01-09-2020, 03:07 AM
After last week’s debacle in Green Bay Womens Bo Jackson Jersey , it would have been understandable — logical, even — if the first play of Sunday’s game had Minnesota Vikings fans panicking.Kirk Cousins very literally stumbled out of the gate, tripping over the feet of center Garrett Bradbury on the Vikings’ first play from scrimmage.More Vikings coverageVikings’ Kearse apologizes, returns to work after weekend arrestPhotos of the Week: 10/20/19 – 10/26/19Vikings surge into second half thanks to Cousins, CookVikings Snap Counts: Penalties spoil Mattison’s big dayUpon Further Review: Cook, Vikings grind out win over WashingtonFortunately for the Vikings, their $84 million quarterback stayed largely upright the rest of the way, helping Minnesota to a 34-14 win over the Oakland Raiders.Cousins was sharp on the ensuing drive, hitting Adam Thielen for a 35-yard touchdown, finishing the day with 174 yards, a touchdown and no turnovers. He wasn’t sacked in Week 3, the first time that’s happened in his 19 career starts for the Vikings.It’s not a narrative-shifting stat line, but it was enough.The Vikings’ leaned on the run game again, as Dalvin Cook went over 100 rushing yards with a touchdown for the third straight week.The defense looked sharp against an occasionally competent Raiders offense, racking up four sacks and an interception while allowing just one touchdown outside of garbage time.PLAYER OF THE GAMECook leads the NFL with 375 rushing yards and ranks second with four touchdowns following Sunday’s action. All those concerns about his rebuilt left knee and injury-plagued 2018 haven’t deterred head coach Mike Zimmer and the Vikings. Cook ranks fourth with 57 carries thus far after going off again against the Raiders. He averaged 6.68 yards per carry Sunday, down slightly after Week 2, and was on the field for 60% of the offense’s snaps, double rookie Alexander Mattison‘s workload.DON’T FORGET ABOUT MEVeteran tight end Kyle Rudolph came up just inches short of a touchdown in the first quarter, but Irv Smith Jr. was far more productive Sunday. Rudolph was on the field for 87% of the Vikings’ snaps on offense to Smith’s 49%, but was targeted just once. A second-round pick out of Alabama, Smith Jr. led the Vikings with 60 receiving yards on three catches and three targets after nabbing just one catch through the first two weeks of the season.THAT MOMENTThe degree of difficulty wasn’t particularly impressive, but it was still encouraging to see the Vikings’ passing game start clicking quickly against the Raiders. Cousins and Thielen connected to finish off their first drive — a six-play, 66-yard romp to the end zone — off a bootleg, the first of four Vikings touchdown drives.THIS NUMBERCousins looked better this week, but he still isn’t being asked to do much. He attempted just 21 passes against the Raiders — no starter attempted fewer in Week 3 — and completed just 15. And while Cousins’ completion percentage (71.43%) was encouraging, the Vikings’ passing game still faces plenty of uncertainty heading into a Week 4 showdown with the fearsome Bears defense in Chicago.THEY SAID IT“It’s a beautiful thing when you can run the ball effectively” — Quarterback Kirk Cousins.“Good things usually happen when you play with great effort” — Head coach Mike Zimmer.“I leave it all on the line for those guys because they stood behind me 100% when I was having my ups and downs and just going through adversity. That’s just part of this game.” — Running back Dalvin Cook.WHAT’S NEXTWeek 4 in Chicago presents an early fork in the road for this year’s Vikings. Minnesota could be either 3-1 and tied for the division lead by this time next week Bo Jackson Jersey , or in last place at 2-2. The Bears’ defense looked a little less intimidating in Week 2, allowing 153 rushing yards during a 16-14 win over the winless Denver Broncos. Meanwhile, their offense has scored just 19 points through two games. That won’t mean much if the Bears can bully Cousins like they did in both meetings last season — he was picked off twice and sacked six times in two games against the Bears last season — but there are reasons to be optimistic about their chances. Even though it was a meaningless game, it’s great to see the Raiders win and look so strong against a team that was in the Super Bowl last season. There’s plenty to be happy about on the Oakland..." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesSilver And Black Pride homepageHorizontal - WhiteSilver And Black Pridean Oakland Raiders communityFollow Silver And Black Pride online:Follow Silver And Black Pride on TwitterFollow Silver And Black Pride on FacebookLog in or sign upLog InSign UpSite searchSearchSearchSilver And Black Pride main menuFanpostsFanshotsRaidersOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 321 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Raiders StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Raiders NewsYahoo Raiders Team PageYahoo Raiders ReportYahoo Raiders Depth ChartYahoo Raiders TransactionsYahoo Raiders PhotosOdds About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕4 Winners, 4 Losers from Raiders vs. RamsNew,121commentsPDTEven though it was a meaningless game, it’s great to see the Raiders win and look so strong against a team that was in the Super Bowl last season. There’s plenty to be happy about on the Oakland side, while the Rams clearly don’t give a crap and are just looking forward to their game in Hawaii against the Cowboys next week. But who stood out, and who stepped back?WINNERS1) The entire Raiders defenseI read a Tweet after the Raiders and Rams’ first scrimmage day from a certain beat writer who shall remain nameless, that he would make a sizable bet that Oakland’s defense would be the worst in the league this season. Who knows how true that may end up being, but these Raiders just held a Sean McVay offense to three points in an entire game.The defensive line was solid with a strong pass rush, and although they only recorded one sack they clearly got the better of the offensive line of the Rams at all times. Clelin Ferrell looked tenacious, Maurice Hurst got pressure up the middle and Arden Key, who logged Oakland’s only sack, looked like a new man with tremendous speed, strength and athleticism. That’s to say nothing of the secondary, who held Los Angeles to 77 yards passing in the first half and 133 yards in the entire game. Trayvon Mullen showed tons of promise and Johnathan Abram was flying around the field in his very limited action. This defense is going to be a work in progress, but the young studs are... well, studs.2) Nathan PetermanPeterman is a living meme for a reason. He might be the player whose performance drops off the most from preseason to the regular season, but my goodness is he good when it doesn’t count. He made some quality throws, but his true value came with his legs, as he scampered for a 50-yard run to open the third quarter, leading to a crisp touchdown pass to Keelan Doss. This is exactly the sort of thing Peterman does that makes coaches love him and keep him around. We call Peterman the GOAT as a rib, but tonight, he was damn good.3) Raiders receiversOakland passed for 266 yards in this game, and it could have been a lot more if Mike Glennon hadn’t forgot which team he was throwing to. The Raider receivers showed off their route running and great hands https://www.raiderslockerroom.com/authen...own-jersey , making a few spectacular catches. JJ Nelson, Keon Hatcher, Marcell Ateman and Ryan Grant all had impressive grabs, Alex Ingold also stood out in the passing game, something Keith Smith has yet to do. That may give him an edge when trying to win the fullback job.4) AJ ColeCole may have gained a “leg up” in the punting competition with his performance in this game. He boomed four punts with a 43-yard average, two of them being downed inside the 20. He also kicked off, and just seems way more consistent than Johnny Townsend. Townsend blasted a 55-yard punt but left a few others short.LOSERS1) Mike GlennonIf you take out the two picks Mike Glennon threw, he had a great day. He would have been 17/23 for 200 yards. But he did throw those picks, and that sort of decision-making is why he’s a backup in the NFL. It’s why the Bucs gave up on him, it’s why the Bears signed him and immediately drafted Mitch Trubisky. drafted Josh Rosen. Stuff like this separates guys who can be The Guy from guys who hold clipboards for a living. Glennon’s biggest value to Oakland is that he isn’t Connor Cook.2) Rams offenseIf there’s a bigger dropoff from a first unit to their backups than the Rams starting offense to this crew, I’d like to see it. The Rams were garbage, missing simple throws and unable to get the Raiders D-line off any blocks at all. It was only the mobility of Blake Bortles and Brandon Allen that kept Oakland from racking up five sacks at least. And the penalties, my God, the penalties. There were so many, and most of them on the Rams. Sean McVay should burn the game tape from tonight.3) Demornay Pierson-ElThe Raiders brought Pierson-El in due to his return ability, and he had some serious issues there. He bobbled the first punt he fielded, but he did at least fall on it. In the second half he busted a couple good returns, but both were called back on penalties. That’s not on him, but he didn’t do himself any favors in this game and is a serious candidate to be cut.4) Brandon ParkerOverall, the offensive line played great. They protected the quarterback, opened running lanes for the Raider backs, and played as a cohesive unit. But Parker was clearly the weak link, getting worked by defensive ends and committing a costly penalty. He just doesn’t seem to have what it takes, and if he can’t handle the Rams’ backup edge rushers he can’t handle anyone’s starters.