Another game another blow out loss for the Oakland Raiders as they fall to the Tennessee Titans 42-21. The Raiders have lost their last three games 116-33, and their playoff dreams have shattered after a promising start to the season.
The defense had its worst performance of the season, giving up 552 yards of offense and allowing the Titans to average 9.3 yards per play. They had no answer for the Titans offense all game with receivers and tight ends running wide open from the play-action fakes.
Tannehill had a career day passing the football with 391 yards passing and a monster yard per attempt of 14.5, adding to Derrick Henry rushing for 108 yards. The Raiders defense who have played better at home just didn’t show up.
The offense played exceptional in the first half keeping pace with the Titans and matching score for score. Everything changed in the second half. The offense didn’t score once on any of their possessions in the third or fourth quarter.
The Raiders offense truly missed Josh Jacobs and Hunter Renfrow as they struggled to move the football efficiently when they needed to have massive plays. The Raiders genuinely need to add pieces to this offense in the offseason to be successful.
Who were the Winners and Losers for the Raiders Week 14? Let’s look at The Who stood out and who dropped a huge dud in the Week 14 matchup.
Winner: QB Derek Carr
Raider Nation won’t be the biggest fan of this, but this game wasn’t on the quarterback. Derek Carr showed up and displayed poise in the pocket, making plays for the offense in the first half. Carr, at this point, is playing for a job in Las Vegas, and he didn’t hurt that opportunity with his performance.
Was the fourth-down play embarrassing with him throwing it away? Of course and Carr has his tendencies that will frustrate fans. He still was able to move the offense missing critical pieces like Jacobs and attempted to keep the Raiders in the game as much as possible.
Carr handled the Titans blitzes well and was able to maneuver the pocket and makes throws to move the chains producing a total QBR of 84.5. It just wasn’t enough with a depleted receiving corps that struggles to separation consistently.
Carr’s performance won’t keep Gruden from trading him for the right picks, but it will keep him from getting released outright. Gruden and Carr’s relationship is basically a mystery as Hard Knocks refused to let fans in to see the actual workings of their partnership. Gruden continues to praise Carr after losses, but he needs to be more consistent to move to Vegas.
Loser: DC Paul Guenther
Paul Guenther continues to get passes from Gruden, but it is time to start to look at his gameplans. The Raiders defense was not prepared for the Titans offense allowing massive chunk play after huge chunk play and only forcing the Titans offense to punt once on the day.
This was the third week in a row the Raiders have allowed more than 30 points in a game and don’t exhibit any progress during this season. They actually look to be getting worse by the week with no light at the end of the tunnel for this unit. They don’t have a pass rush and call inadequate coverages in certain situations like the cover 0 call on the Tannehill 91 yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter. They had no answer for the play-action pass plays, and Tannehill was able to feast and find open receivers all over the field.
It’s about time Gruden looks for a change at the defensive coordinator position. After two years of awful play from the defense, you can’t keep Guenther out there making the decisions. Gruden is loyal to his coaches and has held most of his staff around since joining the Raiders in 2018, but enough is enough. The head coach has got to make the call to create a spark on this defense.
Loser: CB Daryl Worley
Daryle Worley has been quiet for most of the season but has not made tons of plays for this defense in need of playmakers. Sunday served as his worst game of the season as he was getting beaten all over the field, allowing huge plays to the Titans offense.
The biggest play of the game was a 91-yard touchdown to A.J. Brown. The Raiders were in cover 0, and Worley had no help behind him in press coverage. He lost right away at the line allowing Brown to win inside for a smooth release on his post route. Tannehill had enough time to get the ball away, and Worley was burned for a touchdown that left the Oakland crowd in complete silence.
Worley is a player who is a free agent after this season, and I don’t see him coming back to after this season. Fans should expect to see more of the younger players like Isiah Johnson going forward as the Raiders just attempt to finish the season strong after a disappointing three weeks. Worley isn’t making his case to Vegas and might end up looking for a job in 2020.
Loser: LB Tahir Whitehead
Tahir Whitehead is a great leader in the locker room but has always been suspect on the field when it comes to his performance. The game versus the Titans was no different as the opponents’ offense was able to pick on him all day since he is a liability in coverage.
Whitehead got burned consistently throughout this game. He gave up a first down on third down early in the game, allowing Brown to flow into his zone for the first down. Then he got burned downfield by the Titans fullback on the wheel route for a significant gain. Last but not least, he allowed the Titans’ final offensive touchdown on an underthrown football that could have been intercepted by a better linebacker.
Whitehead is another player whose contract is up after the 2019 season. The Raiders are in a massive need for upgrades at the linebacker position and could quickly move on from the veteran linebacker, especially with his age. With his performance this week versus the Titans, he isn’t going to enjoy the chance to not have any state taxes next year.
