The Oakland Raiders went winless on Sunday as they fell to the Indianapolis Colts 42-28. Oakland continued the trend of collapsing in the fourth quarter and paid the price.
For majority of the game it was as if we were witnessing the 2016 Oakland Raiders offense on display, as Derek Carr went punch-for-punch with Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts. The offensive line performed much better and even if Carr faced some pressure he stood upright and went down the field to connect with his receivers. Doug Martin earned the title of “featured back” as he muscled his way to moving the chains, and Jalen Richard was an excellent compliment to the passing game with Jared Cook as a focal point.
But as the offense was strong the defense proved to be the exact opposite, allowing Luck to throw for three touchdowns and surrendering 42 points on the day. They couldn’t sack him once or get a single takeaway, and allowing 21 points scored in the final quarter was a recipe for disaster with the Martin fumble proving to be the icing on the cake.
Based on what we witnessed on Sunday it’s not difficult to imagine who put on a good performance and who was lacking in their playmaking on the field. Despite the loss here’s three players whose stock rose after Sunday’s outcome.