The Oakland Coliseum was rocking Monday night as the Oakland Raiders secured their first win of the season against the Denver Broncos. The 24-16 victory was needed with a tough stretch of matchups in the coming weeks.
The Raiders played a solid all-around game with the offense clicking on all cylinders early getting out to a quick 14-0 lead at half time. It slowed down in the second half but was able to finish the game with no turnovers and no sacks. The defense looked much improved coming up with three sacks which are almost halfway to their total the year before.
There were areas the Raiders need to clean up if they want to become a legitimate team in AFC. Let’s look at the winners and losers from Week 1.
Winner: QB Derek Carr
Derek Carr has read all the twitter jokes about him overthrowing Antonio Brown and came out a man on fire Monday night. He had one of his best performances since 2016 and looked like he got his swagger back after all the drama.
Carr finished the game 22 for 26 for 259 yards and a touchdown. Carr was decisive in the pocket and was able to get the ball out quickly and find his open receivers with improved accuracy. He displayed a significant connection between himself and Darren Waller with him leading the way with 8 targets.
A plus that got fans excited was Carr’s movement inside the pocket and using his legs to create plays. Raider nation hopes this can continue for 16 games, and Carr needs this type of play to be the starting quarterback in Las Vegas.
Winner: Offensive Line
The real star of the show was the offensive line. After all the talk during the week about the Broncos relentless pass rushers and the defense of Vic Fangio, the offensive line resembled 2016 as well.
The Raiders did not give up a sack, and Carr was rarely under pressure at any point in this game. Everyone knows how vital protection is for Carr’s performance and both tackles kept Von Miller and Bradley Chubb silent throughout the night.
The running game was solid as well with Jacobs being productive during the game and mauling the Broncos in the red zone. The Raiders are missing two starters on the offensive line, and no one even noticed.
Winner: DE Benson Mayowa
They say once a Raider always a Raider, and Benson Mayowa made his triumphant return to the black hole. Mayowa made his presence felt applying pressure at high rate leading to a breakout performance.
The Raiders pass rush was horrendous last season with players struggling to create pressure. Mayowa looked like an immediate upgrade with 2 sacks and a tackle for loss.
Mayowa helped push the pocket on other players well forcing Joe Flacco to get rid of the football quickly with inaccurate passes. Mayowa could be a great veteran signing for the Raiders if he continues this play throughout the season.
Loser: Conservative Jon Gruden
The Raiders were dominating the Broncos for most of the matchup Monday night. After a third Broncos field goal, the Raiders were up 21-9. Dwayne Harris responded with a 72-yard kick off return putting the Raiders with an opportunity to put the game away with a late touchdown.
Instead of being aggressive and attempting to secure the win. Gruden decided to call six run plays in a row leading to a field goal and putting the Raiders up 24-9. The Broncos went right down the field and got right back in the game with a touchdown to answer and made it a one-possession game.
Gruden showed this tendency last year to get cautious with the lead, and it led to the Raiders losing their first three games a season ago. The Raiders can not win if this continues to happen, especially with the tight schedule ahead of them. Gruden has to remain aggressive for 60 minutes.
Winner: The Secondary
With all the positive outlook from the opening game, the secondary might be a cause of concern. With the loss of Gareon Conley to the scary neck injury, the Raiders have a lot to clean up before the chiefs come to town next Sunday.
Flacco did not play as good as his numbers exhibited missing open receivers when finding holes in the defense. The miscommunications in quarters coverage when Trayvon Mullen replaced Conley led to huge plays by the Broncos, and they went after rookie at a high rate.
Patrick Mahomes is not going to miss those holes and open windows. Paul Guenther has got to these young players coached up fast, or it might get brutal next week.
