Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders Week 3 road matchup vs. the Tennessee Titans where the defense wins the game in the final seconds against Marcus Mariota, DeMarco Murray and the rest of the Titans, preserving a 17-10 victory for the Silver and Black.
Week 1, won by one point. Week 2 lost by a touchdown. Week 3 won by a touchdown. Raider Nation, this is some roller coaster ride we've embarked on to open up the 2016 season. But, nonetheless, it would've be nice to go 3-0, but going 2-1 is a better option than going down 1-2. This game was a tale of two halves. In the first half, I thought the Raiders were sharp on both sides of the ball, despite the slow start by the defense and a couple of three and outs by the offense after putting up a touchdown on the first drive. The 2nd half, the Raiders put their foot off the pedal, setting up a possible comeback from the Titans. Whew, there's still lot of things to clean up, but they got the W.
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Defensive turnovers. Man was this critical for the victory. We gotta get more of these, if the defense can't sack the QB. Bruce Irvin recorded a forced fumble on Mariota. Reggie Nelson and Sean Smith each picked off Mariota once. Raiders' defense stood tall. Albeit, they gave up chunks of yardage both on the ground and through the air, they forced turnovers when it was needed the most. If the defense can't get the sack, they should try making a play on the ball and that's exactly what they did this game.
Michael Crabtree, 8 receptions, 102 yards. King Crab has some glue on those hands and great concentration on those feet. We're glad to have him for four more years. No other receiver has stepped up in the clutch more than Crabtree has since he came to Oakland. Two weeks ago, he caught the game-winning 2 point catch. This week, he caught a jump ball on a busted play in the 3rd quarter and he showed great concentration staying in bounds on a clutch 3rd catch to move the chains in the 4th. Crab is clutch. Nothing else needs to be said.
DeAndre Washington, 6 carries, 57 yards. I'd say this is a semi-breakout for Washington. I absolutely love our RBBC lineup because they have a lot of different traits displayed on the field. "D-Dub" showed off the power and elusiveness in the 2nd quarter to help set up the Raiders' 2nd touchdown. He made guys missed and found the right holes opened up by the O-line. Solid game on the ground from Washington
Karl Joseph, 10 tackles, 6 solo tackles. Sometimes, tackles is a misleading stat in the NFL, but it's one way to get yourself recognized. We finally see a glimpse of this year's 1st round pick, Karl Joseph and he showed no signs of rust. I can't remember the exact plays where Karl Joseph made tackles, but 10 tackles? Not too shabby rookie. That's what the Raiders brought him in for: tackle and also lay a hit on someone.
Sean Smith, 2 tackles, 1 INT, 1 Pass defense. Sean Smith came under fire from us after being burned the last two games. But, we have to remember he's going up against the best young receivers in the game (Brandin Cooks) and one of the best receivers in the league (Julio Jones) the first two weeks. This week, he wasn't matched up against a top-tier receiver and he did his job. Smith's stat line, it's not too much to woo back the Nation, but it's a step forward.
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Run Defense. This is where the Raiders are missing the presence of Mario Edwards, Jr. and Aldon Smith. DeMarco Murray's stat line: 16 carries, 114 yards, and a TD. He was making the defense miss big time and he was able to find some running lanes off the edge out of the backfield. I'll tell you if the Raiders' had MEJ and Aldon about now, there's no way the opposition's ground game will get 100+ yards against the defense. With those two gone, they know to run away from Mack. Not making excuses, but the run defense will continue to be tested as long as Mario and Aldon are out.
Dropped balls. The offense should've had more points on the board, but look for these three things that we'll derail the offense this season: 1) pre-snap penalties, 2) holding penalties, 3) dropped balls. Seth Roberts had a couple of drops. Despite the TD, he did not have a good game. Walford had a drop. Cooper, in the most crucial moment, had a drop. Carr, despite the INT in the 4th, was putting money on his throws, it's just that the receivers need to do their part
MVP
Michael Crabtree, 8 receptions, 102 yards
This was a no-brainer on who my MVP of this game was. Like I said, Crabtree pulls through in critical moments and this game is one of the many examples on how valuable he is for Derek Carr.
Conclusion
Overall, this was a solid bounce back game for the Raiders. After playing sloppy on your home opener, there is no other way to get back up by getting a win on the road. If we can make inferences, this team plays with more edge on the road than they do at home. This dates back to last season. Hopefully, when they return home for a divisional matchup against the Chargers week 5, they can play much better. But, now is not the time to worry about that. Next week, the Raiders are on the road again to take on the Baltimore Ravens. The Raiders and Ravens are taking parallel paths. They've been through a lot of close games, the Ravens won another close one this week vs. Jacksonville. The only difference is that the Ravens are 3-0 and the Raiders are 2-1 and they have most of their key pieces on defense back like Terrell Suggs. Expect to see another close, competitive game on that one. I'll see you guys next week for that game.
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