MODS PLEASE LOCK | The Oakland Raiders 2015 Season Thread: Week 17 @ Kansas City / 7-8

khalilmack52 · Dec 1, 2015

I love watching this team play, couldn't say that for a while.

The Raiders are on the rise

ciscokid · Dec 1, 2015

“I felt like the dad taking the ball and telling the kids to go inside when I kneed it,” he said. :lol:

HNL HI · Dec 1, 2015

KhalilMack52 said:
I love watching this team play, couldn't say that for a while.

The Raiders are on the rise

I usually just listen on the radio unless theyre on tv, but this season I been waking up early to head out to a bar to catch the games.

tupac jordan · Dec 1, 2015

Hnl hi! You gotta wake up at 7am to watch Raider games?

HNL HI · Dec 1, 2015

Tupac Jordan said:
Hnl hi! You gotta wake up at 7am to watch Raider games?

early part of the season east coast games start at 7am with west coast games at 10am. now that its daylight savings time on the mainland games are at 8 and 11.

either way its football all day.

ciscokid · Dec 1, 2015

HNL HI is decidated man, hittin the bars at 7am for the NATION!

oaklandca · Dec 1, 2015

ciscokid · Dec 1, 2015

Man that was great :smokin

Johnny_Cakes · Dec 1, 2015

BHS is the homie. :smokin

Johnny_Cakes · Dec 1, 2015

Raiders glad to have games that matter in December for a change
By Ann Killion November 30, 2015 Updated: November 30, 2015 8:33pm

View media item 1810757Oakland Raiders wide receiver Seth Roberts (10) celebrates after catching a 12-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans to give the Raiders a 24-21 win in an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/James Kenney) Photo: James Kenney, Associated Press Photo: James Kenney, Associated Press Oakland Raiders wide receiver Seth Roberts (10) celebrates after catching a 12-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans to give the Raiders a 24-21 win in an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/James Kenney)

The Raiders are about to enter a position they haven’t been in for many, many years.

Relevant in December.

“For us, everything we’d like to accomplish for the most part is in front of us,” head coach Jack Del Rio said Monday. “Five big games left. It’s an opportunity to play our best football down the stretch.”

For too many years, the Raiders were only in position to be a spoiler in December. To ruin someone else’s playoff plans.

Now, they’re in a spot to make a run. With two division games on the horizon against the AFC West’s top two teams — hosting Kansas City and traveling to Denver — the Raiders could get themselves right in the thick of the playoff discussion. And they hope to use their comeback win on the road in lousy weather in Tennessee as a springboard to make that happen.

“That was what we needed,” Del Rio said. “We have confidence that we’re capable of doing just that as a group. … (Derek Carr) was able to lead us down there for a big-time finish.”

Now before you start putting down deposits on playoff tickets, let’s look at the reality. The Raiders are 5-6 and had lost three in a row before the win over Tennessee. The Chiefs, who have won five in a row, are playing exceptionally well. And Denver just knocked off the undefeated Patriots. So it’s not like expectations for the Raiders are high.

But the reality also includes this: The Raiders are just one game out of the wild card as December dawns. For a team that has been so downtrodden for so long, it’s all about taking steps forward. And the Raiders have made significant improvement.

They have won three games on the road, after winning only two road games total in the past three seasons. They are tied for the fewest sacks allowed — just 13 — in the league. Derek Carr is on a pace to break the franchise record for touchdown passes in a season, held by Daryle Lamonica with 34 in 1969. Carr has thrown 24 touchdown passes to date.

Rookie receiver Amari Cooper had come under scrutiny for dropping passes, and some were wondering if the pressure was getting to him. But he came up with a big game against the Titans, catching seven balls for 115 yards.

“I think he’s going to have a lot of good games,” Del Rio said. “We clearly went into the game saying we wanted to get him more involved. I thought he did a great job.”

And even the downtrodden defense has been showing signs of life. The Raiders’ coaches finally benched cornerback DJ Hayden and started David Amerson, who rewarded the move by making an interception and breaking up six passes, setting — according to Stats LLC — a Raiders single-game record. Khalil Mack had two sacks. And, for the first time in a while, the Raiders’ run defense was excellent.

Here’s another place of improvement for the Raiders: For the first time in a long time, there’s no speculation about who will be their coach next year. Where they will play? Well, that’s another story.

But Del Rio has proved to be a strong coach and is committed to the Raiders. There were reports Monday that he was approached about the opening at USC but turned down his alma mater, saying he wants to stay with the Raiders. Del Rio wouldn’t directly answer a question about that report, but he wished the new Trojans coach (interim coach Clay Helton was hired Monday) well.

He won’t be going to see USC play in the Pac-12 championship game Saturday. He has work to do before Sunday.

The Raiders will face a Kansas City team that’s hard to figure out. The Chiefs started the season 1-5 but have since reeled off five straight wins, all — oddly — coming after the season-ending injury to All-Pro running back Jamaal Charles.

“The Chiefs are a very difficult challenge,” Del Rio said. “It’s certainly a great opportunity for us against a good football team, a divisional game, here at home.”

The Chiefs will probably be interested in some payback. They were the victims in one of the Raiders’ three wins last season and finished one game out of the playoffs. So that loss against the struggling Raiders is probably where they place the blame. That was when all the Raiders could hope for was to be a spoiler.

“Once December gets here, you get into teams that are making their run,” Del Rio said. “And then you get into some teams that are looking for things to play for.”

For the first time in a long time, the Raiders are looking to make a run, not just trying to play spoiler.

The_Isomotion31 · Dec 2, 2015

Khalil straight hit dude with a killer cross-over.

raider5 · Dec 2, 2015

lol. Anyone feel like Khalil been getting more pressure on the QB since Aldon Smith went out? He been solid all season, great against the run...but I feel like he's been more of a presence these last couple of games

Johnny_Cakes · Dec 2, 2015

Khalil had some minor health issues earlier. He's healed up now.

ciscokid · Dec 2, 2015

Had a bit of a groin issue no? That's going to hamper his explosiveness

albooboo · Dec 2, 2015

Raider5 said:
lol. Anyone feel like Khalil been getting more pressure on the QB since Aldon Smith went out? He been solid all season, great against the run...but I feel like he's been more of a presence these last couple of games

Mack has been playing great since we moved back to a 4/3 defense.

MajinZuub · Dec 2, 2015

Vic was saying he thought Mack was nagged by injuries up until a week or 2 ago

oaklandca · Dec 2, 2015

A year went by way too fast...

kayzeezay · Dec 2, 2015

Walked into work the next day after that game feeling good :pimp:

Johnny_Cakes · Dec 3, 2015

NFL sets meeting for deciding on Raiders’ move to Los Angeles
By Vic Tafur December 2, 2015 Updated: December 2, 2015 9:52pm

There finally looks to be a deadline on the NFL’s possible return to Los Angeles, and whether it involves the Raiders.

The NFL on Wednesday scheduled meetings for Jan. 12-13 in Houston, and team owners are expected to vote on which team — or two — among the Raiders, San Diego Chargers and St. Louis Rams will be allowed to move to Los Angeles.

New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch told reporters at the NFL owners’ meeting in Irving, Texas, on Wednesday that he expects owners will be locked in a room until “we get a decision Jan. 13.”

“The momentum is we will have a decision on one or two teams in L.A.,” 49ers owner Jed York told reporters.

The league will send city officials in Oakland, San Diego and St. Louis a letter explaining that it wants to see — by Dec. 28 — each city’s plan and final offer for its respective team. Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters that the plans have to be definite, with no question marks or contingencies.

“Certainty means no further votes required,” Goodell said, “that there is a deal that is fully approved, that there are not complications that are unforeseen, that this project can be completed. It’s that simple.”

Teams formally can apply to relocate Jan. 4. All three teams plan to do so.

St. Louis is reported to be, of the three, closest to having a stadium proposal — with a governor-appointed stadium task force working on a plan for a $1 billion stadium along the Mississippi River — but Houston Texans owner Bob McNair told reporters that none of the three does at this time.

The league has been skeptical of the city of Oakland’s chances of getting something done, and no city officials were available for comment Wednesday. Raiders owner Mark Davis has said that his preference is to stay in Oakland, but that he needs to pursue the Los Angeles opportunity to secure a new stadium because “we have to enter the 21st century.”

Davis does not want to share Levi’s Stadium with the 49ers, something the league has mentioned to him as a possibility before the stadium opened in Santa Clara in 2014.

Meanwhile, Goodell was asked if San Diego appears to be out of time to put together a plan to keep the Chargers.

“It certainly appears that is the case, yes,” he said.

Davis and Chargers owner Dean Spanos partnered on a stadium plan in Carson and, league sources said, are meeting with the StubHub Center sports complex in Carson next week about the possibility of holding training camp there.

Rams owner Stan Kroenke, meanwhile, has been pushing a site in nearby Inglewood. Last week, he offered to share the stadium site — but not the surrounding development he has planned — with a second team.

League sources said that neither Davis nor Spanos plans to break their partnership to join Kroenke.

Colts owner Jim Irsay told reporters that there is a “strong feeling” among owners that two teams will play in Los Angeles.

A team needs 24 of the league’s 32 owners to approve a move, and league sources said that neither the Davis/Spanos nor Kroenke proposal has enough votes at this time.

“That can certainly change with more discussions,” Irsay told reporters.

On Wednesday, the owners watched videos of recent town-hall meetings in Oakland, San Diego and St. Louis, then heard from Davis, Spanos and Kroenke. Those three then were excused and the rest of the owners discussed the issue further.

Los Angeles hasn’t had an NFL franchise since the Raiders and Rams departed after the 1994 season.

raider5 · Dec 3, 2015

So, did the NFL not learn from their mistake 20 years ago when it had 2 (the same 2) NFL teams in LA and it didn't work out so well?

regardless, I'm all for whatever they need to do to get a stadium. But, to share one with the Chargers and possibly move to the NFC? Al Davis would rather let this team pay at Oakland for another 30 years before that happens lol

HNL HI · Dec 4, 2015

Was seeing something that the owner of the rams would be willing to move to London if he doesnt get the vote for L.A.

Johnny_Cakes · Dec 4, 2015

He wants to control and be paid from the shopping that would be constructed outside his LA stadium exclusively. Any other owner that joined him would only be able to rent the stadium and not get paid from the outside business. That's why the Chargers nor Raiders will partner with him.

I think this gives the Carson plan a chance.