Raiders Run Out of Gas....Again!

Two games into the 2018 NFL season and our Oakland Raiders are looking offensively and defensively sound in the first and second quarters.  Fast forward to the third and fourth quarters and you see exactly why the team is winless; empty tanks. It's not only the players who look like their running on fumes, but also the coaching staff calling the plays.

Sure this week featured some of the hottest weather ever for a football game in Denver, but I find it difficult to attribute some of the miscues and questionable calls to heat and altitude exhaustion. The good news is that QB Derek Carr and WR Amari Cooper were in pro bowl form as they showed the high power production we expect to see from them. Marshawn did his thing on the ground and the defense all but shutdown Denver in that first half. Conley and Melvin are looking like the best starting cornerback duo the Raiders have had in ages. 

The problem with all the good today is that it withered away in the second half just as it did in week 1 at home on Monday Night against the Rams. The Raiders had their chances to put away the Broncos and simply ran out of gas. So their homework this week is to figure out how to keep enough fuel in the tank to put away an opponent in the second half of play. That or ramp up the points in the first half so that opponents are seen from your rearview mirror miles behind choking on your dust.

The question I have is can the coaching staff figure out a fix for the team before the season is past the midway point. The Raiders can't begin to move past the questionable decision to trade Khalil Mack until they begin winning games. The sting of seeing a defense struggle without Khalil is almost as hurtful as seeing the meltdowns of these past two games. Is it possible conditioning, or lack thereof, plays a part in their second half problems?  Time will tell. Problem is the team is leaving Oakland soon and time is of the essence to Raider Nation. We want more than what we've been getting from our team. Don't tell us you're a good team, show us!

And learn how to execute a measly Point After Attempt please.....


Score
Raiders Lose