Graney: Raiders need to be much better to make playoffs

The shot sailed done a chilly Cleveland evening connected Monday and divided the uprights, keeping live playoff hopes for a Raiders squad that has known the postseason conscionable erstwhile successful 19 years.

Daniel Carlson, a place-kicker who is arsenic accordant and reliable a subordinate arsenic the Raiders have, made bully from 48 yards.

It allowed the Raiders to flight with a 16-14 triumph against the Browns, a squad that I’m beauteous definite had a fewer guys who usually hawk brew playing on the violative line.

You don’t reason with wins successful the NFL. You truly don’t reason with them connected the roadworthy this precocious successful a season. But if a playoff berth depends connected the Raiders winning retired — location to the Broncos, astatine Indianapolis, location to the Chargers — the squad seen Monday can’t execute specified a goal. podcast

It’s not bully enough.

I accidental it could be. Week-to-week league, is right. The broadside that hardly survived a Browns squad missing 18 players (including 8 starters, the punter and caput coach) to COVID-19 protocols could abruptly go 1 deserving of surviving into January.

If so, things request to beryllium truthful overmuch better.

“We’re 7-7 and what our grounds says we are,” said antiaircraft extremity Maxx Crosby. “This is conscionable 1 win, but it’s a large roadworthy crippled that we knew we had to win. We recovered a way.”

They did. Barely. I understood to a constituent the Raiders’ strategy. Control the clock. Move the chains. Take fewer chances against a Cleveland squad being led by a third-string backmost successful Nick Mullens and respective refugees from the signifier squad.

But betwixt respective dropped passes and holding telephone aft holding call, the Raiders kept a reeling Browns broadside successful the game.

Fact: If the Raiders don’t person a competent show from their defense, this ends successful a horrible loss. Then immoderate playoff speech would person been replaced with that of getting connected with the chore of cleaning house.

A caller mindset

Give the Raiders recognition for being capable to reset aft it was announced the crippled was being moved from Saturday to Monday owed to Cleveland’s contented with COVID. The Raiders evidently weren’t blessed with the power — the tweets from players unsocial were worthy of immoderate day speechmaking — but they responded successful a affirmative manner. They won the darn game.

I’m inactive wondering who it was that told the squad to “stand down” earlier buses departed to the airdrome Friday, hoping lone it was a Jack Nicholson lookalike consecutive from “A Few Good Men.”

“My teammates said things I hold with, but astatine the extremity of the day, beingness is going to propulsion you curveballs,” said Raiders backmost Derek Carr. “I’m going to amusement up erstwhile they fto america play and we’ll play. Whether I hold oregon don’t agree, I don’t deliberation it matters.

“We person to play astatine immoderate constituent and aft the game, we’re going to beryllium lasting determination and we either won oregon lost.”

The second appeared a bully stake erstwhile Carr threw heavy to Zay Jones with nether 3 minutes remaining and the Raiders chasing a 14-13 deficit. The walk was intercepted and downed astatine the Raiders’ 29 with 2:47 remaining.

But present came the defense, offering 1 much halt and handing Carr a 2nd life.

He drove the Raiders to the Cleveland 30. Then the accordant and reliable feline trotted out.

There is life

“Our squad has a large content successful Daniel,” interim caput manager Rich Bisaccia said. “They spot however helium works. We each thought we had a bully accidental to spell retired determination and footwear a 48-yarder.”

They did. Carlson made it.

There is inactive beingness successful the pursuit of a playoff berth.

They conscionable request to play a full batch amended erstwhile facing a squad wherever the beer-hawking feline is not astatine tackle.

The Raiders of Monday can’t triumph out.

Which doesn’t mean they won’t.

Ed Graney is simply a Sigma Delta Chi Award victor for sports file penning and tin beryllium reached astatine egraney@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-4618. He tin beryllium heard connected “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday done Friday. Follow @edgraney connected Twitter.