At half time it looked like Oakland could start resting players and focusing on hosting the Chicago Bears in Week 12. Perhaps that got into some of their players heads, as a sloppy second half invited a lackluster Vikings – reeling from the loss of Adrian Peterson – back into the game.
The simple truth is, after scoring 27 unanswered points, the Raiders had this one in the bag. Their running game wasn’t exactly dominant, but it was it was picking up yards in chunks, and Carson Palmer was doing more than enough to keep the ball moving through the air. This offensive display coupled with a defense that took full advantage of Peterson being forced out of the game and the inexperience of a rookie quarterback, should have made for easy viewing for the Raider Nation.
It didn’t, and that should prove a concern going forward as the Raiders missed opportunities to put up points (blocked field goal), turned the ball over (a costly Michael Bush fumble) and got caught out of position badly (for both touchdown throws). Credit to Minnesota for fighting back, but their rebuild program is still a long way from complete. Let’s examine that and other issues.
Oakland – Three Performances of Note
Boom or Bust Running Game?
It may seem odd that a team that who rushed for 165 yards on 41 attempts picked up a collective -13.0 run blocking grade. Such is the nature of the Raiders' running game at times, that it can get by losing battles and winning the war, because they can turn their victories into big chunks of yardage. Look at it this way; 120 of the 165 yards came on nine attempts, with the Vikings picking up seven tackles for a loss, one for no gain and had 13 plays where they restricted the offense to 3 yards or less. Now, granted, three of those were chain movers, but then at the same time the Raiders had a 10-yard run on 3rd-and-17. Not a successful day run blocking, but a successful day rushing the ball when your backs can take advantage when you do win your battles.
Dealing with Jared Allen
This was the test a lot of Jared Veldheer (+0.5) fans wanted to see. How would he cope with sack specialist Jared Allen? Answer – rather well. Outside of a holding penalty and one play in the second quarter where Allen was able to get outside of the big left tackle, Veldheer kept him in check in a manner no man has been able to this year. His +1.3 pass blocking grade was the highest on the team, and while he never imposed himself in the run game, this was the kind of performance a top-tier left tackle is able to put in against good opposition. The grade may not be out of this world high, but against quality opposition you’ve always had a good day when you grade in the positive.
Coverage Concern
Not a vintage day for Rolando McClain (-3.7), with the former first round pick having his worst day of the year, primarily as a result of some struggles in coverage. He may have only walked away giving up 9 yards on four balls thrown at him, but one of those went for a touchdown and another was a big drop down the field by Greg Camrillo. Throw in his role in Kyle Rudolph’s touchdown, where he didn’t know if he was coming or going, and you have the same old rookie concerns of McClain just not doing a good enough job of being in the right place. Even when he was presented with a chance at a pick six he couldn’t capitalize, instead seeing the ball bounce off his hands and to the ground. A divisive player to some, he normally does enough good work in run defense you can overlook these sorts of issues; not today. Not by a long way.
Minnesota – Three Performances of Note
Pondering the future
If you want to watch a rookie with potential play like a rookie, this was the game for you. Christian Ponder (+1.6) made some good plays with his feet, some real good ones with his arm (his pass to Visanthe Shiancoe with 5:58 to go in the fourth stands out) and made a number of decisions so bad I felt my eyes were deceiving me. In general that’s the biggest problem with Ponder right now; his decision making. It’s not just the INTs (all of which were horrible decisions) or the dropped interception by McClain with 3:01 to go in the game, it’s his pocket presence. You’d be forgiven for thinking the Raiders were bringing pressure with every play, such was the willingness of Ponder to try and work himself out of some perfectly good pass protection. It led to some big runs, and you could understand him losing some trust in his receivers the way they played (Michael Jenkins I’m looking at you), but you have to trust in your protection, especially when they were getting the job done most of the day.
Still got it
A few weeks ago my colleague Sam Monson wondered if Kevin Williams (+2.9) was starting to lose it. Not on the evidence of this as he made a number of plays on his way to recording five defensive stops. Looking for an example of his dominance? Head to 3:07 in Q1, where he just explodes past Samson Satele and takes Michael Bush down for a 4-yard loss. It wasn’t perfect as he notched the rare defensive holding penalty, and his pass rushing (despite picking up a sack) was pretty nonexistent. But Williams got it done, and was a thorn in the side of Stefan Wisniewski and Cooper Carlisle in particular.
Improvement
We’ve never been shy about criticizing the pass protection of either Charlie Johnson (+2.1 pass pro) or Phil Loadholt (+2.1 pass pro). Faced with Kamerion Wimbley, coming off a four-sack game, you’d forgive me for thinking things could get messy. Instead, both men dealt with Wimbley and Co. with relative aplomb, giving up just two pressures between them. Johnson was called for two penalties (though one of them in error as it was clearly on Joe Berger) and struggled in the run game, but it marks two weeks in a row where the Viking has graded positively in pass protection. Encouraging signs.
Game Notes
– Undisciplined teams or over officious officials? 25 penalties combined from both teams is a frankly ludicrous amount.
– When Carson Palmer was pressured he completed 7-of-9 attempts (77.8%) for 69 yards, as opposed to completing 10-of-14 (71.4%) for 95 yards when not.
– Everson Griffen played only nine snaps, but managed two defensive stops and a hit on three consecutive plays (starting at 14:03 in the fourth).
PFF Game Ball
I’ve mentioned his grade as not being the best but given the level of opposition, Jared Veldheer essentially neutralized the biggest threat the Vikings had. It could have been a different game if he hadn’t.
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