After the Raiders fell flat against San Francisco, I thought the season was over.
The Raiders then shocked the NFL world for the next three weeks with dominant wins over Denver and Seattle and then a thrilling victory over Kansas City that would put the Raiders in first place.
For a week.
Here we are again in Raider Nation, the wind taken out of our sails.
The piss taken out of our vinegar.
Now, the Raiders (5-6) will face the surging San Diego Chargers (6-5).
As a fan, I will not rule out the possibility of an upset by the Raiders. As a writer, I do not expect it to happen. If the Raiders lose to San Diego, it will all but end the once glimmering hopes for the postseason.
It is hard to say or speculate as to what happened with the Raiders in the two weeks after defeating Kansas City. Whatever it is, the Raiders are once again playing like lifeless hacks.
Perhaps, it was overconfidence.
Perhaps, they were over-hyped by destroying teams like Denver and Seattle.
Or both.
Ironically, the Raiders have had fewer penalties in the last two weeks against Pittsburgh and Miami than they had the weeks before it. Yet, now the Raiders are losing.
They have also had injuries to top players in previous weeks and would still win. Thus, I do not buy the notion that the Raiders are simply reeling from injuries.
Bull Trend
The frustrating part is that, the Raiders have an otherwise solid foundation of players that could use some minor tweaking: right guard, center, blockers and a veteran wideout.
A consistent quarterback would likely be the difference-maker for the Raiders.
This progress however is contrary to previous years, in which the Raiders were a b...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
