There”s no way around it: quarterbacks cost the Oakland Raiders a chance to win Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Minutes after fans learned the San Diego Chargers lost in New York (meaning the Raiders could take the AFC West lead with a win), the outcome in Oakland seemed already decided.
The Raiders were driving into Chiefs territory on their first possession when third-string quarterback Terrelle Pryor committed a false start on a trick play, turning a third-and-one into a third-and-six.
Replacement starter Kyle Boller threw a pick-six on the next snap and the resulting 7-0 deficit seemed insurmountable with 57 minutes left.
Oakland”s offense wandered aimlessly the rest of the first half, hurt by two more Boller interceptions and a failed fourth-and-goal attempt at the 1-yard line.
But somehow, the Raiders were mathematically still in the game early in the third quarter (down only 21-0), forcing head coach Hue Jackson to decide whether to accept a loss with Boller at the helm or throw the recently un-retired Carson Palmer on the field.
Jackson chose the latter and the rest was history (not the good kind).
Palmer occasionally showed glimmers of promise, but glaring rust covered up any shining moments. The former Pro Bowler went 8-for-21 for just 116 yards with three interceptions (including a pick-six of his own) in six possessions.
And the Raiders lost a winnable game, 28-0.
Coaches and analysts can try pointing to other factors from Sunday”s game (running back Darren McFadden getting hurt on the first drive, Oakland committing 14 penalties for 120 yards or even being without injured kicker Sebastian Janikowski), but the six interceptions cost Oakland a chance to win, nothing else.
The Raiders actually outgained the Chiefs on offense by 22 yards but lost by four touchdowns (three of which came off of Oakland turnovers).
Now the Raiders find themselves in the bye week at 4-3, a half-game behind the division-leading Chargers – which isn”t too bad considering the team lost starting quarterback Jason Campbell just more than a week ago.
And while we”re on the subject, don”t feel too bad for Campbell: if he had tried to pass instead of lumbering toward a first down or had gone to the ground properly, he wouldn”t have broken his collarbone. People can call it a freak or unfortunate injury but Campbell should”ve prevented it.
No use dwelling too much on the past though: it already happened and can”t be changed.
Hopefully Oakland players will keep that adage in mind during the bye week in order to make the Kansas City loss an aberration as opposed to a trend.
The Raiders can still attain an AFC West title, but only with a good starting quarterback.
The short-term answer definitely isn”t Boller, who has a dismal 31.1 passer rating in two games this season (not to mention career statistics that include 54 interceptions and 25 fumbles compared to only 48 passing touchdowns).
With the rookie Pryor as the only other quarterback on the roster, the solution has to be Palmer, who sat at home for the first six weeks of 2011 rather than play for Cincinnati.
The 31-year-old has good career numbers (62.8 completion percentage with 154 touchdowns and only 103 interceptions) but his prime is probably behind him, especially after two major injuries last decade.
With the bye week, Palmer has extra time to prepare for his first start as a Raider, and the pitiful performance Sunday might not have been the worst thing because he did get some playing time and he”ll be able to analyze his mistakes in the game film.
He won”t need to be at his best for the next game, Nov. 6 against the awful Denver Broncos, but he will need to play smart football (and certainly not turn the ball over three times).
The next five games are crucial for the Raiders, with three should-be walkovers (against Denver, Minnesota and Miami) and a must-win against the Chargers.
Winning four or five of those games would put Oakland in a great position to win the division, but losing more than two would likely drop the team out of the race.
Palmer will be the key during those five games, and if he can”t rediscover his old skills and successes, the Raiders will be shut out of the postseason for a ninth straight season.
Jeremy Walsh is a staff reporter for Lake County Publishing. He can be reached at 263-5636 ext. 37 or jwalsh@record-bee.com.
