of the few bright spots on Sunday.
The O-Line also didn't give up a sack on the day, but this was in part due to Carr's underrated mobility. There were still times when Carr wasn't allowed to set his feet and really survey the field. There's also work to be done in run blocking, an area where the offense performed better this week but still not as good as it needs to given the talent in the backfield.
There's plenty of room for improvement, but this is one area were the Raiders showed some progress.
Grade: C-
Defensive Line
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For the second time in as many weeks, the Oakland defensive line was a complete non-factor. After two games, the Raiders have managed only two sacks—one by linebacker Sio Moore, and one by safety Tyvon Branch.
The unit didn't fare any better against the run this week, as it was completed dominated yet again on the ground, this time by Arian Foster. He finished the game with 138 rushing yards and a touchdown, with an average of 4.9 yards per carry.
Case in point: The Texans gained possession of the ball with 14:07 left in the fourth quarter, and they proceeded to go on 14-play drive that ate up 9:21 of game clock. Of those plays, not a single one was a pass.
Two weeks into the regular season, the defense has already allowed 400 yards rushing on the ground.
Another tell-tale sign is that Oakland's top tackler on Sunday was safety Tyvon Branch, who finished with 12 tackles, 10 of them solo, and he too often was the one to finally bring the running back down. Your safety should not be making so many run-stopping plays downfield.
But it's not just that the defensive line hasn't made any game-changing plays. It's that it's been bullied and cancelled out each game this season. Whether it's the pass rush or the run defense, the defensive line has done nothing to earn any respect or inspire confidence after two games.
The Texans were able to get whatever they wanted on the ground, and for the second week in a row, the opposing quarterback didn't look like he needed to wash his jersey after the game. Ryan Fitzpatrick looked comfortable all game as he was able to pick his spots. At no point was he ever under any real pressure.
It's only Week 2, so it's too soon to call the unit hopeless. But it needs to do something, and it needs to do it soon. Because after the performance they had against the Texans, it's hard to argue that any member of the Raiders' defensive line deserves to be a starter in the NFL.
Grade: F
Linebacker
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Sio Moore continued to be one of the few bright spots on the Oakland defense. He plays every down as if the game is on the line, and his production reflects it. Unfortunately, he went down with an ankle injury, ending his day early.
Khalil Mack still appears lost at times, but he continues to show signs of the player the Raiders hope he'll be. He had a pass deflected and was one of the few defenders to get into the back field and at least threaten to make a play.
Despite Mack's struggles and Moore's early exit, they still combined for 12 tackles, 10 of which were unassisted.
The absence of Nick Roach is becoming more and more obvious with each game. He's been out through the first two weeks of the season, and Miles Burris and Kaluka Maiava have both had the opportunity to step in and replace his production. So far, neither has succeeded.
The unit overall continues to struggle in part because it's having to pick up the defensive line's slack, and also because it's missing its leader. Once Roach returns, both Moore and Mack should start to perform better.
Grade: D+
Secondary
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"We suck."
Those were the words of veteran Charles Woodson following Oakland's embarrassing performance this past Sunday, per CSNBayArea.com's Scott Bair. He was referring to the team as a whole, but in particular to the defense.
The stats don't look too bad, but that's primarily because the Texans didn't choose to go to the air more often. Ryan Fitzpatrick was only 14-of-19 for 139 yards, but he still threw two touchdowns. When Houston decided to pass, there always seemed to be a receiver wide open. The Houston wide receivers average nine yards per completion.
In his frustration, Woodson also added after the game, "For whatever reason, defensively we just won’t stop people, especially early in games. Every drive, every first drive, teams are able to go and get points. Today, it happened all day."
The secondary has been picked on through the first two weeks, and that was at the hands of Geno Smith and Fitzpatrick, two average NFL quarterbacks. That's not an encouraging sign heading into next week's match against Tom Brady.
Unless someone besides Woodson steps up, the secondary is going to continue to get picked apart.
Grade: D-
Special Teams
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Sebastian Janikowski and Marquette King had similar games to the one they had last week. Janikowski never really had a chance to play, and King was out there too often to punt the ball away. King did see a drop off this week, averaging only 40 yards per punt. Given the offensive struggles, the team is going to need better than that from him.
Coverage was also not given a chance to make an impact. The Texans had only nine return yards on punts, and they didn't log a single return for the game on kickoffs.
The one area that special teams did get to put in some work was in kick returns, and Latavius Murray handled the job well. He had 103 return yards on four attempts, something that helped the offense begin with at least reasonable field position during the game.
Special teams didn't do too much to help on Sunday, but it also didn't do anything to hurt the team. On a day that Oakland spent repeatedly shooting itself in the foot, that was especially important.
Grade: C-
Coaching
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The coaching left a lot to be desired in Oakland's Week 1 loss to the New York Jets. The defense made no adjustments, and the offensive play-calling was frustratingly conservative in a game that was there for the taking.
Week 2 saw some improvement on offense. The offense still struggled, but that was mainly due to the players being unable to hold onto the ball. The play-calling was more aggressive, and Carr looked up to the task.
The area where there's still a lot left to be desired is in the running game, where there's still a lack of commitment. The running backs have combined for 13 carries in consecutive weeks, and that's simply not enough.
This not only puts a lot more responsibility on the rookie quarterback, it also eliminates the possibility of the running backs making a play. Running backs require volume in carries to establish a rhythm and increase the chances for a big run. Offensive coordinator Greg Olson has yet to give the running backs a chance to really make an impact.
Defensively, the Raiders managed to look worse a week after looking really bad. It could be a question of personnel but there's nothing that can been done about that now. Defensive coordinator Jason Tarver is going to have to make it work with the players he has.
It's one thing to look bad on defense. It's another thing to look like you're not even trying. No adjustments have been made through two weeks. The defense can't continue to just sit back and take the hits. Even if the success isn't there, the defense at least has to look like it's going down swinging.
Part of this responsibility falls on head coach Dennis Allen, who's background is on the defensive side of the ball. As long as the defense continues to struggle, Allen will share a huge part of the responsibility.
Grade: D-
Final Grades
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| Position Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | C- |
| RB | D+ |
| FB | N/A |
| TE | D+ |
| WR | D |
| OL | C- |
| DL | F |
| LB | D+ |
| Secondary | D- |
| Special Teams | C- |
| Coaching | D- |
| Cumulative Grade | D- |
The Raiders have a lot of work to do, and little time to do it. Oakland has looked bad the first two weeks of the season, and that was supposed to be the easier part of the schedule. It's only going to get tougher from here, starting with this upcoming weekend's visit to the New England Patriots.
Sometimes, the responsibility for a team's poor performance falls on the players. Sometimes, it falls on the coaches. In the case of the Raiders, it falls on both.
Despite Sunday's loss, the offense did show some positive signs. Carr continues to improve, and he's given plenty of reason to believe that he is in fact that quarterback the team has been searching for.
The biggest obstacle the offense faced was itself as it killed off all of its own momentum with a total of four turnovers. This team just isn't good enough to overcome so many game-changing mistakes.
Defensively, the coaching staff has its work cut out. The unit has been pushed around by two average offenses in the first two weeks of the season, and it's scary to think how bad it might get against a potent offense. The biggest issue remains getting pressure on the opposing quarterback. That problem was supposed to be solved by the addition of some veterans, but that hasn't been the case.
The coaches are going to have to figure out some way to manufacture a pass rush because it's starting to look like the Raiders just don't have the personnel for it. A variety of blitzes are going to have to become the norm for the defense. It might create some other openings for the opposing offense, but it's still a better option than just sitting back and waiting to get picked apart.
This was a demoralizing loss for Oakland, but it's still early in the season. There's plenty of time for the team to turn things around and still make this a positive season. It won't be easy, but it's possible. And that needs to start this upcoming Sunday.
Unless otherwise noted, stats provided by from ESPN.com.
Share your thoughts and opinions on Twitter @BrianJ_Flores.
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