It’s a positive sign when the Las Vegas Raiders can dominate an opponent in spite of pedestrian receiving numbers. This was the case as the Silver and Black defeated another AFC West rival.
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr continues to impress with clean, sound, and precise play in his third year under Jon Gruden. Looking at the boxscore we see that he threw zero touchdown passes and that’s fine. The team is improving at a rapid pace and it’s very encouraging to see the running game put the team on its shoulders. This in turn relieves some of the pressure off of Carr, he doesn’t need to necessarily deliver a win every single week. Keep in mind this is taking place without a healthy and complete Raiders offensive line.
Carr’s helping to extend plays with his legs and more importantly, he’s not throwing interceptions. As far as this contest, Carr completed 16 passes to his wide receivers for 154 yards. Let’s take a look at how the receivers performed on an individual basis.
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No Raiders receiver went over 100 yards against the Broncos
No one on the Raiders totaled more than 100 yards, the closest to the feat was tight end Darren Waller. Carr’s favorite target ended the game with three receptions and 37 yards.
Rookie Henry Ruggs III, who continues to be under scrutiny for a lack of statistical impact, didn’t fare much better. The Alabama standout only caught three passes from Carr but did have a highlight-reel catch that Pro Football Focus highlighted.
Henry Ruggs 360 slam dunk
— PFF College (@PFF_College) November 15, 2020
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Silver and Black, there was a positive development in this game. Rookie Bryan Edwards who’s been unable to be on the field, caught a pass today for 16 yards. Josh Dubow of the Associated Press pointed out that Edwards’ catch was his first since Week 3 after having just one offensive snap last week. Moving forward, it will be key to have Edwards involved as he tries to make up for lost time while developing his role in this offense.
A familiar face and fan favorite, Hunter Renfrow also had a big catch that went for 25 yards, he ended the game with just two catches. The day belonged to the running game, but Josh Jacobs was also involved in the receiving game. He caught four passes for 24 yards and broke off for 13 yards with one of those receptions. These numbers will have to go up for everyone if the Raiders are to defeat the Chiefs a second time this season.
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*Top Photo: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images