The second quarter of the 2013 NFL regular season comes to an end with a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Eagles
at home in the Oakland Coliseum. Week 9 began with the lighting of the Torch by should-be Hall of Famer punter Ray Guy #8. The offense put up the third most yards in franchise history but had few points to show for it. Meanwhile Raiders improved defense utterly choked and got scorched for 7 touchdowns through the air unable to force more than a few punts.
However, this quarter of football did have some great moments. Another record was set in Week 8 at the Coliseum against the hated Pittsburgh Steelers. Art Shell #78 lit the Flame in remembrance of Al Davis. Then on the first snap of the game Terrelle Pryor took it 93 yards for a touchdown, the longest run by an NFL QB in history. From there the battle ground on but the fans left satisfied with the win.
Week 6 at Kansas City was truly a low point. With massive injury to the O line, the fourth guy up at center was Mike Briesel #65 who did his best but the Raider offense was truly steamrolled by the Chiefs pass rush, giving up 9 sacks. A brutal beating, but we were still tied going into the fourth quarter at 7-7. Finally the O-line collapsed and the scum from KC got a win, and Pryor hasn’t been the same in the pocket since.
Week 5 was the greatest sporting event I’ve ever been to. The latest NFL game ever played, we filed into the Coliseum feeling apprehensive against a solid San Diego team. Phillip Rivers #17 has always had his way with us at Oakland, but this time Raiders absolutely tore those chumps to shreds. “The Judge” Lester Hayes #37 lit the flame in Honor of Al Davis, the late Raiders owner. And after that it seemed like everything went right, we blocked the punt, and Pryor threw a TD on his first pass. We got the interceptions, the blocked kick and the forced fumble, which legendary Charles Woodson #24 took home for a defensive score. You can only imagine how the stadium was rocking that night. Heading out on BART that night I thought that maybe, just maybe anything was possible.
But now, going into the second half of the season at 3-5, it’s clear that these Raiders aren’t heading for a championship. And with our division foes at an all time high strength, a wildcard is now virtually out of reach. Here’s hoping for a Chiefs collapse, a Bronco meltdown and a Charger derailment.
A few positives going forward: Terrelle Pryor #2 played pretty well and put up some strong yardage. If they get healthy, the offense will be able to put points on the board. Our defense had a bad game but is showing overall improvement in this quarter. And special teams is solid, if unspectacular. We have the foundation of a good team. But that is not enough. “Excellence” is a whole different level of achievement and Raider Nation will accept nothing less…
