Well, that was a lot of fun. Waking up Sunday and having the Las Vegas Raiders try to give you a heartattack is a feeling I’m sure we’ve all missed dearly. Despite having a double-digit fourth-quarter lead, Derek Carr found himself leading another fourth-quarter comeback late. His majesty Josh Jacobs punched it in with about four minutes to go. With less than two minutes to go, the Carolina Panthers inexplicably gave the ball to their fullback on fourth-and-inches instead of Christian McCaffery and that was all she wrote for Week 1.
One Sentence Summary on the Raiders victory
“I can’t believe we are going to lose this… oh we won.”
During the entire fourth quarter, it seemed like the Raiders were willing to do whatever it would take to lose this game. They left McCaffery in his own area code for a 3rd-and-14 conversion. After allowing the Panthers to pull within a touchdown, the Raider offense withdrew into their shell. Then, Teddy Bridgewater sent a bomb to Robby Anderson, who got loose on Damon Arnette and Erik Harris. After running back Josh Jacobs flipped the advantage back to the Raiders, Carolina had the ball with a chance to win, but some fullback nobody knows got the ball instead of the best running back in football on fourth down, and that’s how the Raiders won.
Name the Game
“The Battle of the Backs”
Jacobs and McCaffery didn’t disappoint. ‘CMC’ went for 96 yards on 23 carries with two touchdowns, and three receptions for 38 yards. ‘JJ’ went for 93 yards on 25 carries with three touchdowns, adding on four catches for 46 yards. Perhaps most importantly, Jacobs scored 33 points in fantasy leagues, propelling many to victory. The sophomore is terrific, he’s making that trade with that team in Chicago look better and better every day.
Stat of the Game
Jacobs three touchdowns is a little too obvious. So, let’s go with nine different Raiders catching a pass today with only four being wide receivers for the stat of the game. The Raiders’ ability and willingness to spread the ball was the dominant theme throughout for the Silver and Black today.
CarrFax
‘DC4’ got his 2020 campaign off to a solid start, nothing more nothing less. Carr was efficient, completing 22 of 30 passes for 239 yards with one touchdown, and kept the ball out of harm’s way. He looked in control of the offense and led them down for a score when he had to. If Carr can guide the Raiders to 34 points every week, no one will complain. Next week, the Saints will be a better test than the Panthers were, though.
Related:Â 3 Reasons Why Raiders Will Beat Panthers in Week 1
The Good News
Good teams beat bad teams. The Panthers aren’t world-beaters. However, a Week 1 road win across the country is nothing to talk down. If the Raiders want to be a good team, it starts with beating teams they should.
The Bad News
The Raiders don’t have another easy game for awhile. The Raiders next five games: vs. Saints, @ Patriots, vs. Bills, @ Chiefs, and vs. Bucs. The schedule eases up after this stretch but, boy is it tough.
Random Thoughts about this Raiders team
- The defensive line still can’t get a pass rush (one sack).
- Jon Abram is a bad man. However, his loose jersey sleeves hurt my eyes.
- Bryan Edwards’ debut was a tad disappointing as he only had one catch.
- Hunter Renfrow didn’t play that many snaps.
- Cory Littleton looked worth every penny, made plays sideline to sideline.
- The injuries are already building up: Trent Brown, Nick Kwi(random letters), Henry Ruggs, Trayvon Mullen, Sam Young all got banged up or left the game.
Apology of the Week
Dear Nelson Agholor,
I’m sorry about all those nasty things those horrid Eagles’ fans said about you. You got a place in the Silver and Black, we love you… for now. Anyways, nice catch.
Sincerely, Holden
Prediction for Next Week
Alvin Kamara goes for 200 total yards on Paul Guenther’s “defense”. I play against Kamara next week, so that’s not very cash money.
Go Raiders.
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Top Photo: Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal