As the Oakland Raiders continue their meteoric rise this year, they still have a few kinks to work out before they become one of the league’s elite.
Raiders’ offensive lineman Donald Penn had a mini breakdown on the sideline after the team threw a near interception. He wanted the team to run the ball more. They knew they had the advantage in the trenches, a surprising revelation given that the Broncos have had one of the stoutest defenses this year. They did something few teams are able to do.
After the game, Penn had a great quote regarding their team’s running game and just how dominant it was yesterday.
“In the second half, we only ran two (running) plays, we ran the same running play ten times in a row. We kept wearing them down with double teams. They knew it was coming. It didn’t matter. That’s when you take somebody’s will.”
As the Raiders continue to get better, to see them be confident about themselves in the process has been a sight to see. They know that they are good on both sides of the ball and they don’t care who knows it. Running the same play twice in a row doesn’t happen too often. Running the same play ten times in a row is almost unheard of. The Raiders imposed their will and made sure the league took notice in the process.
After the New England Patriots, the AFC standings are like the wild west, completely wide open and volatile. The Raiders may end up being one of the teams to beat this January. How many saw that coming back in August?
[NFL]
