It didn't take long in the Colts/Raider game for a pattern to take hold. On the first series of downs a flag for too many players on the field, against who, the "Raiders." One of 10 penalties that would be called on the Raiders The Colts game represented a game, following a shutout loss to the Saints, looked upon as a turning point in what has been a terrible season. The fact that the Colts fired their head coach days before and replaced him with someone with no coaching experience and a play caller who had never called plays before almost seemed unfair. Hall of Fame coach Bill Cowher weighed in on the Colt's Coaching decisions during the CBS pregame show on Sunday and he didn’t hold back at all as he passionately explained why he thinks it was a “DISGRACE TO THE COACHING PROFESSION.” It was but not by the Colts! Losing a game to a team with a new coach with no experience at the pro or college level and an offensive play-caller who had never done the job at any level, represents a new low for the Raiders. Jeff Saturday pieced together a good enough game plan in less than a week on the job to drop the Raiders to 2-7. A two-play sequence in the fourth quarter essentially told the story of the game and, to some degree, the season. With the Raiders leading 20-19, Sam Webb forced a fumble on a short reception by the Colts’ Michael Pittman. Linebacker Darien Butler was by himself with a chance to recover the ball and give possession back to the Raiders, but he couldn’t secure it. Pittman was able to recover and regain possession of the football. Matt Ryan found Parris Campbell for a 35-yard touchdown on the next play to give the Colts the lead. The Raiders came into the game in desperate need of a win and off a week of practice that had players and coaches saying all the right things about being energetic and rejuvenated. The Raiders opened with three consecutive three-and-outs and didn’t pick up a first down until more than three minutes had elapsed in the second quarter. They had a total of 5 yards on those three drives, and their minus-9 net passing yards in the first quarter marked their worst output since 2008. The defense also allowed the Colts offense, directed by a play caller with no experience, to score a rare first-quarter touchdown. Before Sunday, Indianapolis had scored an NFL-low 10 points in the first quarter this season. The Raiders defense was unable to apply any pressure until the third quarter . Chandler Jones flushed Matt Ryan out of the pocket on a third-and-1 play in the third quarter, and Maxx Crosby was there in pursuit to drag down the Colts quarterback for a sack and loss of 14 yards. It was a big play, as the Colts missed a 48-yard field goal on the next play. But it was also the first sack for the Raiders in 13 quarters. A pass rush that was supposed to be dominant has drifted into dormancy in the past few weeks and left the Raiders last in the NFL in sacks. If there were ever a day to discover the pass rush again, it should have been Sunday. The Colts had allowed the most sacks in the league, and Ryan is an immobile quarterback playing behind a much-maligned front five. Yet the Raiders were rarely able to put pressure on Ryan in the pocket. The Raiders fell behind early, couldn’t generate a pass rush and committed 10 penalties. The Raiders again demonstrated an inability to either hold the lead or come from behind with the offense on the field with a chance to take the lead. "Where do the Raiders go from here?"
