Oakland Raiders vs. Detroit Lions: Oakland Grades, Notes and Quotes

The Oakland Raiders dropped their third consecutive game due to mental errors and several paper cuts inflicted by the Detroit Lions on Sunday in Detroit.

It’s impossible to pinpoint one particular play that turned the tide in this contest, but it’s important to look at poor execution, specifically on the offensive side of the ball.

The Raiders started off sluggish, resembling an out-of-sync offense going three-and-out against the league’s No. 25 defense in yards allowed. Oakland’s high-powered offense failed to reach field-goal range and put a big doughnut on the scoreboard going into halftime, down 9-0. 

For Oakland, the second half started with some hope. A rare, deep throw to wide receiver Seth Roberts for 43 yards seemed to instantly energize the passing attack. Then, the offense returned to its unsynchronized form with poor placement on passes and drops from receivers. 

Two Sebastian Janikowski kicks propelled the Raiders to a third-quarter lead, but the defense failed to remain firm without the offense holding its weight. The Lions eventually broke down the front seven with quarterback scrambles and a string of run plays to drain the clock.

The Raiders defense spent 36 minutes and two seconds on the field, and it eventually eroded due to fatigue late in the game. The Lions’ running back trio went from the worst in the league to unstoppable late in the fourth quarter.

Position Grades for Raiders

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Quarterbacks: D

Quarterback Derek Carr made several inaccurate throws. A holding penalty on Lions cornerback Quandre Diggs negated an interception on another poor pass. Carr completed 52 percent of his throws and accumulated 169 passing yards without a touchdown.

The young signal-caller also failed to put the ball in play or call timeout as the play clock expired on two separate occasions.

Running Backs: D

One rushing touchdown stands as the only bright spot for the running backs. Aside from a 16-yard run, Latavius Murray took 12 carries for 12 rushing yards. The coaching staff didn’t show much faith in the ground attack, allotting 19 carries to the backfield in a close game. Marcel Reece failed to reach the end zone twice inside the five-yard line.

Wide Receivers: D+

Carr failed to establish a rhythm with his arm, but the receivers didn't help him when the ball touched their hands. Rookie Amari Cooper dropped two passes in a poor performance. He finished with one catch for four yards. Michael Crabtree caught six passes for 50 yards as the only consistent target for a majority of the game.

Tight Ends: D 

Mychal Rivera and Clive Walford combined for three receptions and 46 yards. Walford caught both passes in the second quarter and disappeared as a target in the second half.

Offensive Line: C-

Carr’s pass protection only allowed one sack, but it struggled to provide room for the ground attack against the No. 28 rush defense. The Lions defensive line shot gaps and pushed Murray backward for negative yardage several times. 

Offensive tackle Donald Penn’s holding penalty in the end zone sealed the deal on Oakland’s final offensive drive.

Defensive Line: B- 

The defensive front accumulated four sacks and muffled the Lions offense in the first half. Detroit opted to run toward the outside near Denico Autry as the interior run defense remained stout. 

Unfortunately, the front four ran out of gas in the fourth quarter, failing to stop the Lions with about seven minutes and 30 seconds left in the game.

Linebackers: B-

Khalil Mack returned to outside linebacker in a 4-3 alignment, which seemed to further accentuate his play. He pressured the quarterback and running backs, charging into the backfield for several stops and led the defense with eight tackles.

Rookie Ben Heeney saw an uptick in playing time and made his presence felt with a few stops and a sack. 

In consecutive weeks, Malcolm Smith has struggled with tackling in the flat, which resulted in yards after the catch on short completions. Lions running back Theo Riddick caught five passes for 72 yards out of the backfield.

Secondary: C+

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford failed to throw a touchdown pass, but wideouts Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate logged a combined 15 receptions for 161 yards. The yardage put Detroit in position to kick three field goals in the first half. The Raiders struggled to defend underneath routes, and Stafford took advantage at every turn.

Special Teams: A

The iron leg has returned. Janikowski nailed a 56-yard field goal to put the Raiders up 13-9. The special teams coverage didn’t allow a touchdown. Marquette King continues to launch punts deep downfield, forcing the opposition into longer offensive drives. 

Coaching: B- 

In losses, it’s hard to see good in the coaching staff’s game-planning. However, defensively, a few minor tweaks aided in slowing down the Lions offense. 

Mack reverted back to a 4-3 outside linebacker, which enabled him to make critical stops in the backfield. Heeney played meaningful snaps as an asset to the pass rush as well as the run defense.

There’s one small caveat, using Cooper on punt returns should make Raiders fans cringe. He didn’t play well, but Oakland needs him to propel its offense. One bang-bang play could take him out of the game completely. 

Amari Cooper's Two Drops

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Oakland’s No. 1 wide receiver failed to show up against the No. 23 pass defense in the league.

As previously mentioned, Cooper played his worst game as a rookie, recording one catch for four yards. He has dropped 10 passes after two additional drops against the Lions.

Cooper’s struggles remind everyone he’s still a rookie in the league with something to work on as he progresses.

The Raiders absolutely need him at the top of his game because the offense doesn’t look the same without his contributions.

Derek Carr Held to 169 Passing Yards

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

In games that Carr finished, he recorded his lowest passing yards total (169) and failed to throw a touchdown for the first time this season. As you recall, he only played one quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1.

In consecutive weeks, Carr has taken a step backward in his progress.

On Sunday, he finished without any positives to hold on to as a silver lining. The Detroit crowd seemed to affect his rhythm under center, resulting in two delay-of-game penalties.

He threw some inaccurate passes that stalled the flow of the offense and didn’t execute with the confidence we’ve witnessed over the past month. Carr logged a poor 52 percent pass completion percentage against a mediocre pass defense.

Rodney Hudson Leaves with an Ankle Injury

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Center Rodney Hudson may have compounded an ankle sprain that kept him out of action in Week 10.

Hudson went down in the third quarter and the trainers looked at his ankle/foot on the sideline, per CSNBayArea.com reporter Scott Bair.

If Hudson reaggravated his ankle sprain, he may sit out at least a week depending on the severity of the injury.

Fortunately, backup center Tony Bergstrom has played well in the starter's absence.

Del Rio on Michael Crabtree’s Controversial Catch

Duane Burleson/Associated Press

Head coach Jack Del Rio shared his perspective on Michael Crabtree’s controversial non-catch call in the first quarter.

"If we're playing in my backyard, that's a catch, but I know how the league is going to call it. It doesn’t matter if I agree with it or not, I know how they’re going to call it, so it would’ve been a waste of a challenge," Del Rio told reporters. "It doesn’t matter if I agree with it or not, I know how they’re going to call it, so it would’ve been a waste of a challenge."

It wouldn’t hurt to challenge the call on the field, but the league’s rules on what’s a catch and what’s not couldn’t be any more difficult to decipher. Del Rio didn’t feel strongly about his chances on winning the challenge.

Nonetheless, during the broadcast CBS NFL Officiating Expert Mike Carey disagreed with the incomplete play call on the field. 

Follow Maurice Moton on Twitter for news, updates and intriguing discussion about the Oakland Raiders.

All statistics are provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com, Pro Football Focus and Team Rankings unless otherwise noted. 

Oakland Raiders Week 11 play-by-play and statistics courtesy of NFL.com.