Early Mistakes Doom Raiders in Loss to Packers

Sunday afternoon at the Coliseum featured some nasty Bay Area weather as wind and rain gave for some tricky conditions when the Oakland Raiders took on the Green Bay Packers, conditions that may have hindered young quarterback Derek Carr a bit more than veteran Aaron Rodgers in the battle of the passers during yesterday’s game.

“You’ve got to make a play on the ball and hang on to it”, he said, per Demovsky.

Nevertheless, Oakland responded the way the capacity crowd at the O.co Coliseum hoped, answering the Pack’s opening salvo with a 13-0 run that sent both teams into the locker room separated by a point after.

It was the defense that staked the visitors to an early two touchdown lead.

Micah Hyde was able to snag an interception on third down, and run the ball 34 yards – back inside the Oakland two yard line. The next play, Seth Roberts broke free from left to right on a cross in the back of the end zone.

Added right guard T.J. “It gets the team going”.

The Raiders wasted no time, gaining 29 yards on a screen pass to RB Marcel Reese, 14 yards on a pass to TE Mychal Rivera, and 17 yards on a scramble by Carr.

After falling behind 14-0, Carr twice got the Raiders into the red zone but couldn’t get a touchdown, having to settle for chip-shot field goals from Sebastian Janikowski.

Despite the dagger and the playoff lock, the Packers look – and sound – more like a team fighting for their lives than one who is looking to lock up the division.

The Raiders caught a huge break with 1:22 seconds left in the second when Woodson made a hit on James Starks, who fumbled the ball.

That’s how many Abbrederis played in Oakland. On defense, where the Packers snagged two early interceptions, Randall struggled to contain Cooper, who finished with six catches for 120 yards and two scores.

Mason Crosby kicked a 19-yard field goal and booted another for 33 yards to put the Packers up 30-20 with 4:25 left in the game. Try to imagine Green Bay’s offense this season had Ted Thompson not signed Jones right before the regular season.

But Rodgers was picked off at the goal line by David Amenson. The face the San Diego Chargers on Thursday night – every National Football League team has one – for a Christmas Eve showdown that could be the last Raiders game in Oakland.

Asked why not, he said, “We weren’t very effective”. Another conversion on third down to Justin Perilous took the Packers to the two minute warning in Raiders territory. Eddie Lacy was held 23 yards on 11 carries as the Oakland defense stacked the box. “(We’re) kind of running out of time here”.

While McCarthy became annoyed by what he perceived as too many “negativities”, even Woodson – always a call-it-like-I-see-it truth-teller during his seven years in Green Bay – acknowledged this wasn’t the Packers offense he was accustomed to seeing, especially without Pro Bowl wide receiver Jordy Nelson, whose August knee injury ended his season before it began.

Jones has trouble separating but at least brought back the back-shoulder throw (six catches for 82 yards), which was the Packers’ best play in the second half. This is also the 6th game where he has completed less than 60% of his passes. The team even established a small lead midway through the third quarter.

There were two injuries of note during the game. Next it was the Packers’ turn to experience difficulties.

Jones has had several games this season in which he failed to show up, but at times the 31-year-old receiver has been a significant contributor.

However, the Raiders lost the game to the Packers 30-20 and that will clinch a 13th-straight non-winning season.

The Green Bay Packers (9-4) are coming from a 28-7 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Until Lacy – and to a lesser but still important extent Starks – can run well on a consistent basis, it’s hard to picture Green Bay winning multiple playoff games this season.