Next Up: Ravens vs Oakland Raiders at M&T Bank Stadium

[Ravensfan23]

This if the 2ND straight East Coast trip for the Raiders. It'll be interesting to see how they respond. It think this will be a nice test for both test. It's a measuring stick game for both. Even coming off a 5-11 season the Ravens are still a measuring stick for borderline playoff teams. I think the Raiders are really good in some areas and they definitely could compete for a wildcard but they have to prove it against strong teams. 

The Ravens have to prove that they are back to being one of those top tier teams. The Ravens have been a ugly team for a while and they have the potential be great on both sides of the ball, but the good thing for the Ravens is they usually force the other team to play ugly as well. As ugly as things have been the Ravens could very well be one of the more dangerous teams in the NFL. People will say they haven't played anyone and the records of their opponents would suggest that, but the fact that they are finding ways to win games they lost last year suggest to me that the swagger and will to win is back.

Make no mistake the Ravens have to improve, especially offensively. If they can improve and I think they're close, that's where this team could become dangerous. If they can get upon teams early and allow the defense to pin their ears back and hunt, that's scary for other teams. 

I expect the offense to get right this game. I think T. West gets the start and runs well enough to actually give the play action pass a shot at working.

[Ravensfan23]

51 minutes ago, reed20 said:

I would love to see Aiken out there more but not taking snaps away from wallace or SSS. Take it from perriman who honestly hasn't been all that impressive

As much as I like Aiken, developing Perriman is far more important than getting Aiken touches. 

Also Aiken doesn't bring to the offense what Perriman, Moore or Wallace does and what he does bring is now limited by the fact that both SSS and Pitta bring the same skill sets in many ways and they're playing really well right now. 

As for Perriman he's had some highs and some lows. But he's been open far too often and has missed the opportunity for whatever reason, bad throw, bad route or drop to think about taking opportunities away from him. Jes about 3-4 weeks away from being a consistent threat on this offense and making those big plays he was draft for. It sucks for Aiken but he's the victim of being a guy who's buried on a roster full of guys who either outperform him at what he's good at or bring more big play potential then he does. 

[hen826957]

I believe the Ravens can shut down the Raiders and limit them to 14 points at best. Not saying it will happen, but l think that the defense  can have a game like the Bills. I like the Ravens chances to win. They're home and coming back to Baltimore after two hard victories on the road. I like there chances and the Ravens would make a statement limit them to 14 points. 14-24 or 14-28 Ravens. ?

[OUravensfan]

Very sick of Raider fans thinking they'll dispose of us, can't wait to remind them they're still not a playoff team. Derrick Carr acted like he won the super bowl last time he beat us, lucky his game ending INT was called back. 

[PurpleCity5]

5 hours ago, BOLDnPurPnBlacK said:

So, you dont think its smart to put Jimmy on their top target?

Bc if you think Cooper is their top target, than i dont think youve been watching them.

Crabs been the higher volume guy, hes who Carr is going to when he need a big play, and hes who Carr wants to find in the red zone.

I prefer Jimmy in coverage against anyone. But for our team as a whole I like Jimmy on Crab and Wright with help on Cooper as the best match ups.

 

11 hours ago, BmoreBird22 said:

I was reading the posts on him needing to guard Crabtree and my face was just like, "What... do you watch?"

Problem is that some fans don't realize that specific coverage packages don't allow assignments. Whether it be cover 2, Tampa 2, cover 3, and cover 4, Whatever coverage we do, lets say cover 2 in this case, then you can't move CBs around everywhere because of the specific coverage schemes. These instances are especially present when teams switch out formations to get the favorable match up, exactly what Jacksonville was doing by switching formations and motioning guys, which is a problem when playing cover two. Jimmy can't just abandon the assignment of covering the flats, deep routes or whatever coverage zone he is assigned. If we're playing man-coverage, than its a different story, but in this case, you got to trust your guy in coverage. 

 

We played plenty of cover 2 and 3 against Jacksonville and while we didn't allow the big plays, the Jaguars made sure the move around guys and get the better match up. In that case, there is no where for Jimmy to go, the corner backs responsibility is cover the flats, short passes and deep passes if required. It could be believed that Marquise Lee beat Jimmy Smith on that big gain, for 15 or 20 yards, but in reality, Jimmy was expecting an linebacker and someone must have whiffed the coverage. This makes it looks easy to blame Jimmy but in reality, it's not his fault. 

 

 

 

 

[reed20]

1 hour ago, Ravensfan23 said:

As much as I like Aiken, developing Perriman is far more important than getting Aiken touches. 

Also Aiken doesn't bring to the offense what Perriman, Moore or Wallace does and what he does bring is now limited by the fact that both SSS and Pitta bring the same skill sets in many ways and they're playing really well right now. 

As for Perriman he's had some highs and some lows. But he's been open far too often and has missed the opportunity for whatever reason, bad throw, bad route or drop to think about taking opportunities away from him. Jes about 3-4 weeks away from being a consistent threat on this offense and making those big plays he was draft for. It sucks for Aiken but he's the victim of being a guy who's buried on a roster full of guys who either outperform him at what he's good at or bring more big play potential then he does. 

I don't care for one trick ponies and he hasn't even been THAT. Aiken has earned our praise and trust. His hands are reliable. Have you ever seen him drop a pass? Perriman can get his time in on obvious pass situations.

[PurpleCity5]

3 minutes ago, reed20 said:

I don't care for one trick ponies and he hasn't even been THAT. Aiken has earned our praise and trust. His hands are reliable. Have you ever seen him drop a pass? Perriman can get his time in on obvious pass situations.

I don't think anyone wants to say it but the truth might just be that Aiken just isn't getting open. I've seen him on some snaps and he just is not getting any separation what so ever.  Guys like Perriman and Moore have been able to separate but Aiken has not. I don't think Aiken is getting all kind of separation and waiving his arms for a pass and Joe is ignoring him because he feels like it. Maybe the truth is that Aiken just isn't getting open. After thinking about it that could be the case, or maybe I'm wrong. I think whomever gives you a better chance of winning and moving the ball deserves the snaps and that's how it should always be. The coaching staff is not taking Steve Smith or Mike Wallace off the field, so Aiken has to do it himself. 

[reed20]

1 hour ago, PurpleCity5 said:

I don't think anyone wants to say it but the truth might just be that Aiken just isn't getting open. I've seen him on some snaps and he just is not getting any separation what so ever.  Guys like Perriman and Moore have been able to separate but Aiken has not. I don't think Aiken is getting all kind of separation and waiving his arms for a pass and Joe is ignoring him because he feels like it. Maybe the truth is that Aiken just isn't getting open. After thinking about it that could be the case, or maybe I'm wrong. I think whomever gives you a better chance of winning and moving the ball deserves the snaps and that's how it should always be. The coaching staff is not taking Steve Smith or Mike Wallace off the field, so Aiken has to do it himself. 

Aiken hasn't had very many snaps. I agree that Wallace and SSS are in no way getting off of the field but Perriman has proven nothing.

[JoeyFlex5]

18 minutes ago, reed20 said:

Aiken hasn't had very many snaps. I agree that Wallace and SSS are in no way getting off of the field but Perriman has proven nothing.

What's your point? 

How can a player prove anything riding the bench? 

Aiken is a low investment low risk journeyman who came here and overachieved for a year and if he got starting snaps this year he would get overpaid and be gone the next. Perriman is a much higher potential player who's mere presence is more impactful because teams have to respect his speed, and he comes with a first round pick attached. 

You can give the coach talk about how the best players need to start at all times, but there is an investment factor in football and a first round pick needs to be given opportunities to grow. Aiken isn't good enough to take snaps from perriman.

[Rodgers_To_Nelson]

The Raiders at home is like an extra bye week. You guys will win.  Of course I haven't seen much of Oakland play yet this year.

[redrum52]

I'm interested to see how the pass rush performs.  I said Doom would be the player on defense and he should have a good day considering starting and back up RT are hurt.  Run defense needs to show up and edge need to contain.  If Murray gets outside it could be a problem.

[Ravensfan23]

2 hours ago, reed20 said:

I don't care for one trick ponies and he hasn't even been THAT. Aiken has earned our praise and trust. His hands are reliable. Have you ever seen him drop a pass? Perriman can get his time in on obvious pass situations.

sorry to tell you but it really doesn't matter what you personally care for. It's about what's best for the team now and moving forward. Perriman was drafted to be a #1 WR for this team and just like Aiken took some time to develop, it's gonna take Perriman some time to develop. 

 

2 hours ago, PurpleCity5 said:

I don't think anyone wants to say it but the truth might just be that Aiken just isn't getting open. I've seen him on some snaps and he just is not getting any separation what so ever.  Guys like Perriman and Moore have been able to separate but Aiken has not. I don't think Aiken is getting all kind of separation and waiving his arms for a pass and Joe is ignoring him because he feels like it. Maybe the truth is that Aiken just isn't getting open. After thinking about it that could be the case, or maybe I'm wrong. I think whomever gives you a better chance of winning and moving the ball deserves the snaps and that's how it should always be. The coaching staff is not taking Steve Smith or Mike Wallace off the field, so Aiken has to do it himself. 

I wouldn't say he's not getting open, it's more like he's not high on Flacco's list of guys to go to. The routes he's running just aren't priority routes for Flacco and when Aiken is in position to run those routes, in lined up in a package with SSS and Pitta, two of Flacco's favorite targets. 

There was a 3rd down play vs the Browns where Moore made a diving catch across the middle. On that same play, Aiken was wide open at the top of the field on a jerk route, but Flacco decided to give Moore the opportunity to potentially break a tackle and get big YAC with his speed. 

51 minutes ago, reed20 said:

Aiken hasn't had very many snaps. I agree that Wallace and SSS are in no way getting off of the field but Perriman has proven nothing.

Aiken has more offensive snaps total than both Perriman and Moore. He and Perriman are getting about the same number of offensive snaps over the past 2 games. It's not the snap count, it's the fact that while productive, Aiken isn't gonna take targets away from SSS, Wallace and Pitta. Perriman has proven that defenses have to respect his deep speed and most cases keep a safety over top of him which opens the middle of the field up for guys like Aiken, but again the problem is, it's Pitta and SSS mainly getting those targets so Aiken takes a backseat. 

Also through 3 games thus far, Perriman has the same exact production as Aiken had last year as the starter through 3 games, Aiken in 2015 had 6recs 88yds 0TDs longest catch was 38 yards. Perriman in 2016 has 5recs 89yds 0TDs longest catch 35 yards. So lets not just be so quick to push Perriman to the bench because he's not lighting it up just yet. 

[PurpleCity5]

32 minutes ago, Ravensfan23 said:

I wouldn't say he's not getting open, it's more like he's not high on Flacco's list of guys to go to. The routes he's running just aren't priority routes for Flacco and when Aiken is in position to run those routes, in lined up in a package with SSS and Pitta, two of Flacco's favorite targets. 

There was a 3rd down play vs the Browns where Moore made a diving catch across the middle. On that same play, Aiken was wide open at the top of the field on a jerk route, but Flacco decided to give Moore the opportunity to potentially break a tackle and get big YAC with his speed. 

I don't know if it's fully the case, but separation was truly a problem for Aiken even last year when he had his break out year, especially at the start of the season when he was struggling. It was evident that he couldn't get much separation at all. It's not that he doesn't get the separation he needs to make plays, in most cases he did last season but it was still a bit of a problem sometimes. It was really a guess on my part, but Perriman surely needs the development and what's really satisfied me is to see his contributions on short and intermediate routes as many people figured he's a one dimensional deep threat. He certainly looks like he's better in his routes than people thought. 

The main problem is that he has got to force himself into snaps, he's not taking Steve Smith off the field, and he's not taking Mike Wallace out either. He's got to make the case. 

I honestly do have this to say and the fact is that we could really use a 3rd WR in this offense. Whether it be a slot or a threat on the outside I think we really would like to see someone step up. With that being the case, I do think it's up to Aiken whether or not 

[PurpleCity5]

Wow, the Raiders have not given up a sack yet. That's crazy. 

[Inqui]

Just now, PurpleCity5 said:

Wow, the Raiders have not given up a sack yet. That's crazy. 

I think their OL is up there with Dallas'. I don't think we should sleep on them at all.

[JO_75]

7 minutes ago, PurpleCity5 said:

Wow, the Raiders have not given up a sack yet. That's crazy. 

If people use the argument that we haven't beaten anyone, then I'll use the argument that the Raiders have yet to face a good pass rush through three games. Saints defense is terrible, Falcons don't have a pass rush and neither does Tennessee. For both teams, this game will be a good test. Can the Raiders OL keep Sizzle and Doom in check? Timmy Jernigan has gotten his share of sacks this season, we know what Williams can do. 

The Raiders defensively has been terrible. They allowed 507 yards against the Saints, the Falcons gained 528 yards against them and the rest of their stats look like this.... 

• 1,035 yards allowed, last in the NFL.
• 69 points allowed, next to last.
• 808 passing yards allowed, last.
• 8.02 yards per play, last.
• 131.4 opponent passer rating, way last.
• 54 first downs allowed, 30^th.

Can Trestman take advantage of what Atlanta and New Orleans was able to do and call the right plays to have similar results offensively? Offensively we have struggled and through three games, Sunday should be our offensive breakthrough and we put up a bunch of points. Keyword, should be. 

[Tank 92]

This is a game of strength against strength, weakness against weakness. We should find out a lot about this team on Sunday.  

I hope M and T returns to being the place no one wants to come and play. 

[hen826957]

3 hours ago, PurpleCity5 said:

Wow, the Raiders have not given up a sack yet. That's crazy. 

Well, they will give up a couple of sacks this week. 

[Maryland]

13 minutes ago, hen826957 said:

Well, they will give up a couple of sacks this week. 

It sounds like the Raiders will be down to their 3rd string RT, since Menelik (sp) Watson and Austin Howard are likely to be out. I think their center was dealing with an injury too, but will play.

[Raider9175]

On September 25, 2016 at 8:36 PM, PurpleCity5 said:

I'm not sure this is the game to be stoked. Oakland has a serious OL and I'm concerned about Suggs. He didn't play well until the 4th. I saw glimpses of the old Suggs but today it wasn't much. He is still a stud against the run but in the pass rush department he was too slow to get to the QB, didn't have the same explosiveness, and didn't finish his pass rush as well. I feel like he still has the ability to push back LTs and peel, but for the most part I think he still has a way to go. I can imagine that the same will apply to Doom. I think its the secondary that's holding the team up. 

The Raiders have had a lot of injury problems at RT this year.  Let's see they lost their starting Rt( M Watson- out).  Their backup RT ( Austin Howard- out ), their third string Matt McCants( he isn't very good - but might be back this week) and start their rookie  ( Alexander) .   

Alexander who played pretty good against the Titans ,if he  has trouble against the Ravens this week.  The Raiders have the versatility to move the pieces on the offense line around to counter.  I don't foresee the offenseline being a problem .( D Carr gets rid of football quick). 

[Raider9175]

4 hours ago, JO_75 said:

If people use the argument that we haven't beaten anyone, then I'll use the argument that the Raiders have yet to face a good pass rush through three games. Saints defense is terrible, Falcons don't have a pass rush and neither does Tennessee. For both teams, this game will be a good test. Can the Raiders OL keep Sizzle and Doom in check? Timmy Jernigan has gotten his share of sacks this season, we know what Williams can do. 

The Raiders defensively has been terrible. They allowed 507 yards against the Saints, the Falcons gained 528 yards against them and the rest of their stats look like this.... 

• 1,035 yards allowed, last in the NFL.
• 69 points allowed, next to last.
• 808 passing yards allowed, last.
• 8.02 yards per play, last.
• 131.4 opponent passer rating, way last.
• 54 first downs allowed, 30^th.

Can Trestman take advantage of what Atlanta and New Orleans was able to do and call the right plays to have similar results offensively? Offensively we have struggled and through three games, Sunday should be our offensive breakthrough and we put up a bunch of points. Keyword, should be. 

The Raiders historically don't play well on the east coast starting early.( that's is where I would be feeling pretty good about this game).  The Raiders offenseline is very good( even starting their fourth string Rt( Alexander) .    Couple other factors why don't see Ravens pass rush a factor.  1. Derek Carr- gets rid of the ball fast2. Te Lee Smith( one dimensional)  - one of the premier blocking Te's whether for run or pass. 3. Can always move the parts around on offenseline that there is no excuse for this group.( don't expect  the Ravens to get to Carr that much). 

The Raiders defense is definitely a work in progress. Biggest loss is they are missing Mario Edwards Jr- won't be back week 8.  ( big diffrence he makes)  Rookie J Ward( going to be a very good player) , and Denico Autry have been manhandle in the running game.( worth watching both).  d Latham hopefully gets more playing time over them.  

 

The Raiders biggest problem is MLB - start an inexperience undersized rookie Mlb( Corey James ) .  A lot of breakdowns on defense. ( poor communication)  The Ravens clearly have mismatch with their Te.( someone worth taking if you play fantasy football).   The nickel CB Dj Hayden is another area worth watching.( this is the matchup that the  Ravens can exploit). 

The Raiders pass rush has been nonexistent all season( more the Qb's they faced) . They need to hit Flacco early and often to have a chance to slow up the Ravens offense. Could be another who has the ball last kind of deal in this game.

 

[Raider9175]

1 hour ago, Maryland said:

It sounds like the Raiders will be down to their 3rd string RT, since Menelik (sp) Watson and Austin Howard are likely to be out. I think their center was dealing with an injury too, but will play.

Fourth String but it really doesn't matter.   This Raider offenseline will play at high level regardless.( very versatile).  No worries as Mike Tice Always has his guys prepared. Can always move pieces around if Alexander has a problem at RT. Already have done it against Saints when they lost all their Rt's ( alexander wasn't activated) .     They moved Ko from Lg to Lt, Lt Donald Penn went to RT, J Feliciano came in to play Lg. ( didn't miss a beat there) .

The biggest worry I have about the offense line is false start penalties. ( when on the road can't keep shooting yourself in the foot).

[Raider9175]

On September 26, 2016 at 5:38 AM, ALI624 said:

Silly question, doesn't Mack rush typically from the defenses left side?

Majority time yes, but he will line up on the right side also.  

[Raider9175]

7 hours ago, redrum52 said:

I'm interested to see how the pass rush performs.  I said Doom would be the player on defense and he should have a good day considering starting and back up RT are hurt.  Run defense needs to show up and edge need to contain.  If Murray gets outside it could be a problem.

Don't see the Ravens pass rush as a factor in this one. ( don't expect the Ravens to get to Carr that often.  

I don't see L Murray being as much a factor( shares the load with two exciting rookies.( D Washington, and Jalen Richard.    These two smaller guys 5'8 205 will probably have bigger impact.( can do so much damage whether in the running game , or passing game.

another player worth watching is the Raiders third Wr Seth Roberts. Has occasional drop , but always seems to be there making the big play when it counts.

The Raiders offense needs to catch the football( blowout last week if they hold on to football) and not be too conservative.( put the offense in Carr's hand.    There is no way the Ravens should hold this offense under 24 points.   Can their defense prevent the Ravens from getting more points than that.

[Raider9175]

10 hours ago, OUravensfan said:

Very sick of Raider fans thinking they'll dispose of us, can't wait to remind them they're still not a playoff team. Derrick Carr acted like he won the super bowl last time he beat us, lucky his game ending INT was called back. 

It's going to be tough game to come home with a win for the Raiders.  ( tough place to play) Still either fan base is deceiving themselves if they think this game going to be easy game for either team.  It's going to be a very close game, that probably comes down to the end again.   Who knows which team comes out on top.      This is a big game for both teams.( could be playoff implications involved for down the road scenario's). 

Edited September 30, 2016 by Raider9175

[OUravensfan]

The Bengals winning makes this is a must win. Oakland could be wild card competition, it's a home game we have to take care of business. 

Im expecting Flacco to have a good game 

Edited September 30, 2016 by OUravensfan

[OUravensfan]

17 minutes ago, Raider9175 said:

It's going to be tough game to come home with a win for the Raiders.  ( tough place to play) Still either fan base is deceiving themselves if they think this game going to be easy game for either team.  It's going to be a very close game, that probably comes down to the end again.   Who knows which team comes out on top.      This is a big game for both teams.( could be playoff implications involved for down the road scenario's). 

I agree, definitely wasn't referring to you, Reddit lol. Probably wasn't worth overreacting to, this game has important wild card implications for both teams. 

[trevorsteadman]

I still believe that if we get the run game going this team will open up the deep game and we will see more Wallace and Perriman. Kind of hurts when teams are not afraid of your running ability and sit no the deep routes like Jacksonville did all game long last week. 

[redrum52]

43 minutes ago, Raider9175 said:

Don't see the Ravens pass rush as a factor in this one. ( don't expect the Ravens to get to Carr that often.  

I don't see L Murray being as much a factor( shares the load with two exciting rookies.( D Washington, and Jalen Richard.    These two smaller guys 5'8 205 will probably have bigger impact.( can do so much damage whether in the running game , or passing game.

another player worth watching is the Raiders third Wr Seth Roberts. Has occasional drop , but always seems to be there making the big play when it counts.

The Raiders offense needs to catch the football( blowout last week if they hold on to football) and not be too conservative.( put the offense in Carr's hand.    There is no way the Ravens should hold this offense under 24 points.   Can their defense prevent the Ravens from getting more points than that.

Fan of Seth Roberts and think this is his break out year.  Like someone else said strength against strength.  If our DL can continue to get interior pressure, the game could get interesting.  Our run game is atrocious, but your secondary seems to susceptible to big plays.  The main reason I'll say I have faith is cause it's an early home game.  Do they see either team really pulling away and say like every other game, it comes down to the last possession.

[trevorsteadman]

52 minutes ago, Raider9175 said:

Don't see the Ravens pass rush as a factor in this one. ( don't expect the Ravens to get to Carr that often.  

I don't see L Murray being as much a factor( shares the load with two exciting rookies.( D Washington, and Jalen Richard.    These two smaller guys 5'8 205 will probably have bigger impact.( can do so much damage whether in the running game , or passing game.

another player worth watching is the Raiders third Wr Seth Roberts. Has occasional drop , but always seems to be there making the big play when it counts.

The Raiders offense needs to catch the football( blowout last week if they hold on to football) and not be too conservative.( put the offense in Carr's hand.    There is no way the Ravens should hold this offense under 24 points.   Can their defense prevent the Ravens from getting more points than that.

Ravens pass rush even got through the Browns' great O-line on a consistent basis. Not saying that this will happen in Oakland but the teams that Oakland has faced is nothing near the pass rush the Ravens. What the Ravens lacked last sason was pass rushers outside of Suggs but all of a sudden the Ravens have several on the inside. With Orr playing at the high level he has been the Ravens have been able to rush one of their ILB, either Mosley or Orr, as well as Timmy Jernigan being one of the most impressive players in the league at this point at DE. When you add in the team's best sack specialist is back in Dumervil even though he will likely be limited to about 30 snaps, his presence alone on the other side of Suggs will be impressive. Plus don't sleep on undrafted DT Pierce who has been getting consistent pressure in the backfield. Weddle has been taking out opposing tight ends and running backs have yet to be a factor against the Ravens' defense outside of a 85 yard run from Crowell week 2. 

I could see this being another ugly game for the Ravens. Ravens offense has looked awful and the Raiders defense probably even more awful. Then when the Raiders #2 offense is on the field the Ravens #2 defense will be on the field. I wouldn't be surprise if both teams were held under 24 points and it came to a field goal. The match up to watch is how the Ravens cornerbacks match up on Oakland's receivers. Jimmy Smith has been shut down and Shareece has been up and down (partially because of the position he has been placed in).