Oakland Raiders: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Vs. Ravens

The Ugly: Laundry All Over The Field

It’s an issue that some of us have been harping on since – oh, the preseason. And we continue to harp on it simply because it remains an issue. A very big, very serious issue. And that’s the penalty situation.

With an even dozen more penalties against Baltimore, the Raiders extended their lead in the rather dubious category. For the year, Oakland has been flagged 43 times – with five more flags having been declined. That puts them three ahead of second place Jacksonville for the league lead.

Live Feed

FanSided

And with 93 more free yards given up in penalties, the Raiders now have given opponents 350 free yards on the year.

14 of Oakland’s penalties have come pre-snap – though Washington leads in that category.

The worst offender against Baltimore was rookie offensive lineman Vadal Alexander, who was flagged four times in the game. Three of them were for holding and one was for a false start.

Though he was relatively solid throughout the game – as well as his appearance last week – Alexander drew far too many penalties. As did the team as a whole.

Now, there are many who believe the officials simply have it out for the Raiders and will call them for anything from holding to looking at them the wrong way. And this isn’t to say that some officials aren’t without their – biases.

But the penalty conspiracy isn’t nearly as big, wide spread, or nefarious as some believe. The Raiders have gotten a fair number of penalties (32) called their way this season a well. They simply need to do a better job of being focused, being disciplined, and not putting themselves in a position where an official can make a call on them.