For the Raiders, playing out the string of another losing season | general | Forum

OAKLAND T.J. Hockenson Jersey , Calif. (AP) —  has become an all-too-regular occurrence in recent years. They are on their way to their 12th season with double-digit losses in the past 16 years.For the Denver Broncos, it’s rather new territory.The Broncos (6-8) head into Monday night’s game at Oakland (3-11) needing to win their final two games to avoid their first back-to-back losing campaigns since 1971-72.Article continues below …“We want to win. These next two games are important for us to finish the right way,” coach Vance Joseph said. “That part is very important to me. It’s about winning. That’s what it’s about. It’s not about losing, it’s about winning. That’s very important to our football team and our coaches.”The Broncos have by far the longest streak in the NFL without consecutive losing seasons with New England holding the next longest, having last done it in 1992-93.Denver began the month with playoff aspirations after beating Cincinnati to get to 6-6. But back-to-back losses to San Francisco and Cleveland ended those hopes and had the Broncos looking for other goals.“Me personally, I just want to finish strong,” cornerback Bradley Roby said. “Hopefully get some more turnovers. I only have three so far this year and I just want to make some more. I love to play and I love to make turnovers. That’s my focus, just to have fun.”The Raiders are just hoping to get out of this season without more injuries. A series of injuries to the offensive line has played a big part in Derek Carr getting sacked 47 times — third most in the league. Carr is the first player in four years to get sacked at least three times in seven consecutive games, but remains on pace for his first career 4,000-yard season.“I think he’s hanging in there,” coach Jon Gruden said. “No question, I am sure he is sore. He knows he is carrying us right now on offense. That’s what a franchise quarterback is paid to do.”Here are some other things to watch:GOODBYE OAKLANDThe game could be the final one ever at the Coliseum. The Raiders are set to move to Las Vegas in 2020 but have no lease for next year. Oakland city officials are suing the Raiders over the move and the team has threatened to play somewhere else because of it. Gruden said thinking about the end of the Coliseum almost makes him cry, but he can’t wait to see what the atmosphere will be like Monday night.“I get excited thinking about it,” he said. “Just raging in the Black Hole. Rocking and raging down there after the Steelers game, after a lot of wins over the years. Seeing a lot of the old highlights of the great Raiders teams. I get excited and I get emotional about it. Hopefully, we get it all resolved where we can continue to play here.”ROOKIE SENSATIONBroncos running back Phillip Lindsay has been bottled up the last two weeks but he’s 9 rushing yards shy of 1 Justice Hill Jersey ,000 and just became the first offensive undrafted player selected to the Pro Bowl. Lindsay said he never pondered the possibility, suggesting that was a long-term goal of his a few years into his career. Lindsay started out as a special-teamer and didn’t even become Denver’s featured back until midseason, starting the last seven games.“I’m an undrafted free agent. To be able to have 100 yards in a game was great. To get a touchdown, to be able to play at (Mile High Stadium), that’s the stuff right there that I dreamt about,” Lindsay said.ROUGH ROOKIERaiders first-round left tackle Kolton Miller has had a rough rookie year. The 15th overall pick in the draft was hampered by a knee injury he played through earlier in the season and has appeared overmatched against a gantlet of top pass rushers he’s faced in his first NFL season. According to Pro Football Focus, Miller has allowed more sacks (14) and total pressures (59) than any player in the league.It doesn’t figure to get easier this week against Denver’s dynamic duo of Von Miller and Bradley Chubb.“He’s had some really good games. He’s had some games where he’s had his eyes opened,” Gruden said. “He’s not the first rookie left tackle that has gone through this. We’d like to see him finish with some authority.”CORNERED AT CORNERBACKThe Broncos signed free agent Craig Mager after putting star cornerback Chris Harris Jr. on IR with a broken right leg. Denver also expects to get Brendan Langley and Isaac Yiadom back from concussions and will have Bradley Roby back after he required five stitches last week for a laceration on his chin that he could stick his tongue through.And Jamar Taylor is back. His ejection last weekend left the Broncos with only one healthy cornerback in Tremaine Brock, and Cleveland scored its winning TD with safeties Justin Simmons and Dymonte Harris forced into route coverage in the fourth quarter. DETROIT — The Detroit Lions took advantage of some mistakes they forced Green Bay to make and were fortunate some breaks simply went their way.Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes and LeGarrette Blount ran for two scores, lifting the Lions to a 31-23 win over the Packers on Sunday.More Packers coveragePhotos of the Week: 7/21/19 – 7/27/19Packers rookie Gary’s biggest critic is himselfTop Tweets: Former Badger TJ Watt has impressive four-year transformationPHOTOS: 2019 Green Bay Packers training campPackers’ Rodgers, LaFleur ironing out offense, building chemistryDetroit (2-3) earned a win it desperately needed under first-year coach Matt Patricia, going into its bye week.“We get two weeks to 10 days to sit on whatever happens,” said Stafford, who was 14 of 26 for 183 yards with two TDs and no turnovers. “And, it feels a whole lot better with a win.”Green Bay (2-2-1) was doomed because veteran Mason Crosby had the worst game of his life and two-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers lost two fumbles for just the third time in his 14-year career.“We just couldn’t overcome all the things we did wrong,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “We did some good things in the second half http://www.ravenscheapstores.c…..rsey-cheap , but you can’t dig yourself that kind of hole.”Crosby missed a career-high four field goals in one game and failed to make an extra point to boot. He connected on a field goal with 2 seconds left, but that wasn’t of much consolation after his poor performance.“I look back and I’m thinking, in my childhood, in high school, this is definitely one of the worst ones,” said Crosby, the first NFL kicker to miss four field goals in a game since 2010.Detroit recovered an onside kick to seal the win, preventing Rodgers from getting another chance at a game-winning Hail Mary in Detroit like the one he threw in 2015.The Lions built a big lead in the first half, picking up where they left off in their last home game, a 16-point win over the New England Patriots.Blount had a pair of 1-yard TD runs in the first quarter and Stafford’s 8-yard pass to Marvin Jones late in the second quarter put Detroit up 24-0.Patricia, though, didn’t think the Lions’ cushion was comfortable.“Unfortunately, I’ve seen that quarterback on the other side there crush a lot of leads pretty quickly and come back,” said Patricia, a former Patriots defensive coordinator.Rodgers, missing injured receivers Randall Cobb and Geronimo Allison, threw short TDs to rookie Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Lance Kendricks in the third to pull the Packers within 10 points.Stafford answered with a 5-yard TD pass to Kenny Golladay early in the fourth quarter to give Detroit a 31-14 lead.“It was big to chew up some time to give our defense a little bit of a rest and come away with some points Iman Marshall Jersey ,” Stafford said.Rodgers connected with Davante Adams on a 12-yard throw for a third TD pass, but Crosby hit the left upright on the extra point to let the Lions keep an 11-point lead midway through the fourth quarter. Adams has scored in 10 straight road games, equaling a league record set by Tommy McDonald of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1959 to 1961.Rodgers was 32 of 52 for 442 yards — the second-highest total of his career — with three TD passes.“We’ve been a one-half team all year,” he said. “We need to do something about that.”STREAKINGThe Lions, who didn’t face Rodgers last year, have won three straight in the series for the first time the 1990-91 seasons.SOUND STRATEGYDetroit had success on defense, going after Rodgers with just four players and dropping seven into coverage. Rodgers held onto the ball to wait for receivers to get open, but they couldn’t, and it led to three sacks and his two fumbles.“They gave up rushers in order to extend plays, and they got some turnovers out of it,” McCarthy said. “We’re usually successful in those situations, but they did some good things.”INJURY REPORTPackers: LB Nick Perry (ankle) and CB Kevin King (chin) were hurt during the game.Lions: RB Kerryon Johnson, who ran for 70 yards on 12 carries, went out in the fourth quarter after appearing to hurt his right ankle. CB Teez Tabor (groin) and CB Jamal Agnew (knee) also left the game with injuries.UP NEXTPackers: Host San Francisco on Monday, Oct. 15.Lions: Off until playing at Miami on Oct. 21.