The Giants can’t really afford another loss right now, but their special teams have put them in a hole right away.
Jerrel Jernigan fumbled away the opening kickoff and the Raiders recovered and returned the ball to the five-yard line. Terrelle Pryor ran in from a yard out two plays later and the Raiders were out to a 7-0 lead in just 53 seconds.
Turnovers killed the Giants during their six-game losing streak to start the season, but they were able to keep a lid on the mistakes over their last two games. It’s not a good habit for them to get back into in their return from the bye.
Sacks were also a problem and one of them ended the Giants’ first offensive possession after just three plays. Safety Usama Young dropped Eli Manning and it’s Raider ball again with 12:36 to play in the first quarter.
UPDATE 1:17 p.m. ET: Special teams giveth for the Raiders and special teams taketh away. Raiders punter Marquette King had a punt blocked by Damontre Moore and Cooper Taylor recovered it for a 21-yard touchdown to tie the score at 7 with 9:22 to play in the first quarter.