Grading the Oakland Raiders in Week 10

Sunday was a bad day for the Oakland Raiders, who were shellacked by the Baltimore Ravens 55-20. There were a lot of ugly elements of the game, but there were some positives for the Raiders.

Quarterbacks- There might not have been more Carson Palmer could have done for that team. He threw for more than 350 yards, had two touchdowns and only one interception. It was an overall good performance for Palmer despite the fact Oakland’s offense struggled to score points. B+

Running Backs- This group was a very pleasant surprise for Oakland. Marcel Reece and Jeremy Stewart weren’t amazing, but they did an admirable job in trying to fill in for Darren McFadden. C+

Wide Receivers- Another solid day from the receivers, who all made some good plays. Nobody stood out for being great, but Denarius Moore and Darrius Heyward-Bey played like the top-two receivers on the team. B

Offensive Line- They gave up three sacks again and the running game didn’t do much, but at this point it’s more likely the issue is injuries and a lack of talent. The good games are becoming the anomaly not the bad ones. C-

Defensive Line- The lack of penetration in the passing game was embarrassing, but the defensive line did a great job against the run. C

Linebackers- The linebackers normally play at a much higher level than they did Sunday. Dennis Pitta tore it up which is partially on the linebackers, but Ray Rice was not his normal self, a good thing for Oakland. C

Secondary- Joe Flacco shredded the Raiders’ secondary for 341 yards and three scores. He was able to hit big plays on a consistent basis and was nearly unstoppable. D

Special Teams- The kicking game was amazing, Sebastian Janikowski hit both field goal attempts including a 47-yarder and Shane Lechler had an average punt of 54.8 yards. The coverage units were a disaster and Baltimore scored on a fake field goal and a kickoff return. D