Oakland Raiders: Notes And Observations From Week One

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Dec 21, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders free safety Charles Woodson (24) regains his footing after intercepting a pass against the Buffalo Bills in the first quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The Walking Wounded

Injuries took their toll on Oakland in week one. Starting safeties Charles Woodson, Nate Allen and starting quarterback Derek Carr highlighted the list of injuries that ravaged the Raiders this past Sunday. D.J. Hayden and Justin Ellis also ended the game nicked and dinged up.

The injuries of course, weren’t the reason the Raiders lost the game. The Bengals were taking it to them when the bodies started piling up. But it certainly didn’t help matters any. When you lose Carr and Woodson, the team’s offensive and defensive leaders, almost any team is going to find itself in a bit of disarray.

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What Sunday’s game showed us though, is that the Raiders need to do a better job of rolling with the punches. They’re a young squad in a lot of areas, and they need to learn to be able to rally together in the face of adversity. And a big part of that responsibility falls on the shoulders or Del Rio and his coaching staff. Oakland – like a lot of teams – talk about the “next man up” philosophy, but what we saw was a team that hadn’t yet embraced it

They’re young, and they will learn to roll with the punches better when adversity strikes.

On the injury front, the Raiders did get some good news. Allen did not tear is ACL as was originally feared. But the injury will keep him out for an extended period of time. Carr didn’t break anything in his hand and is reportedly feeling much better. It won’t be much of a surprise to see him start against the Ravens on Sunday. Charles Woodson though, dislocated his shoulder and though he’s campaigning to play this weekend, he is likely going to miss a few weeks of action.

The rest of the players are day to day but aren’t expected to miss any time. Which is good news for a Raiders team that sorely needs it.

Next: The Crazy Train Is Rolling

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