Vs.
By Scary Barry Rodriguez Novmber 3, 2013
O.co. Coliseum , Oakland , Ca - The NFL pundits and so called analysts figured the 3-5 Philadelphia Eagles coming into Oakland as a possible opportunity game for the Raiders. The fans were waiting for the home team to feast on the Eagles with Michael Vick sidelined with an injury. Yea , the Raider offense had been shaky but the defense was rated number ten in the NFL.
The reviews for Chip Kelly's hurry up offense have been mixed but this game showcased the potential problems all the other teams will experience. With the Raider offense in a sluggish state the defense was victimized by the Eagle hurry up offense. With rookie quarterback Nick Foles under center the Eagles quickly lined up on every play and before long the Raider defenders ran out of gas.
The Eagles scored four touchdowns in the first half. Foles and the Philadelphia offense picked on rookie corner D. J. Hayden. The six foot six receiver Riley Cooper beat him like a drum for three touchdowns in the game. In the first half Foles didn't get hit once by the Oakland pass rush. With ample time to survey the field he shredded the Oakland secondary.
Meanwhile between touchdown drives , when the Raiders were on offense they couldn't sustain many drives. Rashad Jennings , who ran and caught passes , was the only Oakland threat besides Terrelle Pryor. The only Raider touchdown in the first half was set up by the running of Pryor , who finished the game with 94 yards rushing on 10 carries. The Eagle defense forced Pryor to be a pocket passer.
The Raiders managed to score thirteen points in the first half on one touchdown run of 2 yards by Rashad Jennings and two field goals from the boot of Stephan Janikowski . The score at the half was 28-13 . Oakland was barely hanging on at this point in the game. They were accumulating yards on the offense with little to show for it. Oakland was running twice as many plays as the Philadelphia Eagles.
I had not closely scrutinized Chip Kelly's hurry up offense before . It was a real eye opener ! The Eagles have big receivers and they just blew past the bone tired Raider defenders in the first half. There is no time to substitute on the defense and the next play is coming ten seconds after the Eagles line up ! No time to congratulate yourself on defending a pass or stopping the run. The hurry up offense is the equalizer against aggressive defenses . It doesn't matter how hard you tackle because before you can set the next play is coming right at you !
Philadelphia scored three times in the third quarter to put the game out of reach. Twice Raider players in the secondary fell down providing easy scores for the Eagle receivers. It was an aerial show by the wrong team in front of the wrong fans. LeSean McCoy , DeSean Jackson and Riley Cooper hauled in touchdown passes from Foles who tied a NFL record with seven touchdowns. Darren McFadden stood on the sidelines watching the action. He re-injured his hamstring and was out of the game in the second half.
In the fourth quarter with time running out Jeremy Stewart scored a consolation touchdown on a 2 yard run. The Eagles could have left Foles in the game for an opportunity to get one more record breaking touchdown pass but they showed class and mercy as an organization. The Raiders didn't quit but they were just out played. Philadelphia cured the problem they were having in red zone scoring at the expense of Oakland.
Nick Foles went 22/28 with 406 yards and seven touchdowns. The Eagle's offense had 542 total yards. The Raiders actually had more , finishing with total 560 yards. It was a meaningless statistic in a blow out game ! Pryor tried mightily to jump start the Oakland offense to no avail. He was 22/41 with 288 yards and two interceptions that were due to his receivers. Once again Rashad Jennings stepped up to the plate. He carried the ball 15 times for 102 yards caught 7 passes for 74 yards , not to mention his special team play !
The take away from this game is the same as the last. The Oakland Raiders are in a rebuild mode despite the talent on their active roster. Terrelle Pryor is still a work in progress. Yet with every game he is improving although it difficult for the fans to see. Any team with an anemic offense will have big problems with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Chip Kelly hurry up offense ! After Nick Foles performance on Sunday , Michael Vick should be thinking about his next destination. Foles is big , throws accurately and is injury free at this time. Next the Raiders play an away game against the New York Giants. Dennis Allen can't dwell on this beatdown. He must prepare his team for the big apple !
BarryRodriguez (c) 2013. All Rights Reserved.
Posting layout arranged by Magic Merlin Paul Malolot
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