Silver Mining 9/25: Gruden says team has ‘ways to go’ Doug Martin Jersey , Raiders need new kicker Raiders newsRaiders’ Jon Gruden: “We have a ways to go” | SFGateHead coach Jon Gruden wore an expression equal parts shock and disgust Sunday on the sideline, as his Raiders let another second-half lead evaporate in their 28-20 loss to Miami. One day later, Gruden occasionally struck a philosophical tone, clearly trying to balance his simmering frustration with the need to stay upbeat.Raiders, Texans headline NFL teams with early reason to panic | NFL.comJon Gruden's Raiders are 0-3. As are Bill O'Brien's Texans. Meanwhile, the 49ers are suddenly down in the dumps and the Cowboys look listless. Who has legit cause for concern? Who needs to just take a deep breath? Adam Schein assesses the panic scale.Oakland Raiders: Mark Davis must own Gruden, McKenzie issue | Mercury NewsThere's strife in the Raiders' facility and the only one who can fix it is the man who set it in motion.Mike Nugent has hip injury, Raiders look to sign new kicker this week | Silver and Black PrideNow Nugent is injured. The veteran kicker suffered a hip injury in the team’s game in Miami, and Jon Gruden is concerned he may not be able to go against the Browns this week. Unlike some positions, there is no backup kicker, so when the kicker can’t go, a replacement must be added.The Morning After: Red Zone failings doom Raiders in loss to Miami Dolphins | Silver and Black PrideIf the Raiders were more effective in the red zone against the Dolphins they would have never even come close to losing this game. That isn’t to let the defense completely off the hook though, they did allow themselves to be embarrassed on two tricky plays from the Dolphins when the game was on the line.Raiders week three snap counts vs Dolphins: Clinton McDonald leads all defensive linemen, registers team’s only sack | Silver and Black PrideIt’s rather surprising to see considering McDonald was cut by the Broncos in the final roster cuts and wasn’t picked up by a team. It just shows you the lack of depth on the Raiders defensive line, due in part to the injuries to Justin Ellis (foot) and PJ Hall (ankle).Raiders’ Jon Gruden on Khalil Mack: ‘It’s Hard to Trade One of the Best Players’ | Bleacher ReportOakland could use a pass-rushing piece like Mack considering it is last in the league with three sacks. Opposing quarterbacks have enjoyed plenty of time to sit back in the pocket and wait for routes to develop, which is a major reason the Raiders are struggling.AFC WestIs Denver’s first loss an anomaly or harbinger of things to come? | Mile High ReportBut then you look at the schedule and see what looms for Denver. In two of the next three games, it plays host to the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams. Given how the Broncos looked on the road in Baltimore, the New York Jets is no guaranteed win either. But those two games in particular against the Chiefs and Rams will tell us a lot about this team. When you take a more expansive look at what looms for Denver, a 2-3 record in the next five games is the best case scenario.Kansas City Chiefs stand as early favorites over Denver Broncos | 247sports.comAccording to lines from Sportsline.com, the Chiefs as of Monday stood as 4.5-point favorites over the Broncos after the line opened at 3.5. The over/under for the game stood at 55. Kiszla vs. O’Halloran: Is the Broncos’ quest to win the AFC West dead with a loss to Kansas City? | Denver PostEven if the Broncos lose to Kansas City, it doesn’t mean their division hopes are dashed. Remember, the Chiefs started 5-0 last year before losing six of their next seven games. Any team coached by Andy Reid has a chance to be a come-from-ahead-to-lose story.Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs look a lot like 2014-15 Stephen Curry, Warriors | SF ChronicleQuarterback Patrick Mahomes plays the role of Curry. Remember how Curry took off as a superstar that season when he was handed the keys to rookie head coach Steve Kerr’s dynamic new offense?Los Angeles Chargers should trade for Seahawks Earl Thomas | Bolt BeatThere are other issues that need to be addressed also. Take a look at the backside of this defense at safety. It has been awesome to see Derwin James shine on the field and he is a superstar in the making. He is going to be an elite player in this game for years to come. The problem is at the other safety position. In order for this secondary to live up to this JackBoyz moniker that they have coined, they need to find someone that can play free safety.Chiefs continue to inquire about trade for Earl Thomas | NFL.comA team source on Monday told NFL.com’s Jeffri Chadiha that the Chiefs continue to inquire about a trade for Thomas but admits it would be difficult pull off. The source said the interest in Thomas is not related to any concerns over the health of Eric Berry.NFL NewsBig Ben, Steelers withstand Fitz’s rally to beat Bucs | NFL.comWhew, that was close. The Pittsburgh Steelers escaped disaster on Monday night, withstanding a furious second-half comeback from Ryan Fitzpatrick to defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 30-27.Jimmy Garoppolo suffers season-ending torn ACL | NFL.comSan Francisco’s darkest fears have become reality: Jimmy Garoppolo’s season is over.It’s official: Baker Mayfield named starting quarterback for Browns after impressive debut | CBS SportsMayfield entered with 1:45 to go in the second quarter and completed his first three passes for 47 yards, and set up a field goal. That was a prelude of what was to come; he went 14 of 19 for 154 yards over the final 30 minutes and lead the Browns to a 21-17 victory, their first win in 635 days.Josh Rosen will replace Sam Bradford as Cardinals starting QB, team announces | Yahoo SportsRosen replaced utterly ineffective Sam Bradford in the final minutes of the Arizona Cardinals’ Week 3 loss to the Chicago Bears. Although Rosen couldn’t pull off a comeback win, he was put in a terrible position by his coaches and they understood that Bradford couldn’t start again this week for an 0-3 team.Steelers now listening to trade offers for Le’Veon Bell | NFL.comThe Steelers have received a few inquiries from teams looking to trade for the franchised running back Rashaan Melvin Jersey , and they have not shot those down as they once did, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported. The Oakland Raiders spent the first quarter of the season getting close before finally breaking through for their first win against the Cleveland Browns.A lopsided loss to the Los Angeles Chargers looked like a step back, even if coach Jon Gruden tried to put a positive spin on the game Monday.“I think there’s a lot of good things, honestly, that happened yesterday,” Gruden said about the 26-10 loss before ticking off a list of problems. “The scoreboard was lousy, the field positon was bad, we gave up some big plays that was not good. Terrible interception in the red zone. There’s some negative things that are still resonating with me and Raider Nation.”Gruden then went on to praise the play of eight rookies, including tackle Brandon Parker and defensive tackle P.J. Hall, fill-in left guard Jon Feliciano, and some good plays made by Derek Carr outside of a costly interception on first-and-goal from the 1.“I’m going to continue to emphasize the good and do everything I can to fix the things that are bad, because most of the things that are bad, my fingerprints are all over,” Gruden said.It was not easy to sugarcoat this game, which marked the first time all season the Raiders (1-4) never held a lead. The pass rush generated little pressure, the defense created no turnovers, special teams provided no short fields, and Carr threw an interception at the worst time possible.With the Raiders trailing 20-3 and looking to mount a comeback late in the third quarter, Oakland had the ball first-and-goal from the Los Angeles 1. Despite the presence of powerful back Marshawn Lynch, Gruden opted to call for a play-action pass on first down.When no one broke open immediately, Carr held onto the ball before trying to force it to Derek Carrier in the end zone instead of throwing the ball away. Melvin Ingram was right there for an interception, marking the second time this season the decision to use Lynch as a decoy at the goal line backfired.Fullback Keith Smith was stopped on a fourth-down run from the 1 in a 20-19 loss at Denver last month. And of course, Lynch is still smarting from another goal-line interception that cost him a Super Bowl title in Seattle back in the 2014 season.Lynch tossed his helmet up in frustration as he left the field and didn’t play the rest of the day as the Raiders were in their hurry-up offense for their only remaining drive.Gruden said he threw his visor and helmet in anger as well, and that frustration was something he had in common with Lynch. He still stood by the play call even if the execution didn’t work.“We were down 20-3. It wasn’t the last play of the Super Bowl. We were down 20-3,” he said. “It was first-and-goal, trying to save as much time as we can with a play-action pass.”The Raiders have little time to dwell on this loss with a trip to London coming up this week to face the Seahawks. Rather than request an East Coast game before the long trip and either practice there or in London for the week, the Raiders opted to stay at home for most of this week.They will practice Tuesday through Thursday at their facility in the Bay Area before taking the long trip to London on Thursday night. They will arrive Friday afternoon and then get ready for the game Sunday night.“I hope I can make it, honestly,” Gruden said. “I’m not great. I get claustrophobic. My son was a weightlifter and he won a powerlifting competition in Belarus. I had to fly 14 hours. I had to fly home 14 hours. I had vertigo for a month. I couldn’t even lay down, the house was spinning. I am hoping I don’t get vertigo. I’m not a great traveler. I’ll be honest with you, I hate it. I’m not good. I’m concerned. I’m more worried about that than our goal-line offense right now.”___