Raiders Week 3 Recap

"Action" Jackson here, with some good news from Raiderland.  This past Sunday, my Oakland Raiders took on the Tennessee Titans in Nashville and secured a victory 17-10, improving to 2-1.  I'll break down each phase of the game below.  

Offense

Derek Carr, Amari Cooper, Latavius Murray, and Michael Crabtree all made big plays.  The offensive line kept Derek clean and opened holes for the running game.  Michael Crabtree made some crucial third down conversions, and Amari Cooper continues to look like a future top 5 NFL wide receiver.  My only issue?  Derek threw his first interception.  It's week 3 of the season, so that's probably ok.  No turnovers would be nice when we head to Baltimore next week.  

​Grade: A

Defense

What's that? It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a Raiders' DB finally making a play and intercepting a pass! The defense forced three turnovers on the day, two Marcus Mariota interceptions and one Mariota fumble.  The team started rookies Karl Joseph (S) and Cory James (MLB) this week instead of their veteran counterparts, and the young guys delivered, with Joseph leading the team in tackles this weekend and James being present for nearly every defensive snap.  The defense won us this one, with the final drive of the game punctuated by a flag not being thrown against us (thank you, football gods) for defensive pass interference.  We need to keep this defensive effort up because Joe Flaaco is no slouch and if he and his receivers have time, they'll shed our secondary.

Grade: B

Special Teams

From what I could tell, the kicker made his kicks, people made their tackles, everyone did their jobs, and no one got embarrassed like they did last week. That's how you win games in the NFL. A win is a win, and I'll take that all day.  I'm satisfied.  

​Grade: A

Coaching

The decision to start two rookies on your defense after two weeks of bad performances overall takes balls.  Like, balls of steel.  Thankfully, Jack Del Rio made the right choice, and it paid off.  These kinds of decisions are tough, but it paid off in a big way.  With a quality team in Baltimore next on the schedule, Del Rio will need to keep his team focused and in the moment.  Playing on the road against a playoff contender is never easy, but I think we can get it done like we did last season.  

​Grade: A+

Next week, I'll review the results of our match-up against the Baltimore Ravens.  

-JAJ