After a hectic week for Raider Nation, the Silver and Black secured a blowout victory in Week 9 versus the New York Giants. It was the type of dominant performance that regularly eluded the Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler regime. Rather than watching the Raiders transform into a dollar-store version of the Patriots, this win came via the “Raider Way.”
The Raiders rise from the ashes following Josh McDaniels’ firing
Las Vegas Raiders [interim] head coach Antonio Pierce won his first game as an NFL head coach. But he didn’t just win the game — he became the first coach in Raiders history to win his Silver and Black coaching debut by 15+ points. The offense and defense played their best games.
Josh Jacobs finished with 98 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. In his second career start, rookie Aidan O’Connell didn’t score a touchdown himself, but he led the Raiders to points on six separate drives. All in all, the team scored three touchdowns and three field goals while boasting a 75 percent red zone efficiency.
[Interim] offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree came up with a simple game plan to exploit matchups and get the ball to his best playmakers, which resulted in the highest-scoring output of the season. Make no mistake, this is still former head coach Josh McDaniels’ offense. All the plays ran were likely his designs and had been practiced prior to his dismissal.
The difference is that nearly everyone touched the ball on offense. Eight different receivers caught a pass through the air, while five different rushers recorded positive yardage on the ground. As a team, the Raiders cracked 120 rushing yards for the first time this season. The offense did not commit a single turnover, as the execution up until garbage time was almost flawless. Defensively, the Raiders were up against a wounded animal; they didn’t mess around.
Patrick Graham and the Las Vegas defense
The Las Vegas defense had a good, old-fashioned sack party as it smothered the New York Giants‘ passing offense. An incredible eight sacks were tallied on the day. Eight! Even more impressive are the two interceptions to go along with it. Graham’s group kicked butt all game long. However, stopping the opponent’s ground game continues to be a soft spot. Saquon Barkley consistently found wide-open running lanes and gashed the defense for chunk gains.
Locked in and focused from the jump, it took the Giants offense three quarters to get on the board. Granted, starting quarterback Daniel Jones was injured at the end of the first frame. The Giants tested the corners and safeties deep early, yet unsuccessfully. On one attempt, Marcus Epps forced the receiver out of bounds during the catch process; an over-throw, saving a burnt Jakorian Bennett, was another. But the third one, as luck would have it, was the charm when it came to forcing a turnover.
Amik Robertson took the opportunity to receive the gift of Tommy DeVito’s first pass downfield by creating the Raiders’ first turnover of the game. Running step for step, Robertson jumped and high-pointed the ball with a fadeaway interception. With his momentum carrying him into the endzone, Robertson got up, returning the interception all the way back to the Raiders’ 40-yard line. That set up a big play after a turnover, eventually leading to a touchdown later on the drive. The former fourth-round pick would also cause a forced fumble and a pass-breakup, resulting in a turnover on downs.
Nate Hobbs intercepted DeVito off a pass intended for Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton, which caromed off Marcus Peters and into his hands. The Raiders offense would then take over at the Giants’ 25-yard line.
Raiders first half on offense
O’Connell played much better in his second start; the moment wasn’t too big, and the lights weren’t too bright. He audibled to the correct play and made big-time throws whether they were caught or dropped. The young signal-caller even adjusted his own pass protection to ensure he didn’t get sacked — not even once. He confidently launched the ball deep, dropping an absolute dime to Tre Tucker for a 50-yard connection. Thanks to beautiful, aggressive play calling by Hardegree, which O’Connell executed to a “T.”
Hardegree’s mixing of run and pass plays to keep the Giants’ defense off-balance worked to perfection. Wideout Jakobi Meyers took a jet sweep for a 12-yard touchdown on the first score of the game. Another veteran pass catcher, Hunter Renfrow, made crucial contributions when found by O’Connell on back-to-back plays. Renfrow knifed through coverage and got down to the goal line, reminiscent of what we grew accustomed to seeing during his breakout 2021 season. These plays by the Clemson product ultimately set up a Jacobs touchdown run.
Speaking of Josh Jacobs, he made many plays with his legs, gaining 69 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, a season-high 6.1 yards per carry. All this during the first quarter and a half. Jacobs’ second touchdown run gave the Raiders a 21-0 lead, marking the first time the offense broke 21 points on the year.
The half-time story
Coach AP’s first in-game head coaching decision came right before the half. Go for it on 4th-and-1 with 18 seconds left on the six-yard line, or run the clock down to a few seconds, kick the field goal, and go up 24-0? Having chosen to defer at the beginning of the game, Pierce knew his offense would start the second half with the ball. He wisely chose the points, showing better clock management than Raider Nation has witnessed in 2023.
At the half, the Raiders rushing attack had finally woken up, and Jacobs was having his best game of the season by far. O’Connell was 9/10 for 135 yards, with a long of 50, and spread the ball to six different receivers. Davante Adams wasn’t a focal point of the offense, but the ball found the open man every time.
Defensively, the injury to Daniel Jones at the end of the first quarter doomed the Giants. DeVito is the third-string quarterback and was clearly limited in what he could do. Down 24-0, the deficit essentially took conventional uses of Saquon Barkley out of the game, but one should never say never.
Act II
Starting the second half, we got to see the second offensive script. O’Connell appeared quite comfortable and began attacking the Giants vertically. He progressed to leading his receivers into open spaces, which allowed the chains to keep moving. AOC4 was calm under pressure, calling out his protections and executing the play. He also did well audibling out of bad plays to blitz beaters on crucial downs. However, the opening drive stalled at the 28-yard line, leading to a 46-yard field goal for Daniel Carlson.
Playing for pride, the Giants answered the Raiders’ second half opening drive with points of their own. Tommy DeVito found Wan’Dale Robinson in the back of the endzone, successfully high-lowing Marcus Peters along the end line. Down 21 points with 14:11 left in the game, Daboll opted for a 2-point conversion. The “Philly Special” came up empty, and New York remained three scores down.
The Vegas defense closes the door on the Giants…
Back-to-back three-and-outs saw the Giants taking the field with 12:35 left on the clock and down 21 points. The offensive play call switched to a more conservative approach as the Brian Daboll-led squad accepted that a loss was on the horizon. The Giants may have found a little rhythm in the previous drive, but Maxx Crosby and the defense were determined to shut the door.
On the first play, “Mad Maxx” forced a sack, making DeVito run out of bounds behind the line of scrimmage. After an 8-yard run by Barkley, Bilal Nichols got the sack on third down, bringing up 4th-and-5. Robertson then dislodges the ball from the receiver, leading first with a peanut punch and continuing the hit through his body, forcing the incompletion and the turnover on downs.
Unable to punch it in following the turnover — be it due to a lack of aggressiveness in the play call or a better defensive effort — the Raiders were held to a field goal, pushing the total to 30-6.
Great team win for the Raiders in Week 9
Professionals play with a great deal of pride. When getting rid of something they feel is holding them back, the response tends to be emotional. The Giants were doomed the moment the Raiders fired Josh McDaniels. That move unified the team behind the leader it nominated. Mark Davis ratified their votes after hearing their voices, in turn rejuvenating the fanbase and breathing life into his franchise.
Attention to detail, focus, and execution won the day for the Raiders.
For whatever reason, McDaniels put everything together but somehow just couldn’t put the cherry on top. At the end of the day, the black team is lighting cigars, celebrating Coach AP’s first victory.
*Top Photo: K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal
