Oakland Raiders Show They’re Getting Close in Tough Loss

Sep 21, 2014; Foxborough, MA, USA; Oakland Raiders head coach Dennis Allen looks on during the final moments of their 16-9 loss to the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Figuring it Out

It ended up being a loss but to me, Allen just coached the best game of his young career as an NFL as a head coach yesterday. He and his coordinators really got things together and formulated a game plan that should have worked. On offense, Allen stayed committed to the running game and kept his rookie quarterback in 3rd-and-manageable situations.

He even tried using tailback Darren McFadden and fullback Marcel Reece in the vertical game as they had mismatches. If rookie quarterback Derek Carr puts those balls out in front, those are two touchdown passes instead of field goals. If the rest of the scoring would have held up on both ends, the last drive would have ended with a field goal to ice the game 20-16.

On defense, Allen used a base 3-4 and held the Patriots running game to 76 yards and only 2.6 yards per carry. He was also able to sack Patriots quarterback Tom Brady twice, hit him six times and make him uncomfortable all day. That 3-4 that he used yesterday needs to stay as it turned outside linebacker Khalil Mack loose to be very disruptive.