LONDON – The Raiders travelled a long way to get embarrassed. The Silver and Black flew nine hours, roughly 5,600 miles to get destroyed by the Seattle Seahawks.
Many, including me, questioned head coach Jon Gruden’s decision to leave the West Coast on Thursday night and arrive Friday afternoon for a Sunday game eight hours ahead of their native time zone.
Jet lag had nothing to do with this defeat. Blaming it on travel-related issues would ignore terrible play in all three phases, most notably in pass protection, the pass rush, and the punting game.
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The Raiders lost 27-3 here at London’s Wembley Stadium, their worst loss since a 52-0 debacle against the then-St. Louis Rams on Nov. 30, 2014.
“We came here and we got our ass whooped,” defensive end Arden Key said. “There’s no way around it. We got our ass whooped from first whistle to the last one. We have remember that, and come out with fire [after the bye] week and continue to come out with fire.”
Key did not mince words. Each one used was dead right. The Raiders got beaten in every conceivable way and, in the second half, were just fighting to survive the game.
Amari Cooper got concussed. So did Seth Roberts. Jon Feliciano left early with hurt ribs. Trainers were busy with several others on the sideline.
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“We got our tails kicked,” quarterback Derek Carr, echoing Key in PG terms, “We have to own it, and we will. … Injuries are part of the game. I think everybody is hurt in the NFL, somehow, some way, this time of the year. You got pads on. It's next man up and you know, we're going to roll with you.”
Travel plans can’t excuse this disaster. Injuries can’t either. There’s talent on the roster, and at least enough that an average Seattle squad should not be beating the Raiders like this.
“They traveled out here from the West Coast just like us,” edge rusher Bruce Irvin said. “They were just better than us today.”
“I told the rookies after the game, don't forget this,” Gruden said. “Just because you're in the league doesn't mean it's going to be a pleasant experience.
"You know, you can get your butt kicked in this league, and you know, I want the rookies to take advantage of this playing time. They all know: They have got to get stronger, they have got to get faster, they have got to become better students of this game, because it's tough going up against guys that have played this for a living for seven, eight, nine, 10 years, especially a world champion quarterback (in Russell Wilson).”
Fans will remember this one, especially those who shelled out premium dollars to see their Raiders play abroad.
“It hurts my heart to lose,” Carr said. “It hurts my heart for our fans, for the ones that traveled all this way, right. Think of it -- in a human sense, right. A lot of people traveled all that way and we just got beat like that. That hurts me. That is painful. But it doesn't change the way I work. It doesn't change the way I play.”
Gruden won’t soon forget this experience, either, especially after being excited to play in this historic venue.
“I’ll be honest with you, I got excited getting off the plane,” Gruden said. “I thought playing at Wembley Stadium was, you know, one of the cool moments I’ve had as a head coach. Unfortunately, I’ll always remember it in a bad way, if you know what I mean.”