Oakland Raiders Week 4 Primer: Bad News Bears

Sep 27, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) and wide receiver Andre Holmes (18) celebrate a first half touchdown against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland Rocks… Ohio!

The Raiders went into Cleveland last week full of confidence an ready to break the road losing streak. Both sides of the ball started off hot. The offense drove down the field and scored on the first possession of the game. Going up by three, the defense stepped up early and often stopping the Browns run dependent offense on the early downs. Although offensively the Raiders did not score, they consistently maintained drives and ate up the clock. It was the second quarter when the Raiders scored once again, and it was a pass to Andre Holmes in the slot from four yards out that gave the Raiders the touchdown.

At the end of the first half the Raiders led the Browns 17-3 and felt great going into the locker room. The second half was a different animal and it seemed that Raider defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. backed off a little and let the Browns back into the game. The running game was never allowed to breath, but at the end of the day McCown threw for over 300 yards and multiple touchdowns. The Raiders did sack McCown five times in the game including two by Mack.

As the game progressed it felt as if the Raiders may blow the game, even though the statistics may not have added up to it. Crowell was shut down by the Raiders and Benjamin was highly limited as a deep threat. In order to take that away, the Raiders did suffer covering the tight end. A couple of huge catches occurred because of misreads by Charles Woodson, however the Old Man made up for all of it by sealing the game with a tremendous interception.

Next: Week 4 Primer: What Was Different?