New England Patriots backup quarterback Brian Hoyer made an appearance on Sunday against the Oakland Raiders, and it was for the one good reason. Usually a backup quarterback makes an appearance in a blowout win or loss, or when the starter gets injured. On Sunday, the Patriots absolutely crushed the Raiders, and netted Hoyer his first playing time since leaving the San Francisco 49ers.
The Raiders came off their bye week looking to spring a big Mexico City upset of the Patriots. Instead, they appear to have forgotten whatever it was they planned on doing. The Patriot took some time to get going in the first half, but by the fourth quarter, New England was up 30-0. The Raiders managed a touchdown and two-point conversion early in the fourth quarter, but that was it.
The Raiders dropped to 4-6 with the loss. The AFC is a mess right now, so they are only a game back of the second wild card berth. The Tennessee Titans hold one of the wild card slots with a 6-4 record, while the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens are tied for the second slot at 5-5.
This ugly loss got me thinking about the state of things for the Raiders vs. the 49ers. The Raiders are still in the playoff hunt, but coming off a strong season last year, Raiders fans were hoping for a step forward. Regression is not entirely surprising, but Raiders fans aren’t too happy at the moment. The execution has been problematic, but the coaches have been less than inspiring. All in all, it’s not a good time for the Raiders.
49ers fans entered this season knowing things would not be pretty. Raiders fans came in with playoff hopes. Right now, most 49ers fans are likely happier than Raiders fans. Maybe not all that happy at 1-9, but still happier in terms of seeing some kind of vision for where things are going. I don’t know if a coaching change or some scheme changes or lineup changes or what will turn things around, but Raiders fans are not remotely happy at the moment.