WR Rod Streater makes a 64-yard touchdown catch and run. Photo by Tony Gonzales
Statement from Raiders Media Relations: "Coach Allen coached this game with a pretty heavy heart because his father Grady is in very serious condition. Coach Allen will depart Oakland tonight to be with his dad. He anticipates returning on Wednesday night to be able to coach the game, but we'll have an announcement in terms of availability for coaches this week. But Coach Allen is departing Oakland tonight and not expected to return until Wednesday at the earliest."
Head Coach Dennis Allen
On if they considered kicking a field goal at end of game: "Yeah, we thought about it, but we were down there and I was trying to get seven points there. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time on the clock to be able to execute an on-side kick and still have an opportunity."
On plays to middle of the field on last drive: "They understand that we don't have any timeouts left so they're doing a lot of protecting the sideline and the middle of the field was what was open and that's what we've got to try to do and try to work that as fast as we can and try to get down there as fast as we can and try to get points."
On the injuries in the secondary: "It obviously was a factor. [Matt] Giordano, Phillip Adams, and Mike Mitchell all three were out with concussions. At one point in time, Tyvon [Branch] was out o the game for a couple plays. So yeah, that was a factor in the game, but injuries happen. We have to find ways to persevere and make it through that."
On Ron Bartell coming out of the game: "Coach's decision, yeah."
On Denarius Moore: "Yeah, we took him out there at the end. He dropped a couple ball and we have to make plays when we get those opportunities. Both of those guys, they understand that. It wasn't from a lack of effort, but we've got to make the plays when we get an opportunity."
On Carson Palmer's interception: "We can't turn the ball over right there. We've got all the momentum, we're moving the ball, and we can't have that self-inflicted wound right there. If it's not there, we have to get rid of it. But we can't make that mistake."
On missed passes: "Some of those plays he read it one way and another guy read it a little bit differently and that happens in the passing game. We've got to continue to work to get better at that."
On why they didn't stick with the run game: "Our running game was working. Again, we got down in the game. We were behind 10-0, 10-3 at the half. We went to the no-huddle. We were effective in the no-huddle. We moved the ball well at times and then, I think, the turnover there at the end in the 4th quarter was a big play in the game."
On Darren McFadden and Mike Goodson: "I would expect both those guys to be able to play on Thursday night. We tested them out. They just weren't quite ready to go, but I would hope they'd be ready to go Thursday night."
On the defense: "When we got them 1st and 96 or 1st and 94, we have to make a stop. There was a critical 3rd down in that series that they converted to keep the drive alive. Third down overall was pretty good defensively, but that was a critical play in the game. We have to find a way to get off the field and stop them in those situations."
On big plays: "They had a lot in the passing game. Obviously, with those three guys being out, that affected us. Again, we have a job to do. We have to go out there and stop them. We didn't do that good enough today."
On the penalties: "We had seven, I believe it was, today. The two big plays, special teams-wise, where we got them backed up and we get 15-yard penalties were big plays as far as field position are concerned and we have to eliminate those penalties. I think they were plus-30 in the penalty yardage."
On slow start: "We had some opportunities to make plays and we didn't make them. That's what we've got to do."
On frustration with losing: "It's frustrating anytime you lose in the National Football League. It doesn't matter who you lose to. Yeah, it's frustrating. But, we have to go back to work. We're going to play again on Thursday night. We have to get ready to play."
On being ready to play on Thursday: "Hey, listen, we have to. We have to go back to work and we have to get ready to play for a Thursday night game. Every week is a different week and we're going to get an opportunity to come back out here and play Thursday night and we're going to be ready to play."
On Brandon Myers: "Brandon has done a nice job for us in the passing game. Obviously, our quarterback feels comfortable with him. I'm not really looking for silver linings right now, but yeah, he's done a nice job for us."
On missed tackles: "We have to tackle. We have to tackle when we get that opportunity. That's part of what the game is, it's blocking, it's tackling, it's catching, it's running. That's football."
On message to the team: "Hey listen, the only thing you can do is you can go back to work and keep grinding and keep working to get better. Like I've said before, no one is coming in and saving us. It's our job and we have to get it done and the guys in the locker room are still working hard to get it done."
QB Carson Palmer
On his interception: "I tried to take a shot there and go for the touchdown quickly and didn't put the ball in the right spot. Didn't give Juron [Criner] a chance to make a play on the ball."
On the placement of the throw: "I just didn't put it far enough outside."
On preparing for Denver: "That's not the team that you want to play. A team that runs the ball downhill and that is a very physical team like we did today, and then play on a short week against a team like Denver. Guys are going to be sore, guys are going to be beat up because of the physical game that we just played, but there are no excuses. We're not going to make that an excuse. We're going to fight. We're going to try and get our bodies right Thursday night and try to find a way to beat a really good team coming in here."
On the passing rhythm with the wide receivers: "I felt like we had a good rhythm going on the passing game. There weren't too many opportunities that we didn't connect on. I threw the ball into the ground a lot, stopping the clock, some incomplete passes, but we did a pretty good job. Obviously, you don't want to have any dropped balls in the game, but there's going to be dropped balls in this league. There are going to be dropped balls in an environment like that when the balls are wet and the turf is really sloppy. But we've got to find a way to make more plays than we did today."
On TE Brandon Myers: "He's just a good football player. He makes plays, he gets open, he understands what we're trying to do as an offense and he understands how to get open. He understands defenses, he understands coverages and seems to always kind of find an open spot just naturally. You don't just teach that or coach that. You either got it or you don't. He's got a lot of it."
On third-down coversions: "We're going to keep grinding on third downs. I don't think that you tear out the playbook and try to come up with a bunch of new plays. We had opportunities and didn't make plays on some balls. We've got to find a way to get better on third down."
On WR Rod Streater: "Week after week he keeps doing it. He's played extremely consistent, probably the most consistent guys on offense other than Brandon. Just week-in and week-out he doesn't act like a rookie. He makes spectacular plays. He makes routine plays and blocks downfield in the run game. He's been a great asset for us."
On finding a way to win: "There's nowhere to go but up, unfortunately. The good thing is that we get to play fast. We don't have to think about it for very long. We have to start focusing tonight. Start watching film tonight and see what Denver does, see how much they've changed since the last time we played them. And nothing cures a five-game skid like a win at home on Thursday night against a team like them."
On facing QB Peyton Manning: "You don't want to think about mistakes, you want to think about executing. It's something that's a little bit in the back of your mind but you don't want to play that, especially the QB. You don't want to try to fit balls in spots or give him a short field because you tried to squeeze one in. You've got to go through your reads, you've got to go through your checkdowns. Sometimes you've got to punt, sometimes you've got to kick field goals, but you can't play that one-on-one battle or worry about what they're about what they're possibly going to do on offense."
On playing conditions: "The ball was definitely wet with the turf chewed up like that and the turf just kind of soaked. That's part of the deal; you're going to expect that. Knowing the guys, we're not going to be deterred by it. We're not going to lose confidence, we're going to keep grinding, keep working and I expect everybody to make a play on the ball every time it's thrown to them. I'm not going to lose a bit of confidence in anybody."
WR Rod Streater
On his touchdown reception: "It was a great throw by CP [Carson Palmer]. It was an all-go seam route and I just broke on it right and he threw it perfectly, where I could only get to it, and I just made a play on the ball."
On the team's outlook going forward: "You have to continue to make plays. In a game in the NFL, it's very hard to win and we just have to continue to push hard, continue to play perfect football and come out with a victory."
RB Jeremy Stewart
On his performance: "The line did a great job today. They were opening some big holes and the fullbacks were out there blocking, so my job was pretty easy today."
On his play this season: "They definitely gave me a great opportunity and I appreciate that. I went out there and played hard. I feel like I made some plays and I feel like there's definitely some stuff I can get better at too."
C Stefen Wisniewski
On the offense: "I'm not exactly sure what it is. We'll move the ball a little bit but not quite enough to get points and it put more pressure on our defense too. We have to start fast and try to play with a lead; we haven't done that in a long time."
On RB Jeremy Stewart: "Real good vision. He seems to make the right cut all the time and he's the kind of guy that, even if there's not much there, he kind of finds the little crease and if there's three yards there, he'll get those three yards. You can just see it when he's running. He makes the right read, he makes the right cut, you can't ever fault him for that."
DE Lamarr Houston
On finishing the game: "We haven't been able to finish yet this year and we were just trying to do that today."
On what he says to people about the season: "I tell them it's a team game and we have got to play as a team on special teams, offense and defense. We've got to put a complete team win together to get a win."
On Coach Allen's postgame message: "That we've got to keep going back to work. It didn't turn out how we wanted it to, but we got to keep going back to work and we'll always have that opportunity to have success."
On the five-game losing streak: "It's tough when you are in a slump like this. It takes a lot of turning around. We're going to need every guy to come in this week and get back to work so we're ready to play on Thursday."
DT Desmond Bryant
On the mood: "The mood - back to work. Things haven't been working out the way we've wanted it to. We have to hunker down and find out exactly what is going on and get back to winning."
On getting back to winning: "It's going to be a challenge for sure. Obviously, we have a good opponent coming in here, but it's possible and definitely something we can do."
LB Miles Burris
On the defense: "All I know is no matter what the score is, no matter what happens, if there's turnovers, our defense fights. We look at adversity as another opportunity to get the offense the ball back and those things happen in a game; it's expected."
On looking forward to Thursday's game: "You have to have a short memory. We have to go get after it and we have to get better and rebound from it."
On missed tackles: "It's very frustrating. It's not just one person, it's everybody. It goes around for the defense and I know I, myself, missed some tackles and it really hurts to look back at the end of the game and know that you left something on the field. Again, I have to have a short memory and move on to Thursday." On the team's outlook going forward: "We're still fighting. We're going to keep swinging the rest of the season, no matter what happens. Adversity hits and it strikes and a man reacts in that situation and a man gets up and fights and that's what we're doing. It's not sad everyday, everybody's still putting their work in and we're giving it our all. Again, we just have to go out there and give everything and put some wins on the board."
