Oakland Raiders Disappoint with Sloppy Performance vs. Minnesota Vikings
The Oakland Raiders' play matched the sloppy weather conditions in Minnesota on Saturday night, as the team exhibited poor execution in every phase of its game against the Vikings.
Head coach Jack Del Rio had been preaching about physical but mentally grounded football. Neither of those two adjectives applied to the Raiders, who racked up 13 penalties for 106 yards in the 20-12 loss.
Flashes of hope flickered through the rough patches, but the totality of the contest triggered some concern for a couple of players who failed to show up or show improvement.
TOP NEWS
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Colts Release Kenny Moore
Projecting Every NFL Team's Starting Lineup 🔮
Rookie WRs Who Will Outplay Their Draft Value 📈
We’ll break down Oakland’s second preseason matchup in three categories tailor-made for the Raiders: the excellence, the silver lining and the black cloud.
The Excellence
Preseason is more about player development than wins and losses, so forget about the 20-12 outcome for a moment. What did each player show the coaching staff on an individual basis?
Inside linebacker Ben Heeney continued to prove he’s the real deal. The fifth-round pick contributed to seven tackles and a bone-crushing sack that forced a fumble in the beginning of the third quarter. As a result, the Heeney hype machine has gained more steam with the regular season approaching.
It seems general manager and former linebacker Reggie McKenzie can spot talent at his old position anywhere in the draft. He selected Sio Moore in the third round of the 2013 draft, Khalil Mack as a first-round pick in 2014 and Heeney in the fifth round this year.
All three linebackers will play major roles in the improvement of the defense this season.
The Raiders also have a running back capable of doing anything they could ask of him. He’s bursting through running lanes, grinding out positive yardage when there’s nothing in front of him and finishing at the goal line. Latavius Murray checked off all those boxes with just four carries on Saturday:
"Big run for Latavius Murray. Again looking really explosive.
— Just Blog Baby (@JustBlogBaby) August 23, 2015"
"Latavius Murray had nothing on that run and got six yards out of it. Then he runs for a first down on the next play through RG gap #Raiders
— Levi Damien (@LeviDamien) August 23, 2015"
"Touchdown for Latavius Murray. Two yard run up the gut.
— Jimmy Durkin (@Jimmy_Durkin) August 23, 2015"
Most importantly, hip-hop artist Lil B approved of Murray paying homage to his cooking dance in a touchdown celebration:
"Salute the NFL Oakland Raiders Doing the Lil B cooking dance sports celebration live on TV - Lil B
— Lil B From The Pack (@LILBTHEBASEDGOD) August 23, 2015"
In all seriousness, the Raiders have put the saddle on the right running back to lead this offense on the ground.
The emergence of a backup could follow in the coming weeks.
Running back Michael Dyer redeemed himself after a poor preseason start. The undrafted rookie looked far better than his competition for the No. 2 spot at running back. He accumulated 45 rushing yards on 12 carries and saw the bulk of the workload after Murray subbed out.
The Silver Lining
Oakland’s offensive linemen committed seven of the team's 13 total penalties, which hurt the offense’s field positioning. The Raiders needed more than 10 yards for a first down several times because of mental errors up front.
False starts and holding penalties interrupted the flow of the offense and limited offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave’s play-calling.
Every member of the left half of the offensive line—from center Rodney Hudson to left guard Gabe Jackson and left tackle Donald Penn—committed one penalty.
Surprisingly, the right side of the offensive line played a more disciplined game than the left. Right guard J’Marcus Webb and right tackle Menelik Watson didn’t get their names called in shame for unnecessary penalties.
It’s encouraging to see Webb and Watson prove they belong with the starting unit.
None of the Raiders quarterbacks threw a touchdown, and Brice Butler was the only receiver who recorded more than two catches.
Butler continues to lead the wide receiving corps and will likely make the cut in September. Of course, it would be nice to see him flash talent like this during the regular season when it all counts.
Michael Crabtree didn’t record a catch, but the other starter, rookie Amari Cooper, caught a 40-yard bomb from quarterback Derek Carr.
Do you remember when the knocks on Cooper were his speed and explosiveness? Well, you can cross those weaknesses off the list.
The Black Cloud
Aside from the excessive penalties, two players did themselves no favors with their time on the field.
Cornerback D.J. Hayden had a black cloud hovering over him from the beginning of the game, and it got to the point that it became embarrassing.
On the third play of the game, Hayden committed a illegal-contact penalty resulting in an automatic first down. Then he surrendered another first down in coverage.
Wide receiver Charles Johnson worked Hayden the entire evening. Johnson, a seventh-round draft pick who played for two teams in 2013 before landing on the Vikings roster last year, simply torched Hayden. He’s only played in 12 career games, but he found a way to beat Hayden on a few critical plays.
"Charles Johnson absolutely schools D.J. Hayden on fade T.D.
— Patrick Daugherty (@RotoPat) August 23, 2015"
On that touchdown play, Hayden never turned his head to track the ball. That usually results in a reception or a pass-interference call—and this reception cost the Raiders six points.
Hayden didn’t give up a reception in the first game against a conservative Rams offense. However, Bridgewater had the offensive talent to test the secondary, and he went after Hayden repeatedly.
Should the coaching staff feel comfortable with Hayden as their No. 2 cornerback?
If Bridgewater and Johnson can inflict this much damage, what will happen when Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers and Peyton Manning step on the field against the Raiders this season? The thought of those quarterbacks seeking out Hayden should make Raiders fans sick to their stomachs.
Hayden shared the black cloud with running back Trent Richardson.
Richardson’s perseverance has been admirable, as he lost weight and battled pneumonia to get back on the practice field. But it’s hard to ignore his diminishing value. He flashed one solid seven-yard run and finished with five rushing yards on five carries.
After Richardson took one carry for a loss to begin the third quarter, Dyer subbed in and carried the load deep into the fourth quarter.
To reiterate, in a press conference after the Rams game, Del Rio mentioned rewarding production with more opportunities. The coaching staff realized Richardson didn’t have it tonight, and it makes you wonder if he ever will.
Follow Maurice Moton on Twitter for Raiders news and updates.
All statistics are provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
In-game play-by-play is provided by NFL.com. The Raiders roster is courtesy of Raiders.com.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
