They only yielded one touchdown? Believe it.
The Oakland Raiders defense, the butt of Raider Nation’s jokes, left Titans fans (for the lack of a better term) butt hurt. I’ll give you a second to let that marinate …
A composed effort on defense coupled with sound play on offense and special teams and the Raiders produced an eyebrow-raising solid effort in all three phases of the game.
“I thought all three phases played solid overall. Our team is well conditioned,” coach Jack Del Rio said after the game. “We came in here knowing this is a tough team and a tough situation, and we would have to be ready to roll and we were, so I am proud of our guys.”
With that, to the Quick Slants:
- Marshawn Lynch obliterated Titans lineman Jurrell Casey who is listed at 305 pounds. #RunThroughAMFF If you don’t know what that hashtag stands for, you’re missing out. There’s a quote below that you don’t want to miss.
- Giorgio Tavecchio became the first kicker in league history to drill two 50-plus yard field goals in his first NFL game.
- Derek Carr and Amari Cooper got AC/DC in rhythm early. But next time, instead of going to Coop three-straight times, let Beast Mode get in on the jam session.
- Eddie Vanderdoes made Titans tackle Jack Conklin look like a child as he tossed him away like garbage. The rookie had four pressures on 20 rush snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
- Karl Joseph had a beauty of a deflection in the end zone. The swat came on the same play Vanderdoes made Conklin irrelevant. See below for Joseph’s thoughts on the play.
- Sean Smith was ridiculed and eviscerated by Raider Nation during preseason. In the opener, he was solid.
- Cordarrelle Patterson was expected to be a special teams maven. He gave us a taste by downing a punt inside the 5 and a 41-yard kickoff return.
- Marquel Lee and Tyrell Adams platooned at inside linebacker. Lee left the field during passing downs. Adams, who is faster and more athletic, yielded eight catches for 110 yards in coverage, according to PFF.
- Marshall Newhouse should be the lone starter at right tackle. The revolving substitutions with Vadal Alexander had less-than-stellar results, especially with Alexander in the lineup.
- Jack Del Rio. That’s where the buck stops defensively, for better or worse. This is Jack’s defense, don’t get it twisted. Ken Norton Jr. and John Pagano get to shape the defense, but at the end of the day, it’s Captain Jack’s.
- Time management. This is a trait JDR must improve upon. Fortunately, Tavvechio smashed the 52-yard field goal. But, what if he hadn’t?
Quote(s) Of Note:
“Man, he’s such boost. You saw that play where he ran a guy over? Probably five times bigger than he was? It gets everybody hyped.”
— Amari Cooper on Marshawn Lynch
“You mean the ball I should have had for an interception. I’m hard on myself. I think I should have picked it off.”
— Karl Joseph on the pass deflection in the end zone