Raiders Recap-- Week 13: Cowboys

A Thanksgiving Game with One Extra Turkey

The Seat Grows Hotter. (AP Photo, Bob Leverone)

The game started about as well as you could have hoped.

Terrance Willams fumbled the game's opening kickoff and the Raiders were able to scoop and score, establishing a 7-0 lead over the Dallas Cowboys in only twelve seconds. This year, the Raiders have made a habit of getting off to quick starts, but this opening sequence happened so abruptly that it surprised even those aware of the trend.

It seemed too good to be true, and it was.

The Raiders extended their lead to 21-7 with less than 2 minutes to go in the second quarter before surrendering yet another late touchdown drive that allowed Dallas to half their deficit heading into the break. The Cowboys would then go on to score 17 unanswered points on their way to victory.

Oakland's only second-half points came on a Janikowski FG-- a curious attempt on second down with less than a minute to go in the game, down ten.

(Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

In other words, it was hardly redeeming.

Still, the Raiders had many opportunities to win the game.

Oakland drove the ball deep into Dallas territory in the 4th quarter, and, down only 7 points, found themselves in the red zone with a chance to tie the game late. QB Matt McGloin could not complete the drive, and inexplicably threw a jump ball to the shortest guy on the field. Jacoby Ford had no chance, and the pass was intercepted in the end zone for a touchback.

"Their guy gets paid too. He made a good play," said McGloin on the pass. "It was an opportunity ball."

Debatable. An opportunity for an interception, perhaps, but definitely not what might be known as a "50-50" ball.

"I mean, if it was a touchdown, nobody would have thought anything about it," he shrugged.

These words make me cringe.

Somewhere, RG3 is applauding, for he too recently denied responsibility for throwing a terrible interception with the game on the line. Instead of standing up and using the magic words "me" or "I", Griffen accused his coaches of developing a simplistic game-plan that the Eagles were able to dissect with ease. This led to much criticism from commentators and even from his own teammates.

But when you are the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year with an NFC East banner sitting in your trophy case next to your Heisman, you might be able to get away with these type of shots. Meanwhile, McGloin has nothing comprable under his belt. The only other commonality he shares with RG3 is a winning percentage of .333 and a tenuous grasp on the position for the remainder of a doomed season.

Say what you want about Pryor and his mechanics, at least he knew when to take responsibility for his mistakes. Hell, he took responsibility for the entire team's mistakes.

So as the QB controversy continues in Oakland, fans are left to ask themselves: "Do we want a passer? Or a leader?"

Apparently, you just can't have both.

IF McGloin doesn't throw that interception, and the Raiders are able to punch it in, we are potentially looking at a different outcome to that game. IF Oakland's defense was able to stop Romo and the Cowboys just before the half, the momentum changes completely before the third quarter. IF the Raiders do not allow DeMarco Murray to scamper into the end zone, untouched, on three separate occasions, perhaps they settle for 3, 6, 9 instead of 7, 14, 21.

If... If... If...

Untouched. Thrice. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Unfortunately, the focus cannot be on what might have been. Instead, we must look at what HAS been, and speculate on what lies ahead for the 4-8 Oakland Raiders.

So, what HAS been?

At 4-8, the Raiders have competed in very game except 2, and in those oh-so-fleeting moments, have looked much better than anyone expected with a team of replacements and one-year contracts.

Credit is due to Dennis Allen for turning this team into something no one thought possible, if only for one of the two halves of each game. However, these flashes of potential have only increased the expectations that the fans have for their team, making each return to earth more painful than the last.

It wasn't until the kickoff against Tennessee that anyone realized how close the Raiders were to wildcard contention, and a win against the Titans would have allowed Oakland to control its own destiny. 60 minutes later, they were back at the bottom.

Flashes of Brilliance? Or Gaps in Idiocy?
(Elsa/Getty Images)

Say what you want, the talent to win games IS there. Reggie McKenzie has put good players in place, if only temporarily, and given Dennis Allen enough tools to compete this year. Their shortcomings, then, must fall at the feet of the head coach, and his inability to get his team to play when it needs to play.

The Raiders are not a "first half team". There is no such thing. Their ability to jump out to early leads continues to surprise me, and though they have benefitted from early turnovers, they still have made enough plays to dispel the notion that this is pure luck. I'd call it about 50-50. (Not sure how McGloin would evaluate it.)

And the Raiders are definitely, astoundingly, 100% NOT a "second half team". Check the box score.

In their past 6 losses, the Raiders have been outscored in the second half by a combined score of 96-23. Even in their wins, they have been beaten in the second half: San Diego put up 17 to Oakland's 3, while Pittsburgh put up 15 and shut out the Raiders in the third and fourth quarters. Add those into the equation and the ratio becomes 128 to 26-- a difference of over one-hundred points.

What is going on at halftime? Are the players switching jerseys with the opposing team? Are the opponents chugging bottles of MJ's "Secret Stuff"? On Thanksgiving, did the Raiders sit down for a tryptophan-laced meal in between the 2nd and 3rd quarters and return to the field sluggish and half-asleep?

It's much simpler than that. At halftime, coaches are doing what they are supposed to do: making adjustments.

And that is where Dennis Allen is proving woefully inadequate.

How else can you explain such a disturbing trend? The Raiders have blown halftime leads in their each of their last three losses. Eight times they have been outscored in the second half, and eight times they have ended up on the wrong side of the scorecard.

The team has a lot of problems, but perhaps the issue is much simpler.

Factor in Dennis Allen's abysmal 2-12 road record (2-16 if you include preseason) and you have a trend that is simply too hard to ignore. His record at home is not stellar, but his continual inability to prepare his team to compete on the road is a glaring mark on a resume in desperate need of some bright spots.

The Raiders have 4 games to go in their 2013 season (unless... never mind). They face the Jets next week before finishing out against the AFC West, aka the best division in the NFL. With the playoffs likely out of reach, the focus will shift from this year to next, and Reggie McKenzie will be watching his team very closely. Make no mistake, jobs and contracts will be won and lost over the next four weeks, including that of the head coach. A respectable finish will solidify some positions and may help save Dennis Allen's job.

A loss on the road to the train-wreck Jets will certainly not.

Misspelling aside, the point is clear.

Is Dennis Allen officially on the hot seat? Can he save his job? If so, what does he have to do to keep it? Comment below!