Oakland Raiders' Week 12 Stock Report

The Oakland Raiders’ three-game skid reinforces an unfriendly reminder about overall team growth in the NFL: It’s seldom a smooth process.

The coaching staff and players cannot look back at missed opportunities, but they should move forward with anecdotal lessons.

Before turning the page to the Tennessee Titans, it’s important to investigate where the offense broke down and where the defense excelled against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

Three developing talents, who helped propel the Raiders' potent offense, contributed to the clunky execution on Sunday.

Aside from the final drive, Oakland's interior defense harassed and pounced on the Lions in the backfield.

We’ll discuss Sunday’s top performers and underachievers in the latest stock report.

Derek Carr: Stock Down

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

On an offensively gifted team with a stellar passing attack, the quarterback receives majority credit. When the signal-caller throws for 169 passing yards in a sluggish offense, he should prepare to shoulder the most blame. Whether fair or not, that’s the reality in a quarterback-centric league. 

Quarterback Derek Carr accepted fault for two delay of game penalties in his postgame press conference. Head coach Jack Del Rio made sure to shine the spotlight on his young signal-caller when discussing the game-clock infractions with local reporters during Monday’s press conference. 

The coaching staff could’ve called a timeout to avoid losing yardage, but the onus falls on Carr to ensure the snap beats an expiring game clock as the commander in the huddle.

The Raiders took steps backward on two third-down situations due to poor clock management in an add-on to their offensive struggles. 

Amari Cooper: Stock Down

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Three factors dealt a critical blow to rookie wideout Amari Cooper’s subpar production on Sunday.

Del Rio acknowledged the coaching staff must make a concerted effort to put the ball in his hands. Carr only targeted Cooper four times against the Lions. 

Secondly, struggles with the overall passing offense and third-down conversions limited scoring opportunities. The Raiders ran 47 offensive plays, converted four of 11 third downs and possessed the ball for 23 minutes, 58 seconds.

Most importantly, Cooper failed to make the most of his minimal opportunities, dropping two passes—one on a critical third down.

The collection of miscues and deficiencies led to Cooper’s one catch for four yards on Sunday.

Typically, a signal-caller would hesitate when throwing toward a receiver with focus drops. Carr shied away from Cooper and targeted wide receiver Michael Crabtree 11 times against the Lions. 

The Raiders coaching staff will likely increase Cooper’s workload, but he must convert those opportunities into production. According to Pro Football Focus, he ranks second among wideouts in drops, with 10 through nine games. 

Khalil Mack: Stock Up

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Defensive end Khalil Mack transitioned back to outside linebacker for the starting lineup. Second-round pick Mario Edwards Jr. and Denico Autry played defensive end when lined up in the 4-3 defense.

Mack has consistently provided a pass rush and sealed the edge on the defensive line, but his activity in the backfield reached a new level on Sunday. He led the team with eight tackles and amassed six stops at or behind the line of scrimmage.

Detroit's offensive line failed to contain the Raiders' most talented defensive lineman, which resulted in sacks on linebacker blitzes and one-on-one matchups for Autry and Shelby Harris up front.

Aldon Smith’s absence could force defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. to explore more 4-3 looks with Mack at outside linebacker, where he seems unstoppable in run and pass situations.

Offensive Guards: Stock Down

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

Many look at running back Latavius Murray’s 28 rushing yards on 13 carries as a poor performance—it is—but the guards failed to open running lanes for the ground attack.

Both Gabe Jackson and J’Marcus Webb graded below average in run blocking in Week 11, per Pro Football Focus. The Lions defensive line did a good job penetrating into the backfield to stop runs behind the line of scrimmage. Jackson also allowed three quarterback hurries. 

Murray’s average talent doesn’t supersede mediocre run blocking. He absolutely needs the linemen up front to create space for a good performance on the ground.

The Raiders run 61 percent of their carries up the middle and depend on solid performances from the guards. When they struggle, so will Murray.

Ben Heeney: Stock Up

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

Rookie linebacker Ben Heeney overran a few tackles, but that’s going to happen from time to time due to his high motor.

In the big picture, Heeney provided energy the linebacker unit needed without Smith on the field. He recorded two stops, including one sack on an all-out blitz. The rookie’s play resembled his short audition in the preseason.

Heeney struggled with pass coverage in exhibition, but he didn't allow a completion in coverage on Sunday. Essentially, he took a chunk of inside linebacker Curtis Lofton's playing time. Heeney played 39 snaps compared to Lofton’s 23 snaps in Week 11.

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