Raiders Regroup After Loss

A review of the game film from Sunday’s 33-24 loss to the Denver Broncos didn’t do much to make Raiders coach Jon Gruden feel any better.

A thorough scan of the stat sheet didn’t provide any relief, either. So, rather than talk about the symptoms, Gruden chose to give things a different spin.

“We’re all sad, we’re all very disappointed, and we’re all sick,” Gruden said Monday. “But there is a cure. There is a remedy. Here it is, and let’s go. Let’s get ready to go.”

That magical elixir arrives in the form of another game, Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. What better way to get healthy than to face a second-year team still experiencing growing pains?

That’s not to say that the Browns aren’t capable of beating the Raiders, Gruden said. It’s just that they represent a tangible reason to let go of the loss to the Broncos.

“Some of these losses might stick with me forever,” Gruden said. “We’re 2-1, and I’m not going to allow these feelings to fester. Get your chin off your chest, look at the bull’s-eye. Here’s Cleveland. You’ve got an opportunity to go 3-1. And that’s what we’ve got to get done. And that’s the approach that we’re going to have here.”

Part of that approach will involve finding a way to prevent another game like Sunday’s against Denver, in which Oakland ran only 44 offensive plays and controlled the ball for 22:54.