Oakland Raiders: 3 Big takeaways from loss vs. Broncos in Week 2
By Joel W. Cade
2. Penalties and Special Teams
The Raiders gonna Raider. It wouldn’t be an authentic Raider game if there were not game altering penalties and stupid special teams plays.
It was nice of Bruce Irvin to accommodate. On a crucial third down early in the second half, the Raiders stopped the Broncos short of the first down marker. But Irvin decided to get into the official’s face. He apparently said something the official did not like as the conversation ended with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The penalty gave the Broncos new life that ultimately ended with a Bronco touchdown.
Mike Nugent did not help much on special teams. After having an extra point blocked, head coach Jon Gruden seemed to lose confidence in Nugent’s ability to kick field goals. The loss of confidence lead to the decision to go for it on fourth down early in the fourth quarter. The Raiders failed to convert. No points were scored.
If the Raiders had more faith in Nugent, they may have attempted a long field goal in the thin air of Denver. Make that kick and the Raiders win the game. But alas, it was not the Raiders’ day.
The little things like penalties and special teams hurt the Raiders all game. For the Raiders to reach the next level, they will need to clean up the stupid penalties. They will also need solve the kicking problem. If they cannot kick a field goal in the thin air of Denver, when will they kick a field goal?