True, the Oakland Raiders did not necessarily devise a game plan for Thursday's exhibition game at the Green Bay Packers which they lost 20-12 at Lambeau Field. But the Raiders offense should not have looked so ... well ... bland, flat and uninspiring, right? Because despite playing the entire first half, Oakland's top unit could muster only 73 yards of offense and a 46-yard Sebastian Janikowski field goal before halftime. A positive? At least the offense was “balanced” -- the Raiders passing for 38 yards and rushing for 35 in that first half. The negative? The Packers' second-string offense played from the second quarter on and the Raiders could not take advantage. Then there was this: The Raiders had 10 penalties for 96 yards in the game -- a week after being flagged 11 times at Arizona.
QB depth chart: Derek Carr was not especially sharp, even as he completed 9 of 13 passes for 38 yards with an interception that Amari Cooper did not appear to fight all that hard for in coverage. Matt McGloin saw limited time, completing just 2-of-5 passes for 2 yards; rookie Connor Cook threw for 101 yards on 6-of-9 passing with an interception, including a 33-yard pickup off a scramble to Seth Roberts.
Maybe that dude could start: Strange, I know, but former starter Dan Williams, who is now backing up Justin Ellis at nose tackle, played well down low in his snaps with the first-team defense. Because while Ellis and Stacy McGee started on the interior of the D-line, Ellis and undrafted rookie Darius Latham paired up on the second and fourth defensive series to help force three and outs each time.
Who got hurt? Defensive lineman Leon Orr was shaken up in the fourth quarter and had to be helped off the field. There were no other noticeable injuries to arise from the game, though three players did not dress: defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. (hip), tight end Gabe Holmes (ankle) and undrafted rookie running back Jalen Richard (knee). Edwards and Holmes were both hurt in last week’s preseason-opening win at Arizona.
A surprise player who impressed: Defensive lineman Shilique Calhoun had a nice stretch in the fourth quarter, the third-round draft pick setting the edge on a couple of plays before breaking through to sack Packers fourth-string quarterback Marquise Williams for a 9-yard loss in the fourth quarter. The play happened on third-and-2 from the Raiders’ 7-yard line, forcing the Packers to kick a field goal.
When it was starters vs. starters, the Raiders looked ...: Sloppy. And disinterested. Too harsh? Well, the first-team offense played the entire first half and managed just that 46-yard Janikowski field goal on its opening series. Defensively, the Packers’ first-team offense, with Brett Hundley under center rather than Aaron Rodgers, ran the ball down Oakland’s throats with a 14-play, 74-yard drive that took 7 minutes, 36 seconds and culminated with a 1-yard plunge from Eddie Lacy.
One reason to be concerned: That opening defensive series for the Raiders. As noted previously, the Packers did whatever they wanted, Lacy carrying the ball nine times for 45 yards on the possession. He had a 20-yard run in there and, throughout the game, Oakland’s linebackers would bite heavily on cutbacks and bootlegs. Not just the starters, either.
Making his mark: Perhaps Brynden Trawick's best shot at making the Raiders’ 53-man roster is to stand out on special teams. So you have to like what he did late in the fourth quarter when he used an inside move from the right side to sneak in and block Tim Masthay's punt near the goal line. Nate Allen jumped on it for the touchdown.
Like taking candy from a ...? Matt Millen, the former Raiders inside linebacker-turned-broadcaster, took umbrage with Oakland stalling whenever it had the ball. Or did you miss his comment when the broadcast showed a picture of a sleeping baby in the stands in the third quarter? “That,” Millen said of the infant, “looks like our offense.”
