The Las Vegas Raiders escaped the Meadowlands with a victory avoiding what could’ve been a disastrous defeat. In the process, the receivers stepped up for the Silver and Black.
Raiders head coach Jon Gruden abandoned the running game and decided to air it out in this game. The fact that the Silver and Black only had 25 total carries in the game shows what the gameplan was. Having Josh Jacobs out certainly played a role but so did facing the New York Jets’ 11th ranked run defense.
To try and negate this factor, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr threw the ball a whopping total of 47 times. By the game’s conclusion, Carr had amassed 381 passing yards with three touchdowns and an interception. He averaged 8.1 yards per pass and even rushed for a touchdown as well.
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Which Raiders Receivers Led The Way?
Out of all of Carr’s weapons, it was his favorite that stepped up huge, tight end Darren Waller. He totaled 13 catches for 200 yards, two touchdowns, with his longest catch of the day going for 38 yards. Waller abused the Jets defense on Sunday morning, continuing to show why he’s in the upper echelon of tight ends. ’83’ was targeted a total of 17 times by Carr, only Nelson Agholor was targeted more with 11 looks.
Speaking of Agholor, the former USC star notched four catches for 38 yards. Unfortunately for Agholor he got looks from Carr but was underthrown on more than one occasion. This was a strange sight as Agholor and Carr have been in sync lately. Hunter Renfrow had himself a solid game, Carr targeted the former Clemson Tiger six times, coming down with four catches. Efficient as ever, Renfrow averaged 11.8 yards a catch in this contest.
The other noteworthy performance was by rookie wide receiver Henry Ruggs III. He was able to redeem himself by catching the game-winning pass from Carr with five seconds left.
“Once I looked back, it felt like the ball was in the air forever, like it couldn’t come down, I just had to find it and make the play.”
After struggling in the game by taking part in two turnovers, Ruggs helped deliver a wild finish, catching the biggest pass of his career at this point.
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*Top Photo: Associated Press/Bill Kostroun