Oakland Raiders: Notes And Observations From Week Seven

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Sep 19, 2015; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Penalty flag on the field during the game between the Michigan Wolverines and the UNLV Rebels at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Way Too Much Laundry On The Field

It seems to be becoming a recurring theme this season. Oh, who are we kidding, it’s a recurring theme almost every season. The Raiders are having some trouble with penalties yet again.

Though they’re not the worst, they’re far from the best. Against San Diego, the Raiders were flagged an unbelievable 14 times for a total of 136 penalty yards. Simply put, that’s not going to get it done.

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Yeah, you can make the argument that a couple of them were bad calls that shouldn’t have been penalties. And a couple of others that should have at least been offsetting fouls. But the point of the matter is that the Raiders are putting themselves in a position to get flagged time and time again. They’re simply giving up too many yards in penalties and too much field position.

For the season, the Raiders aren’t the worst offenders, but they’re in the top five, giving up an average of 75 yards in penalties a game. That’s just way, way, way too much. For the record, Chicago, Denver, Tampa Bay, and Buffalo give up more penalty yards per game on average.

This team needs to play more disciplined football. They need to eliminate the mental as well as the physical mistakes that are leading to the zebras throwing their little hankies all over the field. It’s just not sustainable and giving up that many yards extends drives which can wear down the defense – see the game against Chicago for evidence of that – and gives teams a second chance at life they shouldn’t have.

Del Rio and his staff need to find a way to fix the penalty issue and fix it quickly.

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