Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' week 2 matchup vs. the Baltimore Ravens where the Raiders get the win behind a game winning drive by Derek Carr as they beat the Ravens 33-37 in a classic thriller.
First off, what a game. Last week vs. the Bengals was at an all-time low, an embarrassment in front of the home crowd. I said during that full recap, the Raiders can't afford to fall to 0-2, especially since they started the season with two home games. This week, they fielded a completely new product at home, competing relentlessly against a very good football team and a perennial playoff contender in the AFC North. The Ravens may not be without Terrell Suggs, but they are still good. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't perfect. At the end of the day though, it's better to win ugly than to lose pretty and the Raiders got that W.
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Derek Carr, 30 of 46 passing, 351 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT. Throwing hand injury? What throwing hand injury? All kidding aside, Derek Carr's game today was a tale of three categories. He was doing well for the most part, fielding together solid drives. He tossed two TD passes to both Cooper and Crabtree. It was going great, then Carr throws an INT. I thought that was going to be the game sealer and the Ravens were going to win. But Carr redeemed on that game winning TD to Seth Roberts. Yes, I am aware of the Carr haters out there and I like both Carr and McGloin, but people tend to forget about his competitive nature, toughness, and leadership in that huddle. He was taking a lot of hits from the Ravens defense and he was more composed in this game than the opener vs. the Bengals. Even with that costly INT, Carr continued to play and he racked up his 2nd game winning drive in his career.
Amari Cooper, 7 receptions, 109 yards, 1 TD. It was a rough debut for Cooper last week and at the start of this game it looked like it was going to be another rough week for Coop. He was struggling to hold on to the football and failing to make the catch before he runs off to rack up yardage. But he redeemed big time on a 68 yard bomb by Carr. I said to myself: "that's the Amari Cooper I wanted the Raiders to draft when I watched him in Alabama." I said in the halftime post that Cooper is going to go over 100 yards with the way he was playing. Because after that TD, he was starting to catch those balls and he played an excellent game.
Michael Crabtree, 9 receptions, 111 yards, 1 TD. Crabtree definitely turned back the clock this game. He looked like the Crabtree in 2012 with the 49ers, making a lot of key catches to move the chains for the Raiders. He didn't have a good preseason nor did he have a good game during the opener, but Crabtree definitely displayed those "excellent hands" as Jim Harbaugh used to say. Speaking of which, when was the last time we had a pair of receivers go over 100 yards receiving? It feels like a million years. Back on the subject, Crabtree came up big during critical moments.
Seth Roberts, 1 reception, 12 yards, 1 TD. Seth Roberts worked hard to get on this 53 man roster. He had a rough outing vs. Cincinnati, dropping some catchable balls and a lot of people were already calling for his head. To catch the game winning TD this game, it has got to be a feel good story for the undrafted rookie. I'm sure he'll remember this for the rest of his career. Even though he didn't do much, Roberts pulled a Malcolm Butler, even though this game wasn't Super Bowl XLIX and he won it.
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Defense. I guess you can say this is the only negative this game. The defense has just got to get better. They get an exception last week because they were on the field too long and the D-line couldn't generate any pass rush. This game, the whole defense was just plain terrible. They're still having trouble covering tight ends, the secondary is still terrible at covering the wide receivers, and not a single sack on Joe Flacco all game long. Ken Norton, Jr., I understand it's his first year calling plays, but this should demonstrate right now that the defensive philosophy he's bringing from Seattle is not working since the secondary is just garbage. He's gotta be more creative and blitz more since the D-line can't create havoc in the pocket by itself. I'm not saying get rid of the scheme and start over, but modify it a little to the defensive personnel on the roster.
Conclusion
Overall, as an NFL fan, this was a treat to watch. Many of them would be like: "oh it's the Raiders, they'll get blown out." However, this was not the same Raiders team that was displayed vs. the Bengals last week. It was one heck of a game and the Raiders fought tooth and nail to get the W against a good Ravens team. This win should be treated as a momentum builder from here on out. Next game, the Raiders go on the road to Cleveland to face off against the Browns. One of the problems the Raiders have is that after a win, they don't build consistency and lose the next game. Not to mention, they were win-less on the road last season and have yet to win on the road with Carr at the helm. The Browns may have had the Raiders' number last year, but they are still beatable. I'll see you guys next week for the Browns game.
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