Oakland Raiders: Week 1 Grades

Sep 13, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders fullback Marcel Reece (45) is congratulated by tight end Mychal Rivera (81) after scoring a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Bengals defeated the Raiders 33-13. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Rory Anderson

Quarterbacks: C

Neither Carr nor Mcgloin showed anything inspiring. Carr did show on a couple occasions that he is learning to step up in the pocket and keep his feet settled. I liked his guts to run and stiff arm. Hopefully his injury is very minimal. McGloin’s interception was a terrible throw and Carr missed several throws high.

Running Backs: B

I thought the running backs ran well. It is bad luck Olawale had his long run called back. Murray did his job and seemed very competent. Reece looked good coming out of the backfield on angle routes as a third down back.

Receivers/Tight Ends: D-

Amari Copper dropped a couple passes and Rivera showed nothing. Crabtree had a decent day and seemed to move around well but overall it was a poor performance.

Offensive Line: C-

The offensive line did alright making holes for the run especially to the left. Hudson had a couple penalties. They did give up two sacks, however one was avoidable if McGloin stepped up in the pocket better and the other was late in the game when the team stopped running. Webb seemed to handle one of the best three techs in the NFL pretty well.

Defensive Line: C-

Outside of one run late in the game, the run defense was pretty solid. They held Hill to 3.3 yards per carry. Mack blew past both Smith and Whitworth in the game. The Raiders did not blitz or produce much pressure because the Bengals got the ball out quickly and the Raider offense never capitalized when the defense stepped up.

Linebacker: D+

Armstrong had issues setting the edge and holding down his side with proper leverage. This forced Lofton out of position and it didn’t keep Smith clean. This caused issues throughout the game and helped Andy Dalton to pick the defense apart at will. Armstrong also had trouble in coverage although the issue there goes deeper.

Defensive Backs: C+

People like to bust up on Hayden but he played a decent game. He was all over Green and made several throws very difficult. He gave up quick throws but always made the tackle. The touchdown he gave up in the slot was due to a stupid play call by Ken Norton having him cover a tight end target in Tyler Eifert.

The idea that Hayden should play in the slot is idiotic and is proven to be so in this very game. He did well when he had a boundary to use to limit playing space. The safeties struggled and Woodson slipped giving up a touchdown. With injuries the defensive backs are going to be further challenged, but it is on the coaching staff to scheme well enough to push through a lack of dependable talent as long as Woodson/Allen are out.

HC: Incomplete

There weren’t enough in game decisions to grade Jack Del Rio which is the nature of a blowout game.

Defensive Coordinator: F

Ken Norton almost exclusively ran cover three concepts and Hue Jackson tore him up. Hue kept running zone beaters right at him and the tight end just sat in the open zones, Tyler Eifert having the biggest game of his career as a result. All of the big passing plays happened in zone coverage and the Raiders simply did not adjust even if Dalton was overly comfortable from the opening drive up until the final whistle.

Offensive Coordinator: F

This grade may be unfairly low due to Olawale’s run coming back, but the fact Musgrave did not give a call to go deep until the fourth quarter on Cooper’s dig route earns him a failing grade in his first game calling the plays on offense.

Next: JBB Week 1 Grades: Nick Hjeltness