Heading into the Oakland Raiders Week 11 showdown in Motown against the Detroit Lions, Raiders.com highlighted three matchups that would be critical in shaping the end result of Sunday's contest.
The Silver and Black lost the game 18-13, dropping their overall record to 4-6, so let's take a look back and see how those three matchups played out.
Quarterback Derek Carr vs. Quarterback Matthew Stafford
Heading into their Week 11 clash at Ford Field, the consensus belief was that the game would be a good, old-fashioned shootout.
Both teams boasted quarterbacks who liked to throw the ball, and did so effectively, and with the Lions recent struggles in the run game, the game was set up for an offensive explosion on the turf.
However, that just wasn't the case Sunday.
All in all, just 31 points were scored in the game, and neither team demonstrated the type of offensive firepower that many expected coming into the contest.
Matthew Stafford threw for 282 yards, but his lone touchdown didn't come through the air – it came on a five-yard scamper in the fourth quarter.
On the other side of the ball, Derek Carr competed 13 of 25 attempts for just 169 yards, and while he didn't turn the ball over, the Lions defense did manage to keep him out of the end zone.
Neither quarterback was spectacular, but Stafford and the Lions made just enough plays to come out on top.
Raiders Offensive Line vs. Defensive End Ezekiel Ansah
All in all, the Lions defensive standout was held mostly in check Sunday – save two big plays.
At the half, the Raiders offensive line had rendered Ansah a nonfactor, but the team's sack leader came alive in the fourth quarter.
With 10:58 remaining in the game, Ansah sacked Carr on first down for a loss of five, which later led to a Raiders punt, and then on the next possession, he drew a holding call on Donald Penn in the end zone which resulted in a safety.
Ansah's stat line from Sunday isn't overly impressive, he finished with just 1 tackle and 1 sack, but he certainly rose to the occasion when the Detroit defense needed him most.
"It was OK," Head Coach Jack Del Rio said when asked about the play of the offensive line. "It wasn't great. It wasn't the best performance of the year. With us, I think if you're going up against a good rush and you give up one sack, that's not all bad."
Running Back Latavius Murray vs. Lions Defense
Unfortunately, Sunday the Tay Train just couldn't leave the station.
The Lions defense held Murray to just 28 yards on 13 rushes (2.2 avg.), and in essence forced the Raiders offense to be one dimensional.
Now, Murray did find the end zone for his fourth rushing touchdown of the season, but all in all, he, and the Raiders ground game in general, were rendered a nonfactor.
