These things stood out to me about last night's game.
1. Going for it on 4th down and 1 from our own 19 is fine, but Lombardi has repeatedly failed to understand that we are not a running team (even after having been stopped on the play before). Unless it is 4th down and half a yard or less, we need to be passing the ball or trusting Herbert to run for it if nobody is open.
2. Tyron Johnson shoved it in our face big time by forcing a key fumble that changed the game early on, by drawing a holding penalty on special teams, and by giving the Raiders good field position with a couple of his returns. By the way, wasn't one of the big knocks against Johnson mentioned by several on this forum that he could not play special teams?
3. When we had the momentum at the end of the game, and given our struggles on defense, I really wanted us to go for two after the Williams TD with no time remaining. Again, with the game on the line, put the ball in Herbert's hands. I can live with whatever happens in that situation. I like our chances in that situation. Instead, we ended up losing for the second time this season because we lost the OT coin toss. In one scenario, we guarantee that Herbert gets a chance to win it for us. In the other, we do not.
4. On a very positive note, when Herbert made absolutely perfect throws to Palmer (on 4th and 21) and Williams (with no time left) for the late 4th quarter TDs and the absolutely perfect throw to Ekeler for the critical two point conversion, I really felt like I could identify with Neo's colleagues in the Matrix when they proclaimed, "He is the one!" We have the best QB in the NFL right now and that is a really good thing going forward. And I have to believe that our being two seconds from the playoffs and not getting in is going to make our players a little salty for next year, which is also a good thing.
5. I understand why the team chose to focus on the OL in the past offseason at the expense of keeping some of our players on defense or adding more players on defense. Protecting Herbert is of vital importance. But I am hoping that aside from locking down Williams and shoring up the right side of the OL, we put a lot of the considerable resources we have (draft picks and cap room) into upgrading the defense. The defense was just too soft for much too much of the season.
1. Going for it on 4th down and 1 from our own 19 is fine, but Lombardi has repeatedly failed to understand that we are not a running team (even after having been stopped on the play before). Unless it is 4th down and half a yard or less, we need to be passing the ball or trusting Herbert to run for it if nobody is open.
2. Tyron Johnson shoved it in our face big time by forcing a key fumble that changed the game early on, by drawing a holding penalty on special teams, and by giving the Raiders good field position with a couple of his returns. By the way, wasn't one of the big knocks against Johnson mentioned by several on this forum that he could not play special teams?
3. When we had the momentum at the end of the game, and given our struggles on defense, I really wanted us to go for two after the Williams TD with no time remaining. Again, with the game on the line, put the ball in Herbert's hands. I can live with whatever happens in that situation. I like our chances in that situation. Instead, we ended up losing for the second time this season because we lost the OT coin toss. In one scenario, we guarantee that Herbert gets a chance to win it for us. In the other, we do not.
4. On a very positive note, when Herbert made absolutely perfect throws to Palmer (on 4th and 21) and Williams (with no time left) for the late 4th quarter TDs and the absolutely perfect throw to Ekeler for the critical two point conversion, I really felt like I could identify with Neo's colleagues in the Matrix when they proclaimed, "He is the one!" We have the best QB in the NFL right now and that is a really good thing going forward. And I have to believe that our being two seconds from the playoffs and not getting in is going to make our players a little salty for next year, which is also a good thing.
5. I understand why the team chose to focus on the OL in the past offseason at the expense of keeping some of our players on defense or adding more players on defense. Protecting Herbert is of vital importance. But I am hoping that aside from locking down Williams and shoring up the right side of the OL, we put a lot of the considerable resources we have (draft picks and cap room) into upgrading the defense. The defense was just too soft for much too much of the season.
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