We almost did it. The Oakland Raiders went into their final game of the season with the chance to win and move on to the playoffs, for the first time since 2002. The Silver and Black came into the January 1st game against the San Diego Chargers with their own destiny in their hands. At home, no less. But they failed in their mission and lost the game 38-26 and also lost their hopes of post-season play. Their loss, along with the other wins and losses on the last day of the regular season (and the first day of the new year), clarified the NFL playoff picture as to who’s in and who’s out.

An NFL football.
Wikimedia Commons

The Raiders’ loss was a boon to the Denver Broncos, who lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 7-3, but still won the division. The Broncos will now host Pittsburgh in the first round of the playoffs. With their loss, the Broncos created the opportunity for the Raiders to clinch the AFC West with their win, but the Raiders could not capitalize on the opportunity and the slot goes to Denver.

The NFL playoff picture includes returning and expected teams like the Green Bay Packers, the New England Patriots, the Baltimore Ravens, the New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers and the Atlanta Falcons. I’m excited because there are also unexpected teams like the San Francisco 49ers, the Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos and, for the very first time, the Houston Texans. The New York Giants will be there too, after an amazing game that saw them beat the Dallas Cowboys on the strong performance of QB Eli Manning.

Another amazing performance on that last Sunday of the regular season was turned in by Green Bay’s QB. And it was not starter Aaron Rodgers, who was resting in anticipation of the playoffs, it was backup QB Matt Flynn. Flynn broke Packers’ teams records going for 480 yards passing for six touchdowns.

The first of January gave three losses to the four AFC playoff teams. The Bengals, Texans and Broncos all lost, only the Steelers won their last game. The playoffs will start off with Cincinnati against Houston early on Saturday, January 7, followed by Detroit at New Orleans. Sunday will bring the Giants against Atlanta. And while all that is going on, Raiders fans like me will be looking towards the 2012 season.

Although born and raised with Eagles fans in Philadelphia, Freddy Sherman has always been a citizen of Raider Nation at heart. Since his dad got him a signed George Blanda football as child, to meeting Lyle Alzado in the 1980s, he hasn’t looked back. Follow him on twitter @thefredsherman

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Read More: Carson Palmer (QB – OAK), Antonio Gates (TE – SDC), Philip Rivers (QB – SDC), Sebastian Janikowski (K – OAK), Mike Tolbert (FB – SDC), Darrius Heyward-Bey (WR – OAK), Louis Murphy (WR – OAK), Richard Goodman (WR – SDC), Curtis Brinkley (RB – SDC), San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders had a great shot to get to the playoffs if they could get some help from the Kansas City Chargers. They’re getting that help, but they’re hardly helping themselves. After Oakland punted the football, Philip Rivers went right back to work, connected with Antonio Gates for 37 yards and Malcolm Floyd for 16 yards. Nice rushes by Curtis Brinkley helped set up a Mike Tolbert one yard touchdown rush to put San Diego up 14-7.

Oakland drove right back down the field with Carson Palmer connected with Louis Murphy and Darrius Heyward-Bey to help set up a Sebastian Janikowski 52 yard field goal, but San Diego came right back with a Richard Goodman 105 yard kickoff return to put them up 21-10. The teams traded field goals to end the first half thanks to solid passing by both Palmer and Rivers, and another quick Oakland drive with a huge Palmer pass to start the second half helped put more points on the board thanks to Janikowski.

The Raiders would win the AFC West if they win and the Denver Broncos lose–which they are currently doing to the Kansas City Chiefs.

To discuss the game with Raiders fans, go to Silver and Black Pride. To check out the game with Chargers fans, head to Bolts from the Blue.

ALAMEDA, Calif. – The Oakland Raiders don’t have much time to get over Sunday’s lopsided loss in Miami.

With a trip to undefeated Green Bay this week, whatever problems the Raiders (7-5) had against the Dolphins need to get corrected in a hurry.

There’s plenty to fix, too.

A sputtering offence that punted on eight of its first nine possessions against Miami. The defence which allowed 209 yards rushing, continuing a season-long troublesome trend. The special teams also had a critical breakdown.

There’s also the controversy over middle linebacker Rolando McClain playing three days after his arrest on misdemeanour assault, firearms and other charges in his Alabama hometown.

Moving on from all of that might be just as challenging for the Raiders as facing the Packers (12-0).

“We’re going to let it go but we ain’t going to forget,” coach Hue Jackson said on Monday. “We didn’t play well, I didn’t coach well. But the psyche of this team is very strong.”

That was the message Jackson delivered to his team less than 24 hours after the loss to Miami, a setback that dropped the Raiders into a first-place tie with the surging Denver Broncos in the AFC West.

Oakland fell back into many of its old habits against the Dolphins. The Raiders couldn’t stop Miami’s running game, converted only 2 of 11 third downs and were penalized 10 times to pad their league-leading total.

It was in stark contrast to the way the team played during its three-game winning streak and left Jackson and his staff scrambling for answers while trying to get their players focused on the Packers.

“Yeah, but it’s always been that way,” right tackle Khalif Barnes said. “We never lost that perspective. But when you drop one like that, it just puts it a little bit more into perspective. We’ll be OK.”

Apparently so will McClain.

Jackson initially said he wouldn’t wait for the NFL to take action against McClain for the incident, but backed off after meeting with the second-year player Saturday.

Now Jackson is taking a wait-and-see approach.

“I’m comfortable in my mind that the charges that people are saying and the things that they’re saying that he did, I don’t think that he did that,” Jackson said. “If I find out differently, if I’ve been led down the other brick road, then I will adjust accordingly. At some point I got to take a stand, and I’m taking a stand behind my player.”

McClain did not start but played extensively against the Dolphins. He’s expected to be back in Oakland’s starting lineup in Green Bay.

Lambeau Field isn’t exactly the best place for the Raiders to correct their on-field issues.

Oakland’s run defence is 28th in the NFL and opponents are gaining a league-high 5.2 yards per carry against the Raiders.

Green Bay’s defence has struggled at times, which might be encouraging if the Raiders were not coming off one of their worst offensive performances of the season.

Although they managed 304 yards of offence, the Raiders trailed 34-0 midway through the fourth quarter before quarterback Carson Palmer threw a pair of late touchdown passes to avoid the shutout.

“(Miami) provided the blueprint for everybody else, so it’s time for me to go back to the drawing board,” Jackson said. “These challenges don’t get any easier. They get harder.”

There’s plenty to fix, too.

A sputtering offense that punted on eight of its first nine possessions against Miami. The defense which allowed 209 yards rushing, continuing a season-long troublesome trend. The special teams also had a critical breakdown.

There’s also the controversy over middle linebacker Rolando McClain playing three days after his arrest on misdemeanor assault, firearms and other charges in his Alabama hometown.

Moving on from all of that might be just as challenging for the Raiders as facing the Packers (12-0).

“We’re going to let it go but we ain’t going to forget,” coach Hue Jackson said on Monday. “We didn’t play well, I didn’t coach well. But the psyche of this team is very strong.”

That was the message Jackson delivered to his team less than 24 hours after the loss to Miami, a setback that dropped the Raiders into a first-place tie with the surging Denver Broncos in the AFC West.

Oakland fell back into many of its old habits against the Dolphins. The Raiders couldn’t stop Miami’s running game, converted only 2 of 11 third downs and were penalized 10 times to pad their league-leading total.

It was in stark contrast to the way the team played during its three-game winning streak and left Jackson and his staff scrambling for answers while trying to get their players focused on the Packers.

“Yeah, but it’s always been that way,” right tackle Khalif Barnes said. “We never lost that perspective. But when you drop one like that, it just puts it a little bit more into perspective. We’ll be OK.”

Apparently so will McClain.

Jackson initially said he wouldn’t wait for the NFL to take action against McClain for the incident, but backed off after meeting with the second-year player Saturday.

Now Jackson is taking a wait-and-see approach.

“I’m comfortable in my mind that the charges that people are saying and the things that they’re saying that he did, I don’t think that he did that,” Jackson said. “If I find out differently, if I’ve been led down the other brick road, then I will adjust accordingly. At some point I got to take a stand, and I’m taking a stand behind my player.”

McClain did not start but played extensively against the Dolphins. He’s expected to be back in Oakland’s starting lineup in Green Bay.

Lambeau Field isn’t exactly the best place for the Raiders to correct their on-field issues.

Oakland’s run defense is 28th in the NFL and opponents are gaining a league-high 5.2 yards per carry against the Raiders.

Green Bay’s defense has struggled at times, which might be encouraging if the Raiders were not coming off one of their worst offensive performances of the season.

Although they managed 304 yards of offense, the Raiders trailed 34-0 midway through the fourth quarter before quarterback Carson Palmer threw a pair of late touchdown passes to avoid the shutout.

“(Miami) provided the blueprint for everybody else, so it’s time for me to go back to the drawing board,” Jackson said. “These challenges don’t get any easier. They get harder.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Read More: Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos

The Oakland Raiders went into Miami hoping to maintain their one-game lead over the Denver Broncos, or maybe even extend it to two games. Unfortunately that was not the case. The Raiders took one on the chin as they lost 34-14. The game wasn’t even that close as the 49ers added both touchdowns in the fourth quarter after already trailing 34-0. Up in the great white north, the Denver Broncos continue their insane recent run as they won another fourth quarter comeback with a 35-32 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

The Broncos got a solid effort from Tim Tebow who completed 10 of 15 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns while only rushing for 13 yards. Willis McGahee put together a strong performance with 111 rushing yards and a touchdown. The defense struggled mightily, but they held on just long enough to get Matt Prater a chance to kick a pair of field goals in the final 1:33 to get the win.

The Broncos now sit tied for first with the Raiders at 7-5 in the AFC West. Since the Raiders and Broncos split their season series, the first tiebreaker is divisional record. Right now the Broncos are 3-2 and the Raiders are 2-2. However, the Raiders could be in danger of dropping a game back in week 14. The Raiders travel to Green Bay to face the undefeated Packers while the Broncos host the struggling Chicago Bears. The Bears still have a strong defense and great special teams, but their QB situation is abysmal with Caleb Hanie, and now they might be without Matt Forte due to an MCL sprain.

The Raiders will head into Green Bay hoping for a minor miracle, but will more realistically hope Denver trips up against the Bear.

Read More: Carson Palmer (QB – OAK), Tim Tebow (QB – DEN), Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos are traveling to the bay area this weekend to face the Oakland Raiders, as they hope to prevent their season from totally falling apart while throwing a wrench in Oakland’s. The Raiders are rolling out Carson Palmer for his first start in Oakland while the Broncos are giving Tim Tebow another chance, possibly his last one.

Oakland is considered the heavy favorite at home against the struggling Broncos, but it’s unclear how must rust Palmer has been able to shake off in the past two weeks. He looked pretty bad against the Kansas City Chiefs two weeks ago, although it’s not like the Broncos hold some obvious advantage at that position.

Game Date/Time: Sunday, November 6, 2011; 2:05 PM MT

Location: O.co Coliseum, Oakland, Calif.

TV Schedule: CBS

TV Distribution Map: The506.com

Radio Schedule
Broncos: 850 KOA
Raiders: KITS 105.3

For more on Sunday’s game, check out Mile High Report, SB Nation’s Denver Broncos blog, and Silver And Black Pride, SB Nation’s Oakland Raiders blog. For more on the NFL, check out SB Nation’s NFL page.

There is a waning level of support for Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow(notes) in the world of fantasy football, but owners should stick with him for the Week 9 game against the Oakland Raiders. Tebow is the type of fantasy football player that could have an ugly game, but still ends up putting up points on part with the best quarterbacks in the league.

If you are an owner in a fantasy football league that hands out negative points for sacks against the quarterback, then it is understandable that you would want to stay away from Tebow. He has been sacked 13 times in the last two weeks, and that numbers is only going to increase in Week 9. But if you are in a league that doesn’t deal with advanced statistics like that, Tebow is a guy that will pick up yardage through the air, on the ground, and still find a way to get the ball into the end zone.

In the ugly Week 7 game against the Miami Dolphins, Tebow still managed to net 22.34 points in the average Yahoo! Fantasy Football league. He had 161 passing yards, 59 rushing yards, two passing touchdowns, and a two-point conversion that made fantasy football owners very happy. He had a rough game against the Detroit Lions the following week, but still had decent fantasy numbers when it came to the final whistle. Now he gets to go against a weaker Raiders defense that has a few holes in it. Those holes could allow Tebow to break free on a number of runs and possibly put the ball in the end zone two or more times.

Arguments are going to continue about whether Tebow is a good quarterback in the NFL and if the Broncos moved too quickly to make in a starter in the league. Some fans might even argue that he is too much of a risk to put on the field as a fantasy football quarterback. That’s simply not the case though, and he is one of those players that might be hard to watch live, but could continue to rack up the stats for fantasy football owners that are willing to give him the chance. For those owners that stick with him, it might also provide a nice opportunity to talk some trash in the coming weeks.

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Tim Tebow(notes) is ready to have a great week against the Oakland Raiders, but not that many fantasy football owners have wanted to take on the risk in Week 9. The Denver Broncos are sticking with Tebow despite a rough game against the Detroit Lions in Week 8, but his support in the world of fantasy football has taken a hit.

On the morning of Friday, Nov. 4, Tebow is still available in 43 percent of all Yahoo! Fantasy Football leagues. That’s a pretty high number given the skill set that Tebow has when it comes to putting up fantasy points. Despite a rough week of getting sacked repeatedly, Tebow still earned 14.18 points in the average Yahoo! league during Week 8. It was a step back from the 22.34 points he had against the Miami Dolphins in Week 7, but it was still pretty good considering how badly Detroit beat the Broncos.

This week could yield very interesting results for Tebow , especially if he gets allowed to play from the shotgun more often. The motion offense would also allow him to get more rushing yards than normal, possibly breaking a few long runs to pump up those fantasy stats. Tebow is also encroaching on career highs in many statistics in 2011, and could pass his 2010 passing yards, rushing yards, and touchdowns with a great game against Oakland.

Broncos fans would certainly love something positive to come from a game against a rival like the Raiders. Winning this game would secure bragging rights for a while, especially with how often people are willing to weigh in from other cities about how good Tebow is or isn’t. With how close the AFC West is now, a win over the Raiders could get the Broncos right back in the race for a division title. That might be a bit difficult to do, but confidence in Tebow has to get generated from somewhere.

Tebow is still a practical fantasy football option for many owners, but it doesn’t seem like quite as many are willing to risk a roster spot in Week 9. Sure, he shouldn’t be replacing someone like Aaron Rodgers(notes) in a lineup, but he is still going to put up fantasy stats better than at least half of the NFL quarterbacks playing in Week 9. That alone should garner him a long look from those owners that have struggled to get points from the quarterback position.

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Read More: Lito Sheppard (DB – OAK), Nnamdi Asomugha (CB – PHI), New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos

Oakland Raiders fans may see the familiar number 21 roaming the secondary at the Oakland Coliseum whent he Raiders host the Denver Broncos this weekend. Except, this time, the man wearing number 21 will not be Nnamdi Asomugha, but rather, corner back Lito Sheppard.

Sheppard was signed to the Raiders roster during the pre-season, however, the Raiders cut him before the season started, opting instead to go with a rather young and shallow depth at the corner position. Now, with injuries to Chris Johnson and rookie Chimdi Checkwa, the Raiders are looking to add some depth to the already depleted position and have re-signed Sheppard.

Sheppard is a former pro bowl coner back who has spent time with the Minnesota Vikings, the New York Jets and the Philidelphia Eagles. While he was a very good corner for a while, most agree that he is clearly past his prime. In addition, the fact that he had not yet signed with an NFL team hints that he might be past his time in the NFL.

That, however, does not seem to bother the Raiders who are likely more concerned with getting someone who can fill in right away if necessary. Sheppard has already learned a little bit of the playbook due to the time he spent with the Raiders in the pre-season, and has played a good amount of man coverage during his career in the NFL. I do not expect him to get much playing time, but its never a bad thing to have an experienced vet on your team for depth purposes.

By James Arcellana

– Contributor

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Oct 26, 2011 – The Oakland Raiders bye week could not have come at a better time for the team. The Raiders are coming off of an humiliating loss at home to the Kansas City Chiefs and are in the process of installing a starting quarterback that has only been with the team for a little over a week now. In addition, the Raiders have a number of injuries to starters that will hopefully have time to heal over the bye.

The most crucial reason the bye has come at a perfect time for the Raiders is because it will allow Carson Palmer to become more familiar with the play book and his new pass catching targets. There have already been reports surfacing that the Raiders young corps of wide receivers have decided to forgo any trips during the bye week in order to remain in Oakland and work with their new quarterback. As his first appearance showed, Palmer is clearly not very familiar with the playbook yet and still needs to build chemistry with his new group of receivers. Two weeks working on the passing game together should do wonders for the Raiders offense once they get back to playing games when they host the Denver Broncos after the bye.

The bye week also comes at the perfect time because the Raiders have injuries to key players. Starting running back Darren McFadden and starting middle linebacker Rolando McClain both sustained injuries in the loss to Kansas City. In addition to those players, tight end Kevin Boss sustained a concussion in that game and a hamstring injury prevented kicker Sebastian Janikowski from playing in the game. All four of these players are crucial to the success of the Raiders and the team hopes that the bye week will provide enough time for them to heal and be ready for the Denver Broncos on November 6th.

The Raiders had been enjoying a revival of sorts before their lopsided loss to Kansas City. For the first time in years, the Raiders were commonly mentioned in discussions about the playoffs, and not as the butt of a joke. However, a loss like the one they sustained against the Chiefs is the kind that can really screw with the psyche of a team. The bye week should provide the team time to get over the painful loss and get back on track to get to the playoffs for the first time since the Gruden Bowl.

Read More: Carson Palmer (QB – OAK), Sebastian Janikowski (K – OAK), Kevin Boss (TE – OAK), Darren McFadden (RB – OAK), Rolando McClain (LB – OAK), Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos

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