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Go inside the Raiders' locker room before Monday nights's game, see arrival photos and see the Raiders warm up at the Coliseum for Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams.
The first Monday night of the 2018 NFL season features two games. In the early slate, we've got the Detroit Lions and the New York Jets, but in the late game, we've got the upstart Los Angeles Rams paying a visit to Jon Gruden and the Oakland Raiders (10:15 p.m., ESPN, ESPN2).
LA and Oakland were two of the busiest teams in the NFL this offseason, with the Rams going on the league's biggest shopping spree and the Raiders handing Gruden $100 million to leave the announcer's booth and return to the sideline. Once they get on the field, however, it seems fairly clear that one of these teams has a major advantage over the other in almost every area of the game.
Let's walk through exactly why the Rams seem so likely to take the Raiders to school on Monday night.
When the Raiders have the ball
The Rams had one of the NFL's best defenses last season, ranking 12th in points allowed (seventh in points allowed per drive) and sixth in defensive efficiency, as determined by Football Outsiders' defensive DVOA. They then went out and added more defensive talent than anybody in the league this offseason.
First came a trade for star Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters, who has more interceptions than any player in the NFL since he entered the league. They followed that up with a deal for former Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib, who has been one of the best defensive backs in the league for years. And after he was cut loose by the Dolphins, the Rams then brought in Ndamukong Suh, giving them the best interior defensive line duo in the NFL now that Suh is paired with Aaron Donald in the middle of Wade Phillips' defense.
In other words, it is going to be unbelievably difficult to move the ball and/or score points against the 2018 Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams already had one of the NFL's best pass defenses, as Phillips' unit ranked 12th in yards allowed per attempt, fifth in opponents passer rating, and third in pass defensive DVOA in 2017. They were strong against the pass in every area: 12th in DVOA against No. 1 receivers, fourth against No. 2 receivers, seventh against all other receivers, 19th against tight ends, and ninth against running backs. They were 11th on passes to the left side, fourth on passes to the middle and fifth on passes to the right; fifth against deep passes and ninth against short passes. They essentially had zero weaknesses. And now they have upgrade in a big way at three of the most important positions on defense. It stands to reason that they'll be even more difficult to throw against in 2018.
And because of the additions of Peters and Talib, they'll be able to trust their cornerbacks on an island even more often. That will allow Phillips to drop an extra defender into the box more often, improving the team's run defense. And considering Suh is a wrecker against the run in his own right, he should have a strong impact on the team's ability to stop the run as well.
This is what the Raiders will be up against in Week 1. It's difficult to see them having all that much success, but if they do, it will likely be because the offensive line won the battle in the trenches.
The group up front for Oakland includes rookie Kolton Miller at left tackle, Kelechi Osemele at left guard, Rodney Hudson at center, Gabe Jackson at right guard, and Donald Penn at right tackle. That's most of the core group of maulers that made Derek Carr one of the most well-protected quarterbacks in the league over the past couple seasons, plus an early first-round pick for whom the team obviously has high hopes. The guys with the most work cut out for them are obviously Osemele, Hudson, and Jackson, who will have to collectively deal with the terror that is Donald and Suh, plus Michael Brockers.
Donald is coming off another monster season during which he led the NFL in total pressures despite missing two games. Suh has routinely seen and beaten double teams since the moment he stepped on the field. And Brockers gets extremely underrated because he's happened to play on the same team as the NFL's best interior defender for the past few years. It'll be important for that group of linemen up the middle to set the pocket for Carr, who is one of the league's most skittish quarterbacks when he has defenders anywhere near his feet. (This has been his biggest issue going back to college.)
While it may seem like Carr is well-equipped to deal with an elite pass rush and elite defensive backfield based on his reputation, it's become fairly clear that his reputation outstrips his actual on-field performance and abilities. Consider that among the 40 quarterbacks who have thrown at least 500 passes during Carr's time in the league, he ranks 27th in completion percentage, 20th in touchdown rate, 25th in passer rating, and 37th in yards per attempt.
It would be one thing if he had an elite pass-catching corps, a dominant run game, and/or an offensive genius scheming him into position for success. But Carr's best pass-catcher is Amari Cooper, who has struggled with drops and is coming off a dreadful season. His No. 2 wideout is Jordy Nelson, who the Packers felt they didn't need anymore. His slot man is Seth Roberts, who you may or may not be first hearing of right now. His tight end Jared Cook is arguably the most inconsistent player in the league. Oakland's run game was extremely inconsistent last season, and the team ultimately finished just 14th in rush offense DVOA.
And while Jon Gruden has the reputation of an offensive mastermind, he has been out of the league for a decade and the teams for which he called plays during his first stint in the league had an average ranking of 15th in yards, 17th in points, and 16th in DVOA. In other words, his offenses have typically been pretty average. He has also expressed an interest in bringing football back to 1998, or trending in the exact opposite direction of what the most successful teams in the league have been doing. Contrarianism can work on occasion but Gruden appears to have an antiquated view of the kinds of things that drive success in the NFL right now. That does not bode well for his offense's chances against one of the NFL's best defenses
When the Rams have the ball
Of course, it's also true that around this time last year, we could have said a whole lot of negative things about the Rams' offense. LA was coming off a season during which it ranked dead last in the NFL in yards, points, and passing, rushing, and overall offensive DVOA. Sure, they hired a new coach in Sean McVay, but Jared Goff looked like a lost cause, Todd Gurley was coming off a sophomore slump, and their wide receiver corps included two castoffs from the Buffalo Bills and a third-round rookie from Eastern Washington.
Of course, we all know what happened next: the Rams made a miraculous turnaround and became one of the best offenses in football in 2017, leading the league in scoring and ranking sixth in overall offensive DVOA. Goff went from having arguably the worst season for any rookie quarterback in NFL history to throwing for 3,804 yards and 28 touchdowns against only seven interceptions, while leading the NFL in both yards per completion and adjusted net yards per attempt. He more than doubled his touchdown rate, and slashed both his interception rate and his sack rate (thanks, Andrew Whitworth) by more than half.
Gurley exploded, leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage, rushing touchdowns, and total scores. He had just one more carry in 2017 than in 2016, and yet he gained 420 more yards on the ground. He also saw his passing-game involvement increase for the third straight season, catching 64 passes for 788 yards and six touchdowns.
He and Goff combined to turn the Rams into one of the NFL's most explosive offenses. The team ranked first in the NFL in explosive runs, per Sharp Football Stats, and fifth in explosive passes. The Raiders defense, meanwhile, ranked ninth in explosive runs against, but 21st in explosive passes allowed. Sure, they added Rashaan Melvin and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to their defensive backfield this season, but 2017 first-rounder Gareon Conley is coming off a season during which he ranked dead last in the NFL in yards allowed per route run and Leon Hall is ancient and did not have much success defending the slot last season. Oh, and the Raiders traded their best defensive player last week, so it's extremely likely they'll experience a huge drop-off in pressure rate and they were already the 30th ranked pass defense by DVOA so ya know that's pretty bad you guys.
Oakland's pass defense was basically the opposite of LA's, in that everything was a weakness: the Raiders ranked 30th in DVOA against No. 1 receivers, 24th against No. 2s, 29th against all other wideouts, 16th against tight ends, and 27th against running backs. They ranked 19th on passes to the left side of the field, 27th on passes to the middle, and 31st on passes to the right; 32nd on deep passes and 23rd on short passes.
So this is a bad pass defense going against a strong offense loaded with weapons, with a good offensive line protecting an accurate quarterback who excels at pushing the ball downfield and has a diverse group of weapons to whom he can spread the ball. Cooper Kupp was an excellent slot option as a rookie, ranking 12th in the NFL in yards per route run and fourth in DVOA. Robert Woods ranked ninth and 21st in the same categories, and emerged as Goff's most consistent target on the outside. The team also added Brandin Cooks to replace Sammy Watkins, who was Goff's most inconsistent target last season and with whom he never gained much chemistry.
The Raiders figure to have even more trouble with the Rams' rushing attack, especially when you consider that Mack was also their best run defender and the Raiders already struggled to defend the run. They stuffed just 19 percent of opponent carries behind the line of scrimmage last season, 24th in the NFL. They also allowed opponents to convert 67 percent of their opportunities on third or fourth down with two or fewer yards to go, 22nd in the league. The Rams have a great offensive line and Todd Gurley, so, good luck, I guess.
Pick: Rams 31, Raiders 13
The Los Angeles Rams, led by quarterback Jared Goff, met the Oakland Raiders, led by quarterback Derek Carr, in a Week 1 NFL regular season game on Monday Night Football on Monday, September 10, 2018 (9/10/18) at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California.
We'll have up-to-the-minute scoring and stats here throughout the game. Check the scoreboard above and click on the stats link.
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Here's the AP recap:
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Jon Gruden's return to the Oakland Raiders' sideline couldn't have gotten off to a better start, with Marshawn Lynch powering his way into the end zone for a touchdown.
The rest of the night turned out to be rather forgettable for the Raiders and showed that Oakland has a long way to go to get back to the level Gruden had the team playing at when his first stint as coach ended more than 16 years ago.
All that positive energy generated when Gruden was hired back in January turned to a chorus of boos by the end of a 33-13 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday.
"It was great," Gruden said of being back on the sideline at the Oakland Coliseum. "It's not time for that anymore. It's about getting this football team better. It wasn't good enough tonight."
The Raiders (0-1) were good enough for one half as Derek Carr led the team to that opening-drive touchdown and two more field goals that gave Oakland a 13-10 lead at halftime.
But the Rams (1-0) then scored all 23 points in the second half, with Marcus Peters returning Carr's third interception of the game 50 yards for a game-sealing touchdown that sent the fans who pined for Gruden's return for years heading to the exits.
"We are a better team than what was put out there on the field," tight end Jared Cook said. "This one game does not define us."
The Raiders took the opening kick and drove 75 yards for a touchdown on a 10-yard run by Lynch. The Rams had Lynch stood up at the 3, but he powered his way into the end zone with help from a push by his offensive linemen.
Oakland managed just six points the rest of the way against a defense fortified by the offseason additions of former All-Pros Peters, Aqib Talib and Ndamukong Suh.
Carr threw an interception in the end zone to John Johnson in the second quarter, another in the fourth when he tried to pull back a pass at the last minute only to have the ball slip out and float right to linebacker Cory Littleton, and then the third on a miscommunication with Cook.
"He did some good things tonight and obviously there are some critical errors he has to eliminate," Gruden said. "He knows that. We all know that."
Here are some other takeaways from the game:
FIND A RHYTHM
The Rams started slowly after resting their entire starting offense throughout the preseason, as well as several key defensive players. But things turned in the second half, starting with quarterback Jared Goff leading the team to a tying field goal on the opening drive. Then they took the lead for good on a 58-yard, four-play drive that featured two passes downfield to another offseason addition, Brandin Cooks, and an 8-yard TD to Cooper Kupp.
"Any first game of the year, you're dealing with some things," Goff said. "You look at other teams around the league and it's no different for us."
COOK'S NIGHT
Cook was one of the only Raiders to have a big night. He caught nine passes for 180 yards , breaking Todd Christensen's franchise record for receiving yards by a tight end. Christensen had 173 vs. the Chargers on Nov. 20, 1986.
OH, SNAP
The Raiders got thrown for a loop early when long snapper Andrew DePaola injured his knee on a punt in the first quarter and didn't return. Tight end Lee Smith filled in and provided accurate snaps on two field goals. He had a high snap on a punt, but Johnny Townsend leaped and brought it down with no issues. It was a far cry from the 2012 season opener when Jon Condo got hurt for Oakland and Travis Goethel came in and botched three snaps in a loss to the Chargers.
"It was stressful, I can't even lie to you guys," Smith said. "I'm just glad they all got back there."
FEED THE BEAST
Rams RB Todd Gurley had just five touches in the first half. He carried four times for 19 yards and took a short flip from Goff 19 yards for a score on his only reception. Gurley had 18 touches in the second half, carrying 16 times for 89 yards and catching two passes for 20 yards.
"You just try to get in that rhythm, get the ball, get consecutive run plays in a row," he said. "We were able to do that in the second half."
Click here for our picks for the Rams-Raiders game.
Here's what you need to know:
Who: Rams vs. Raiders
What: NFL Week 1
When: Monday, Sept. 10, 2018
Where: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, Calif.
Time: 10:20 p.m. Eastern
TV: ESPN
Livestream: WatchESPN
Line: Rams -3 (Over/under 49.5)
NFL 2018 Preview: Playoffs, Super Bowl picks
The Los Angeles Rams and Oakland Raiders spent most of the lead-up to the season in the same predicament, with their Defensive Players of the Year holding out while seeking new contracts.
When the teams open the season against each other Monday night in Oakland, that will have changed. The Rams will have last year's winner of the league's top defensive award on the field anchoring the middle in Aaron Donald. The Raiders will be without 2016 winner Khalil Mack, who was traded to Chicago.
The Raiders dealt Mack for a package including two first-round draft picks a day after Donald signed a six-year, $135 million deal, with $87 million guaranteed. Oakland was unwilling to pay that price for Mack, forcing defensive coordinator Paul Guenther to shelve plans he made after getting hired on how to use Mack, and proceed the way he approached training camp with the rest of the overhauled defense.
"I think I saw the guy in a restaurant in March one time," Guenther said. "My kids pointed it out to me, 'Hey, its Khalil Mack. He's got the new Jordans on.' You know, I wouldn't know. With as many new players we brought in, new coaching staff we just kind of got use to him not being here and operating with what we got, so we are going to move along that way."
The Raiders spent much of the offseason trying to improve their pass rush by moving Bruce Irvin to a full-time defensive end position, and drafting P.J. Hall, Arden Key and Maurice Hurst. That group helped generate 12 sacks in the preseason and will have plenty of pressure starting Monday night to fill Mack's void.
"It's an opportunity for me and the rest of the guys on the D-line," Key said. "That's just another opportunity. Khalil Mack is gone. We can't dwell on it. We have to move forward and somebody has to step up in his spot."
The Rams said they weren't exactly upset to see Mack traded, considering he has averaged more than 12 sacks and 60 quarterback pressures over the last three seasons. But they noted they still have to face Mack in Week 14 and that the Raiders' other rushers present enough of a challenge this week.
"He's a great player, and he's not going to be on the team we're playing this week, but they've got plenty of good players, and they've got a great defense and a great team that we're preparing for," quarterback Jared Goff said. "We're not thinking very much about Khalil right now."
The Raiders have plenty to worry about on Los Angeles' defense now that Donald is back to team with three former All-Pros added this offseason: defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib.
The new-look lineup gives coordinator Wade Phillips one of the game's best pair of cornerbacks in Peters and Talib, as well as interior rushers in Donald and Suh.
The Raiders have a good idea what to expect with Peters and Talib having spent the past few years in the AFC West; Oakland playing against Suh in Miami last year; and Phillips serving as defensive coordinator in Denver in 2015-16 when he faced the Raiders four times overall.
"They're all great players," quarterback Derek Carr said. "They have a great team, great defense. Great challenge they present us. Then (defensive coordinator) coach Phillips calling it. I've gone against him a number of times. He does his stuff, man, and he's really good at it. It's going to be a good challenge for us. I can sit here and talk good things about all those guys. They know how I feel about them, they're great players."
The Rams have spent the past week incorporating Donald into the mix after he held out all offseason and training camp. They have experience doing it from last year, when he didn't report until one day before the season opener and missed the first game.
He's had more than a week of practice and should be ready for the opener for what could be the most star-packed defense in the league.
"We haven't played in any games or any meaningful snaps, so we're still figuring out how to come together as a defense," coach Sean McVay said. "You feel good about those two players and some of the other guys that will play with them up front. It looks good right now, but it's about playing together as a unit and doing a great job against what we know is going to be an excellent challenge with a great offense on Monday night."
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Football’s back! Well, some of it. But not all of the Los Angeles Rams football we were expecting.
To this point, there’s been one singular factor dominating this game: the Oakland Raiders’ offensive braintrust outcoaching the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive staff led by Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips with TE Jared Cook operating as the lynchpin.
Yeah. Jared Cook.
I know.
But it’s been a fascinating exercise. Oakland has controlled the entire proceedings by maintaining an overwhelming time of possession advantage: 21:31 to the Rams’ 8:29. The Raiders have converted half of their six third downs helping them control the clock and the schematic development.
For the Rams, it’s been explosive throughout. Two huge PI draws from WR Brandin Cooks on underthrown balls from QB Jared Goff. A beautifully drawn up (and blocked) play for RB Todd Gurley who didn’t even need to be Todd Gurley to get in as he went untouched en route to the end zone.
But it’s been sloppy on both sides for us.
Gurley has just four carries for 19 yards in an entire half of football. Not exactly leaning into the reigning offensive player of the year. And Goff has just 60 yards off of 10 attempts and a paltry four completions. The Rams have yet to convert a third down after three attempts. And on defense, S John Johnson III has been routinely exploited in the passing game though he had a badly needed interception to kill an eight-play Oakland drive.
Has it been sloppy? Absolutely. Has it been a lack of preseason action? Well you knew that was gonna come up.
Has it been one half of football in what is going to be a long game and a long season?
Yeah.
Relax. Buckle up.
And let’s see if the Rams’ coaching staff can pull even with their opponents.
We’re gonna need them to in order to get out of this with a W.
