The first quarter of the 2019 NFL season is over for the Raiders splitting the four games to end up at 2-2 with a huge road win last week. With a tough schedule to start featuring three playoff teams from the previous year, a 2-2 start is a big deal.
The offense has been up and down with the passing game struggling, but the running game has been substantial. In both wins, the running game was a huge factor, especially last Sunday with over 170 yards rushing.
The passing game continues to find its way with the Loss of Antonio Brown. Their success rate is high at 51% on the year, but points have been hard to come by in the air and only averaging 222 yards per game.
The defense has been improved but is still low on the pressures and sacks department. The secondary has had up and downs as well coming out on fire Week 1, being terrible Week 2 and 3, then bouncing back with a strong performance during Week 4.
At this point, it is confusing to know how good this Raiders team can be which makes the rest of the season that much more complicated. However, the play so far this season has helped us point out the new studs and duds during the first quarter.
Let’s look at the winners and losers after four weeks of the NFL season.
Winner: TE Darren Waller
The best storyline for the Raiders this season has been the rise of Darren Waller as a top ten tight end. One of the standout stories from hard knocks, Waller road back to the NFL has made this breakout performance even more special. His play on the field has been terrific and might find himself with a big payday at the end of this season.
Right now Waller is first among tight ends in receptions with 33 and second in yards after the catch with 183. He is third in yards with 330 yards and is on pace for a 1000 yard season in his first full action on an NFL field.
The case could be made that Waller has been underutilized, and the coaching staff has taken a while to catch on and that Waller should be the focal point of the passing offense.
When he saw targets in the first quarter against the Colts and Broncos the Raiders were able to put up points on the board. Waller is now known to the entire NFL, it’s time for Gruden to run the passing game through him.
Winner: RB Josh Jacobs
Josh Jacobs will forever be connected to Khalil Mack. Jacobs was taken with the 24th pick in the draft in the spot where the Chicago bears were slotted in the 2019 NFL draft. The trade shocked the world, and Jacobs will have to live with the comparison for the rest of his career. However, he has made the most of his opportunity.
Jacobs has displayed he is a force to be reckoned with in the run game showing incredible vision and balance. Jacobs never misses a hole and is a patient runner who reads blocks and helps his offensive lineman make plays.
Right now, he is the number one rated rookie on Pro Football Focus and has forced 18 missed tackles just rushing the football. Jacobs is another player Raider fans would say is underutilized. The first-round pick only has 4 targets total as a receiver after being hype all off-season as third-down back. Jacobs could produce even more with more touches in the passing game.
Winner: RT Trent Brown
A player, the Raiders, had big expectations for this offseason was Trent Brown. The Raiders’ front office made him the highest-paid tackle in the NFL expecting him to keep Derek Carr clean and give him time. Brown has not disappointed and continues to prove he is worth every penny.
Brown has indeed been a mauler in the run game helping opening holes for Jacobs and the other running backs on the roster. He is a huge load and is not easy for edge rushers to bull rush and is agile enough to stay with speed rushers.
Brown has battled through injuries as well displaying his toughness and still has performed at a high level helping Carr only have 12 hits on him all year when he’s in the pocket. The return on investment has been helpful for the Raiders.
Loser: DB Curtis Riley
The king of the losers section throughout the first quarter of the season has been Curtis Riley. He was in the losers section Week 2, and Week 3, and was finally benched for the veteran Erik Harris. Riley has proved to be a real liability in coverage and hopefully only sees the field on special teams.
Riley saw 6 targets when he was on the field and gave four catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns. His defensive passer rating was 149.3, which is one of the worst in the NFL.
The Chiefs went at Riley at all game as he struggled to stay with the wide receivers or play his assignment correctly in quarters. It didn’t get any better against the Vikings giving up a big TD against Adam Thielen. Paul Guenther decided to put Riley on the bench after these mistakes and if Harris gets hurt the Raiders are in trouble.
Loser: WR Ryan Grant
Ryan Grant was supposed to come into the Raiders wide receiver room and contribute. He even beat out fan-favorite Keelan Doss with Gruden trusting he would make an impact on the field. That did not happen as Grant struggled and was eventually cut before Week 4.
Grant had 9 targets in the passing game and brought in four of them for 14 yards. He was heavily used against the Kansas City Chiefs and only caught one of his five targets in that game. Grant struggled to separate and could not beat defenders when called upon and even causes Carr to throw an interception by running a terrible route.
Grant earned being released, and the Raiders are better off in the receiving room without his services.
Loser: DB Lamarcus Joyner
Lamarcus Joyner was a big free-agent signing for the Raiders in the offseason. Joyner had been playing safety for the past two seasons and did it well, but the Raiders asked him to go back to the slot corner where he was drafted. Joyner has struggled so far this year with his only performance of note coming Week 4 against the Colts.
Joyner has been a liability in the slot coverage with him giving up 19 receptions on his 23 targets. He caused a blown coverage against the Chiefs that led to a colossal touchdown and has missed tackles in the run game as well.
The Raiders need to put Joyner back at safety and let him roam the field and come up and play the run. He thrived against the Colts playing in space and almost had an interception. If the Raiders adjust the way they use Joyner, he could bounce back for the rest of the season.
