Welcome in to the full recap of Week 1. The Raiders go on the road and outrun the Panthers lead Josh Jacobs' 3 Rushing TD performance in a 34-30 win.
Ground and pound dominated this game. It was the best rookie running back of last year in Josh Jacobs vs. the #1 all-purpose running back in Christian McCaffrey. Jacobs without a doubt was the MVP of this game. 25 carries, 93 rushing yards, 3 rushing TDs, 4 receptions, and 46 receiving yards is his final stat line. No signs of sophomore slump this game. The O-line did a great job of blocking for him throughout whole game. The only time he got bottled up is from a bad formation or playcalling on Jon Gruden's end. Jacobs' 3rd rushing TD allowed the Raiders to retake the lead and never look back.
In the first quarter, the Raiders run defense did a solid job at the beginning, bottling up CMC in the line of scrimmage. Thinking about it last night, it was going to be interesting to see how the new look front seven was going to fare against CMC with the upgrades at DT and LB. However, it didn't take long for him to get going for the rest of the game. Probably the most head scratching decision is that the Panthers elected not to hand off to McCaffrey on that 4th and inches. They went with the fullback and Clelin Ferrell came up with huge 4th down stop to seal this game.
Overall, the Raiders played a clean game sans 3 penalties. Probably the sign of the times right there. My only concern is that the Raiders sat on the lead in the 4th after going up 27-15. Honestly, this conservative stuff has to stop. Jon Gruden is notorious for shutting it down in the 2nd half. You're up 12 and you let the Panthers score 15 unanswered. When you trail, you start opening up the playbook again. This will be the only thing that will cost the Raiders some games. Keep your foot on the gas pedal.
Onto the other standouts: clean game from Derek Carr today. 22 completed passes of 30 attempts, 239 yards, 1 TD off a 23-yarder to Nelson Agholor. Carr played the game manager role well as the running game was going off. We also a few connections to the rookie Henry Ruggs. Carr threw a deep ball to him on the first pass that ended up incomplete. But, they came back again and connected deep for 45 yards to set up Josh Jacobs' first rushing TD of the day. It was a pretty small sample size considering Ruggs came off hobbling in the 2nd quarter after a tackle from Carolina DB, Jeremy Chinn. Chinn landed on his leg as he was making an open field tackle. Good news was that Ruggs was able to finish the game. Devontae Booker also stood out with 4 carries, 29 rushing yards and 3 receptions for 23 receiving yards. Jalen Richard's days as a #2 RB may be numbered. Booker stood out especially as a pass catcher, sparing Jacobs.
Injury concerns: Trent Brown left in the 2nd quarter with a calf issue. Nick Kwiatkoski didn't finish the game due to a pectoral injury. Huge losses this game. However, Trent Brown's injury history last year is well-documented. When he's healthy, he solidifies the Raiders' right side. That is "when." Mike Mayock opened the bank for him and it would be unfortunate if he can't elude the injury bug.
1-0 always feels great for any team in the NFL. As I mentioned, the Raiders need to stop playing with the lead and continue to press on teams. Too much of these close games are not for the faint of heart. But 1-0, especially in the inaugural season in a new city always feels good. The Raiders get the Saints next week in a Monday Night matchup in their new digs at Allegiant Stadium. I'll see you guys later.
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