RSS
Home
Strange things afoot in Raiders' victory over Eagles
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
McNabb never expected the Spanish Inquisition.
Halloween may be two weeks away, but the strange doings have already begun in Oakland.
The Philadelphia Eagles arrived in the East Bay this weekend riding high, fresh off two straight victories in which they topped 30 points offensively.
The Raiders were still licking their wounds from last Sunday’s debacle in New York, in which the Giants did everything short of naming the Silver and Black “Peaches” and braiding their hair.
If ever there were a one-sided matchup, this was it. Perhaps the only thing these teams shared in common was an affinity for quickies with Jeff Garcia.
The game was so assuredly Philadelphia’s that Oakland fans couldn’t even be bothered to show up to the Coliseum on Sunday to watch. Yet in an ironic twist, the Raiders waited for a game that was blacked out locally to pull off the kind of upset that had to be seen to be believed.
Nearly every element of Sunday’s upset was double-take worthy, including several otherworldly occurrences:
Oakland’s backup fullback, in his first game of the season, making the catch to ice the game.
A Raider, any Raider, making a catch to ice a game.
A Raider, any Raider, simply catching a pass.
Oakland’s pass defense, so reliant upon Nnamdi Asomugha, shutting down Donovan McNnabb and the Eagles’ speedy receivers with Asomugha on the sideline.
The Raiders defense actually blitzing and playing zone, the kind of off-the-wall ideas not seen in Oakland since the pre-Rob Ryan era.
The running game finally coming to life, revitalized by a previously left-for-dead Justin Fargas.
Shane Lechler getting less work than his punting counterpart.
Louis Murphy, the team's most reliable wide receiver, making the play of the day despite catching exactly zero passes.
Javon Walker, the team’s least reliable wide receiver, actually suiting up for a game.
And most importantly, JaMarcus Russell finishing with a higher rating than the opposing quarterback.
Elsewhere on Sunday, Randy Hanson's jaw magically reassembled, Stuart Schweigert made a tackle that didn’t involve him chasing someone from behind, and a television commercial featuring quarterbacks not named Favre or Manning actually made it to air.
If you didn't know any better, you'd think the Raiders were the team contending for playoff spot, while the Eagles were content to simply play out the string.
After playing flat for several weeks, Oakland finally played with a fire and determination not seen since their Monday Night opener. The Raiders nearly doubled the Eagles' rushing total, and the defense harassed Donovan McNabb to the tune of six sacks.
More importantly, Russell finally found his aim, completing 60% of his passes in navigating the team to victory. It’s hard to get too excited, considering Russell still managed to throw more interceptions than touchdowns, but Sunday was a step in the right direction.
It’s unclear exactly what made Russell decide to forgo his Daunte Culpepper impersonation, but he’ll need to channel it again this weekend when the Jets come calling.
New York’s Mark Sanchez threw five interceptions Sunday in a home game against the lowly Bills, so Russell now has a decent chance to be the best quarterback on the field for a second week in a row.
Riding high following a win against a playoff contender, the Raiders now sit at 2-4, one questionable Louis Murphy touchdown call away from being a .500 team.
No record better suits these Raiders, given their tendency to show up in some games, while mailing it in for others.
Oakland has proven to be an all-or-nothing team thus far, and there’s no telling which group will show up on Sunday.
The good news for the Raiders is that they have enough talent to play with most teams in the NFL. The bad news is that they don't appear able to harness that talent with any sort of effectiveness.
In keeping with the down-is-up motif, the AFC West is now out of reach, thanks to Denver’s inexplicably hot start. The Raiders' focus needs to be adjusted accordingly, with revised goals of a .500 record for the season, while remaining competitive in every game.
Only a few days ago, those would have sounded like lofty aspirations for a team which appeared to be sinking like a stone.
But as Sunday’s events have proved, stranger things have definitely happened.
The Oakland Sports Examiner.
Related Articles:
Comments
