For much of 2016, the Raiders were sprinting at full speed, an agile offense combined with a quick and improving defense.
But in the final regular-season game of the season Sunday, the Raiders were wounded for the second straight game and will limp into the postseason, having lost another quarterback and the chance to win the AFC West championship thanks to a 24-6 loss to the Broncos in Denver.
It was an ugly day all around for Oakland, which entered the day with the inside track to the division title, yet fell flat. If the 12-3 Raiders could beat the 8-7 Broncos, the division, a No. 2 playoff seed and a first-round bye would be theirs. Instead, the Raiders’ loss combined with the Chiefs’ victory over the Chargers drops the Raiders into second place and a No. 5 seed with a much longer and tougher road to the Super Bowl that will start next weekend in the wild-card round in Houston.
Plus, without both starting and backup quarterbacks Derek Carr and Matt McGloin, the Raiders may not have the passer they need to lead what has been a dynamic offense.
On Sunday, McGloin was hit in the second quarter by Jared Crick and hit the turf hard – Crick was flagged for the late hit after McGloin had already thrown. McGloin’s non-throwing shoulder was injured. He had to leave the game and never returned. His status seems doubtful for the playoff game.
In his first game taking over for Carr – who suffered a broken leg last week – McGloin was 6-of-11 for just 21 yards, and the Raiders were scoreless. Cook, the rookie fourth-round pick from Michigan State who hadn’t been active all season, then took over. He threw a touchdown pass to Amari Cooper in the third quarter, but the Raiders already trailed 24-0 at the time.
Cook finished 14-of-21 for 150 yards and a TD, and also threw an interception with about 6 minutes left in the game.
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The Raiders had hoped their running game could help pick up some slack with Carr out, but that wasn’t the case. Leading rusher Latavius Murray was held to just 11 yards, and the team rushed for just 57.
The Raiders finish 12-4, their best record since 2000. But for now, all the good news the team produced over the 16 previous weeks of the regular season suddenly has been overshadowed by the situation at quarterback and Sunday’s costly loss.
