Titans Gameday Thread

Gah, 17-14 now. Gotta hold on and win this sucker and stop the skid. GO RAIDERS!

One Postgame Take

Wow, what a letdown. The Lions are not a good team. That was low-hanging fruit left on the vine. 

At the end of the game, when you need to stop the other team to get the ball back and give yourself a chance, you have to wrap up the runner before he gets a first down, not bounce off him with your shoulder. Come on. 

We will know more soon, but it's looking like what seemed like a leap year may turn out to be one of incremental improvement. Three weeks ago, the Raiders were being hailed as relevant, a strong playoff contender at four wins, three losses.

After today, this looks like a team that is coming back down to earth, to that balance point between the god-awful spectacle of the first game to the upstart contender after beating the Jets. 

I'm still bullish on our passing corps, as far as the future is concerned, and despite it being out of sync all day today. But other chickens are coming to roost in terms of overall personnel and depth. 

There is work to be done. It's too early to be writing this season off and talking about next year. But the arrow is pointing down on each of our division rivals. The Broncos are making one last push until they tumble over the Manning cliff. The Chiefs are who we thought they were. The Chargers are getting creaky and Lil' Phil isn't getting any younger. 

It's an opportunity that should not be missed. The table is being set for an enduring division takeover. We need to be ready to feast. Which means we need more forks and knives, Reggie.

In the meantime, let's try not to get eaten. 

Lions Gameday Thread

Mid second quarter, gotta pick up the pace!

Vikings Gameday Thread

This thread is coming near the end of the first half. No matter how this game ends, this is the best Raiders offensive unit we've seen in a dozen years. That is something to be savored and excited about.

One Postgame Take

If ever there was a game that was simultaneously heartbreaking and uplifting, this was it. If ever there was a game that straddled the pivot point of the past and the future, this was it...

Seriously, in so many ways, this was a typical Raiders loss. Skill players on the other team just absolutely and historically torching us (first game ever in NFL history with one player gaining 300+ total yards and a teammate gaining 200+). Ill-timed turnovers. The big play that just guts us in the last minute and sets up the winning points. Another loss on the East Coast. The halting of momentum when it was really gaining. Sound familiar?

And yet there is much that remains happily unfamiliar about this loss, and this team. Starting with an offense that means business, and that is poised to become the class of the division. Continuing with the tenaciousness and the coming back late in the game instead of folding. Further continuing with the sense that this loss did nothing to dispel the notion that this team will put a scare into an opponent who has them on their schedule going forward. 

The Raiders. Are. For Real. That seems to be what's going on here. 

There's always the chance of the second-half implosion that exposes all of this as a mirage. Go have a look back at the 2011 season to remind yourself what that feels like. 

But what's going on here feels much more convincing. Aside from the first game of the season (remember THAT!?), this team feels like a nucleus, not a patchwork. It has legitimate superstars in the making. 

In other words, it feels like the future taking shape. And if that's the case, then the Raiders, after so many years, are truly back in business. 

Steelers Gameday Thread

Awesome opportunity today to make a statement. Go Raiders!

Quick Postgame Take

Wow, that was decisive. The defense was actually punishing at times, exhibiting some good old-timey Raiders mojo. Carr is the real deal. That was a grown-ups victory right there.