It was Moral Victory Sunday for the Oakland Raiders, a team grasping for
whatever hopeful straws remain in yet another 11-loss season.
Quarterback JaMarcus Russell gave himself high grades in a 242-yard
effort. Middle linebacker Kirk Morrison gave his defense props for a
solid second half. Even interim head coach Tom Cable tried to make
rainbows on a rainy day at the Coliseum.
The thoughts are comforting, like orange slices and a trip to Shakey's
Pizza after the game, but nothing in the world will make that final
score wash away: Patriots 49, Raiders 26.
Pressed on the matter, all parties agreed there was no going end around
on that end result.
"There's a lot of good out there," Cable said with a 3-11 record hanging
over his interim title. "Now, we just got our tails kicked. I'm not
trying to get around that. But the fact of the matter is the quarterback
had another week of progress. Offensively, we moved a step closer in
terms of a unit.
"But that's all you take out of it."
Let the Raiders enjoy their baby steps of the week. What else should
they do, pound their chests and tell the world how they just became the
first team in NFL history to lose at least 11 games in six straight seasons?
Talking about what's wrong got tired long before Cable took over the
job. For variety's sake, they'd just the same focus on things that (for
once) went right.
Take the first-half offense. It scored a touchdown before halftime
Sunday. That isn't a first, but it is a second this season in 79
possessions.
Wide receiver Johnnie Lee Higgins ran a crossing route, caught a 4-yard
pass from Russell, cut inside a huge block from tight end Zach Miller
and sped off for a 56-yard touchdown with 1:34 left in the first quarter.
Higgins made it look so easy, which is quite the feat for a team that
doesn't do easy.
"We know what we can do and what we're capable of," Higgins said. "In
every game, we want the positives to outweigh the negatives."
That wasn't the only play Russell made. He completed 17 of 31 passes. On
Russell's throw to Higgins, the pocket collapsed and he was getting hit
on the release.
In the third quarter, Russell showed rare touch on a timing throw to
wide receiver Ronald Curry, who caught the 10-yard touchdown pass on a
fade route.
The quarterback, for one, gave himself an "A for effort."
"I think I did (earn it), unless you tell me different," Russell said.
Even rookie running back Darren McFadden drank from the half-full cup,
something the Raiders expected more of from the No. 4 overall draft pick.
McFadden caught three screen passes and left Patriots defenders on the
ground on his way to 68 yards. He also ran 12 times for 46 yards with an
11-yard touchdown.
Well, enough with the good feelings. Let's move to how Oakland got
worked by a Patriots team that is a shadow of its 16-0 self.
The Raiders' defense was just awful in every imaginable way. New England
scored touchdowns on its first five possessions. It didn't matter what
plays the Patriots called, the Raiders weren't stopping anything up front.
The pass defense was indefensible, leaving wide receivers Wes Welker and
Randy Moss wide open on three touchdown catches.
The run defense was incoherent, letting Sammy Morris rush 14 times for
117 yards and watching LaMont Jordan run 12 times for 97 yards. Both
scored touchdowns.
In between, running back Keith Faulk gashed them on screen plays over
the middle, catching six passes for 66 yards and one touchdown.
By halftime, the Patriots had 35 points - more than any visiting team
since the Raiders transferred their AFL operations to the NFL in 1970.
Cable said "miscommunication" was the biggest problem, but that would
undermine the role of so many missed tackles in the unrelenting disaster.
"The first thing that comes to mind is it's not fun at all," outside
linebacker Thomas Howard said. "But you just have to keep battling. We
did a good job. No one put their head down and was ready to fold the tent."
There were other issues, of course.
Splendid as McFadden looked, he was on the field for only five plays in
the first half - which means his considerable talents were preserved
until the game was well out of hand.
Russell fumbled twice when that thing called "pocket presence" should
have warned him of an incoming pass rusher. He also underthrew a deep
ball to Ashley Lelie for a goal-line interception.
With help like that, the Patriots didn't need a Tuck Rule to help them
beat the Raiders in this weather game. With Matt Cassel putting up a
108.1 passer rating, they didn't need Tom Brady.
"You don't have a playoff hope so you've got to for pride and play the
best you can," McFadden said.
