Oakland Raiders: Keys To Victory Over Chicago Bears

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Oct 19, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detailed view of a penalty flag during an NFL game between the New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Stop With The Self Inflicted Wounds Already

The Raiders have a pretty big problem. They’re quite obviously addicted to that little yellow flag. It seems to be the only thing that makes sense given their penchant for seeing a lot of it every Sunday.

Oakland is, yet again, the most penalized team in the league. They’re averaging 11 flags each and every game and are surrendering a tick under 75 penalty years to boot. Holding, false starts, too many men on the field, defensive holding, pass interference – there’s been no shortage of ways that the Raiders are shooting themselves in the foot.

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The number – not to mention the timing – of that seemingly unending parade of yellow flags has been a frustrating sight to see as the Raiders have killed their own drives, extended the drives of their opponents, put themselves in horrible field position, or put their opponents in terrific field position.

Needless to say, that has to change and it needs to change quickly.

Oakland’s defense – the pass defense in particular – has been so porous over the course of the first three games of the season that they simply cannot afford to be giving up nearly a football field’s worth of yardage each and every game.

Cleaning up the laundry on the field and stopping the parade of flags is an absolute priority for the Raiders. They can’t continue giving up the type of yardage and the field position that goes with it. Eventually, it’s going to bite them in the backside. Hard.

Next: Keep the Train Rolling

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