Oakland Raiders defeat the Detroit Lions at the final whistle
Aug 15, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders wide receiver Brice Butler (12) is congratulated by wide receiver Greg Jenkins (10) after catching a touchdown pass against the Detroit Lions in the fourth quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Lions 27-26. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
What a game! Initially, the game started out pretty flat, but it just kept getting better and better. For those of us that stuck it out to the end, we saw Matt McGloin lead the Oakland Raiders down the field on an awesome game winning drive. “Just Win Baby” was in full effect, and the Raiders secured what I believe to be a much deserved and needed victory.
A lot of firsts happened for the rookies as well. Khalil Mack got his first solo sack, Derek Carr his first touchdown pass, Jake Murphy his first touchdown reception, and the newly revamped Raiders got their first victory.
Although the Raiders 1st string offense started out slow, Matt Schaub was finally able to engineer a touchdown drive late in the 1st quarter and into the 2nd quarter. Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew worked very well together as they ate yardage up before McFadden plowed into the end zone. The offensive line held up well against a very tough first string Lions DL. Rivera caught the ball!. So did James Jones (minus the one he lost to the Lions), and the ever sure handed Rod Streater was there when needed.
How good is Derek Carr going to be? Well, we definitely saw a preview of things to come for the Raiders. His passes looked precise at times, and there’s no denying the velocity and arm strength. I was very pleased with the decision of the Raiders to play him with the first team offense in the 2nd quarter. He’s still got a lot to clean up (so does Schaub), but his confidence level looks really good. That’s only going to get better since he was able to secure his first TD pass to Rookie Jake Murphy.
Matt McGloin is a leader, and he really shined in this game. He was able to come in for Carr and pick up where Carr left off. He led the team down the field twice, and in the end he was triumphant. His ability to shift and move in and out of the pocket, plus the offensive line’s ability to maintain the pocket, allowed McGloin to find a wide open Brice Butler for the game winning TD.Outstanding job by McGloin, simply outstanding.
In the second half of the game, the right side of the offensive line (2nd & 3rd stringers) didn’t allow any penetration. Led by right tackle rookie Dan Kistler, they man-handled the second and third string defensive line of the Lions. They pushed the Lions backward on running plays and sealed them off on passing plays.
Greg Little got a tad bit better, as he was able to finally secure the football. He definitely made a case for himself and the 53-man roster. However, it’s going to be tough to unseat Andre Holmes and Brice Butler. So far it’s shaping up to be Rod Streater, James Jones, Andre Holmes, and Brice Butler. After these four WR’s, there’s only 2 or maybe 3 spots left. However, the other WR’s were non-existent last night.