The Raiders suffered an upset loss to the Eagles last night in a game that saw their defense look unusually awful. It’s becoming a bit concerning as they would give up 42 points in their last game against the Chiefs. Coach Isaiah has emphasized more passing, but I feel defense should become the focus once again. Coach Isaiah suffered his first loss in two seasons (other than a FL). The Raiders losing this early in a conference race that will be tight is very concerning. And it should be, right? Coach Isaiah says no.
“Just terrible adjustments on my end. I saw the patterns. It was just about me coming up with a plan to counter it. I’ll be in the film room until I find a way to stop it without sacrificing what we wanna do defensively. I’m sure it won’t be the last time we see it as this is a copycat league. Congratulations to Coach Procana. I’m competitive but to see a close friend like that win a big game…you just tip your hat. But our head isn’t down. We won’t make this the norm and will handle business against the Cowboys.”
Offensively, the Raiders are happy with their weapons. Higgins, Hyatt, White, and Super Bow MVP Bowers. There is no excuse for Lance, who threw 2 interceptions. Yes, you read that correctly. Someone who only threw 5 interceptions last season already has 2. But Coach Isaiah quickly dismissed any criticism toward Trey. “He is our franchise Quarterback. He had an underthrow and misread the coverage on another. It happens. We will continue to pass the ball and learn from our mistakes. He led us to a bowl. We know what he can and will do for us this season.”
Some feel that Coach Isaiah is content with his two rings and that he will lay down to the competition. We asked him how he felt about those rumors after the loss. “Content? No. I realized how much stress came from looking at the end goal instead of enjoying the process. The goal is the same, but I will make sure the guys and I enjoy every moment. Every practice. Every time we watch film. Every game. Every win and every loss. Because to be honest, after you win the SB, it’s almost humbling. You want to win it again but also it’s like, that’s it? That’s what was causing me to not enjoy every moment? We will win this year and we will lose this year, but we will have fun doing both.”
For the Eagles, this is a huge statement win to the league. There is not much wrong you can say about how they executed. We know how great their offense is. We say it every time. Jalen Hurts would throw 312 yards with 3 touchdowns in last night’s win. Receivers like Shaheed made some beautiful catches down the stretch. Every time the Eagles needed a big play, especially on 3rd down, they would make a big play. It wasn’t always flashy but it was always the right play. As the game wore on, the Eagles identified a clear weakness in the Raiders’ defense that they exposed time and time again. I’m not going to say what it is, but the film is out there.
On the defensive side, they forced Lance to throw two interceptions. The pressure they caused was too much for him. Blitzes out of nowhere and great coverage from the secondary showed us a Lance we haven’t seen in a while. It reminded me of their win in the Divisional Round last year. The way they have been able to force opposing Quarterbacks to do things a little quicker. Quarterbacks have a time in their head and when that same head is telling them that they are about to get squashed, they tend to make some mistakes. Please don’t quote me, but it’s starting to seem like Coach Procana has learned a defensive scheme that will have the Eagles as a top-10 defense. And if that happens, a Coach Procana-led team with great defense, who is stopping them? The defending Super Bowl Champions couldn’t. I’m just saying. It might be scary hours for the league.
The schedule does not get easier as the Eagles will travel to Los Angeles to face the hungry Chargers.
© Any Given Sunday