Raiders vs. Colts: Live Grades and Analysis for Oakland

The Colts defeated the Raiders 21-17 in Week 1 of the NFL season. Check out final grades and analysis below.




Pass Offense:  Pryor finished 18-of-29 with 217 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Both interceptions ended potential scoring drives. Oakland displayed their young and talented receivers. Denarius Moore finished with five catches for 43 yards and one score. Rod Streater led the team as he hauled in five catches for seventy yards. Tight end Jeron Mastrud had one catch for 41 yards; the Colts defense was caught sleeping as Mastrud is generally just a run-blocker.

Run Offense: Pryor finished the game as the Raiders' leading rusher with 112 yards on the ground. The Raiders will need more from Darren McFadden, who finished with a meager 48 yards, although he managed to run for one touchdown. Poor offensive line play deserves the lion’s share of the blame for the lack of a running game.

Pass Defense: The Raiders relied on blitz packages in the second half because there was little pressure generated from a four-man rush. Luck was sacked four times in the game, an encouraging sign for the Oakland defense. Luck still managed to finish with a respectable stat line, however. He completed 18 of 23 passes for 178 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The Raiders are a work in progress on the back end and need to improve on defending slant routes and crossing patterns.

Run Defense: The Raiders' run defense was mediocre in the second half. The Colts finished with 127 yards on the ground, including a 19-yard touchdown run by Andrew Luck on a broken play.

Special Teams: After missing a field goal to finish the first half, Sebastian Janikowski converted a 38-yard field goal in the third, a chip shot by his standards. Marquette King had two punts and finished with a solid 50.5-yard average. Expect him to improve as the season progresses.
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders