Raiders Notes: Ugly, But Thrilling

As inspiring as it is to watch your team emerge victorious from a gritty, imperfect game, stress does mount.  After a first quarter that featured a Miami Dolphins pick-six and a 30+ yard run, previous teams would fold. This doesn’t feel like a previous Raiders team.

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Call It A Comeback

However, perhaps Las Vegas is tired of getting burned after getting down quickly. Maybe they have even learned from it. Regardless of the semantics, the Raiders came surging back and scored 19 straight points before the end of the third quarter. Not even feigning positivity here, this was the worst game of the Raiders 2021 season. The offensive line did step up at times, but their overall attendance was spotty at best. Coincidentally, the same went for the defense and the running game.

Defensive Lapses

Even with the defense still looking better than last season, they struggled in spots. While, as a whole, the defense looked capable of stopping chunk plays, they struggled to step up when it mattered and allowed Jacoby Brissett to convert a 4^th and 20 in the waning seconds of the second half. Despite being signed to what some determined to be a massive deal for a backup running back, Kenyan Drake did not impress but quickly saw his snaps handed to Peyton Barber, who would finish with 111 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Early Carr Trouble

Derek Carr is not blameless either, despite throwing for 325+ yards for the fifth game in a row, making him the fourth player in NFL history to accomplish this feat. Carr’s level of blame for the offensive jitters can vary based on who one may ask, but he certainly was not the major reason this game was so close. His lone interception arose from a miscommunication between him and Foster Moreau, for which both share blame. Additionally, this could be the poorest offensive line performance Carr has seen in a while.

New Line, Who Dis?

Acclimation to the level of protection the “2016 Carr Insurance” provided is nice. Yet, with roster changes, adjustments must happen, which Carr appeared to do. He read the pocket and pass rush to determine how deep of a drop back he needed. All in all, this game felt like a punch-in-the-mouth game, especially being down 14-0 before many fans were in their seats. Miami came into the game having been shut out (35-0!) by the Buffalo Bills in the prior week and most likely aimed to send a message regarding their relevance.

Iron Mike Mentality

If “everyone has a plan until they are punched in the mouth”, the Raiders proved that you can still have a plan. After a serious mouth punch. It might not be pretty, but a good team can get it done despite the initial shock.