Post by TheShadow on Oct 29, 2012 17:20:39 GMT -5
www.insidebayarea.com
By Jerry McDonald
MAKING THE GRADE
Pass offense
After an interception on his first pass to Stanford Routt, Carson Palmer was mistake free and threw touchdown passes of 9 yards to Denarius Moore and 32 yards to Darrius Heyward-Bey. Maximum protection schemes were excellent as Palmer wasn't sacked and barely touched. Too many dropped passes -- at least four. Grade: B
Run offense
Darren McFadden had his second 100-yard game on the strength of a 12-carry, 73-yard fourth quarter. Ideally, it's the way a zone blocking system is supposed to work -- running with a lead. He finished with 29 carries and 114 yards. Need to run better earlier in the game, however. Grade: B-minus
Pass defense
Free safety Matt Giordano had his first interception of the season, a classic read of Brady Quinn, and Pat Lee halted a Chiefs drive deep in Raiders territory with an acrobatic interception of Matt Cassel. The Raiders pass rush was very good as Rolando McClain, Philip Wheeler and Richard Seymour had sacks. Grade: B
Run defense
The only flaw was allowing Quinn and Cassel the opportunity to exploit an open middle when pressured from the outside as quarterbacks gained 53 yards on nine carries. The rest of the running game was stuffed as the Broncos finished with 22 attempts for 102 yards. Jamal Charles had just five carries and four yards. Grade: B-plus
Special teams
The game swung on a special teams hustle play, with long-snapper Jon Condo getting downfield to recover a muffed punt return attempt by Javier Arenas late in the first half. It set up the Palmer-to-Moore touchdown and gave the Raiders permanent momentum. Sebastian Janikowski was 4-for-4 kicking field goals, flawless as usual in Arrowhead. Grade: B-plus
Coaching
Raiders were much better prepared for a team coming off a bye than the previous week against Jacksonville, and were ready to play from the outset. Good mix of defensive play-calling kept Chiefs guessing all day. Offensive coordinator Greg Knapp placed a priority on pass protection and it paid off, as did sticking with a sluggish running game in the fourth quarter. Grade: B-plus
By Jerry McDonald
MAKING THE GRADE
Pass offense
After an interception on his first pass to Stanford Routt, Carson Palmer was mistake free and threw touchdown passes of 9 yards to Denarius Moore and 32 yards to Darrius Heyward-Bey. Maximum protection schemes were excellent as Palmer wasn't sacked and barely touched. Too many dropped passes -- at least four. Grade: B
Run offense
Darren McFadden had his second 100-yard game on the strength of a 12-carry, 73-yard fourth quarter. Ideally, it's the way a zone blocking system is supposed to work -- running with a lead. He finished with 29 carries and 114 yards. Need to run better earlier in the game, however. Grade: B-minus
Pass defense
Free safety Matt Giordano had his first interception of the season, a classic read of Brady Quinn, and Pat Lee halted a Chiefs drive deep in Raiders territory with an acrobatic interception of Matt Cassel. The Raiders pass rush was very good as Rolando McClain, Philip Wheeler and Richard Seymour had sacks. Grade: B
Run defense
The only flaw was allowing Quinn and Cassel the opportunity to exploit an open middle when pressured from the outside as quarterbacks gained 53 yards on nine carries. The rest of the running game was stuffed as the Broncos finished with 22 attempts for 102 yards. Jamal Charles had just five carries and four yards. Grade: B-plus
Special teams
The game swung on a special teams hustle play, with long-snapper Jon Condo getting downfield to recover a muffed punt return attempt by Javier Arenas late in the first half. It set up the Palmer-to-Moore touchdown and gave the Raiders permanent momentum. Sebastian Janikowski was 4-for-4 kicking field goals, flawless as usual in Arrowhead. Grade: B-plus
Coaching
Raiders were much better prepared for a team coming off a bye than the previous week against Jacksonville, and were ready to play from the outset. Good mix of defensive play-calling kept Chiefs guessing all day. Offensive coordinator Greg Knapp placed a priority on pass protection and it paid off, as did sticking with a sluggish running game in the fourth quarter. Grade: B-plus