It’s okay, Oakland Raiders, there’s no such thing as running up the score on your opponent. Blowout wins show dominance and the relentless desire to bury the opposition for a decisive victory. That’s the mindset of a team with a killer instinct on a mission to establish supremacy.
If the Raiders want to break away from that, “they’re just a year away” tag, it’s time stop winning and start dominating.
In a postgame press conference, quarterback Derek Carr and head coach Jack Del Rio made reference to the most recent fourth-quarter letdown as something to clean up going forward:
Carr’s closing comments paraphrase the concept of playing 60 minutes and finishing strong, regardless of the situation.
“We got to keep the pedal down,” said Carr. That’s if it’s a tie ball game, if we’re up a lot or down a lot. Good football teams keep playing no matter what.”
The Raiders exhibited sheer dominance against two opponents, but escaped with seven-point victories in both contests:
No one bats an eye concerning these statistics because the bottom-line result covers up the underlying issue. However, it’s important to address lethargic second-half displays before one of them costs the Raiders a victory.
We’ve addressed the problem. What are the possible solutions?
Running the Clock
Running the clock, literally and figuratively speaking go hand in hand as a potential situational game plan.
The coaching staff remains conservative with running back Latavius Murray’s workload, keeping him at 15 carries or less in five out of the six games this season. The speedy tailback, Taiwan Jones, serves as the change-of-pace back. Roy Helu Jr. specializes in catching out of the backfield.
Marcel...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
