
Yes, the Raiders missed Donald Penn terribly in this one.
Last week when we saw Pro Bowl left tackle Donald Penn writhing in pain in that tough Sunday Night Football loss to the Dallas Cowboys, we had a feeling that the Raiders would be in trouble against the Eagles on Monday Night Football the following week.
Oakland moved right tackle Marshall Newhouse over to Penn’s spot at left tackle. Vadal Alexander got the start at right tackle, but left the game early due to a concussion. That forced rookie David Sharpe in there and it was good night for the Raiders’ pass protection concepts out on the edge.
Oakland was able to run the ball well for most of the night thanks to great play out of left guard Kelechi Osemele, center Rodney Hudson and right guard Gabe Jackson. However once Oakland had to pass, Carr and the Raiders receivers had no chance. Carr was throwing blind half the time due to the constant pressure in his face.
Much was made about Penn’s highly publicized holdout during training camp. Though he didn’t dominate like he did in 2016, Penn proved to be worthy of a Pro Bowl in 2017 for the third time in his career. While he’s not the most popular Raider this year because of the holdout, Oakland missed him terribly in this one. It got bad really fast once Alexander went into concussion protocol.