The Oakland Raiders offense held on for a victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday afternoon. (Getty)
Final
Baltimore Ravens 10-10-0-13 — 33
Oakland Raiders 10-10-10-7 — 37
Derek Carr led his team to victory on Sunday afternoon, notching a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter to lift the Oakland Raiders over the Baltimore Ravens in a week two matchup.
Both squad’s offenses were statistically dominant throughout the matchup, but in the end, the Raiders found a way to put points on the board when it mattered most. Carr finished 351 yards and three touchdowns on 30-of-46 passing. Although the Oakland defense was tested throughout the game, the squad locked down in the waning seconds as Nick Thorpe picked off Joe Flacco in the waning seconds of regulation.
We’re just getting started. #Raiders http://t.co/2v3zOuZiu4
Flacco went 32-of-45 for 384 yards and two touchdowns of his own while Steve Smith, Sr. hauled in ten catches for 150 yards. Despite the impressive stat lines, the loss drops Baltimore to 0-2 for the first time since John Harbaugh took over as coach.
By the final whistle, the teams combined for 911 yards and 56 first downs, going a collective 13-for-25 on third down. Click here to check out a full box score of the game.
Oakland Took the Lead With a Seth Roberts TD Catch
The Raiders offense looked dominant, marching down the field late in the fourth quarter to take back the lead as Derek Carr found Seth Roberts for a touchdown pass with just 26 seconds left on the clock.
It was a particularly painful play for the Ravens defense as Will Hill looked to have picked off Carr but the play was called back due to a holding call. That was also Roberts’ first catch of the afternoon.
The Raiders defense sealed the victory on the ensuing drive, when Niko Thorpe picked off Joe Flacco for his first career interception.
Baltimore’s Lorenzo Taliaferro Tied the Game in the Fourth Quarter
After being shut out in the third quarter, Baltimore’s offense regained its footing in the fourth quarter as Lorenzo Taliaferro tied up the game at 30 all with a seven-yard run.
The Ravens running back went untouched into the end zone but the play of the drive was just a few moments earlier:
Fourth down.
Flacco sneak.
Move the chains.
That was a 93-yard, 11-play drive for the Ravens, who essentially had their way with the Oakland defense on the march down the field.
Michael Crabtree Hauled in a 29-Yard TD Reception
Derek Carr with another TD pass, this time to Michael Crabtree. #Raiders http://t.co/TuwRuJnybT
It’s the other side of the bay and Michael Crabtree is still catching touchdown passes.
The veteran wide receiver hauled in a 29-yard catch and fell into the end zone to extend the Oakland Raiders lead over the Baltimore Ravens late in the third quarter. While the catch was impressive for Crabtree, the story of this game has been Derek Car. The second-year quarterback 22-of-33 for 280 yards through the air.
The Ravens & Raiders Were Tied at 20 at Halftime
Baltimore Ravens TE Crockett Gilmore had a productive half with a pair of touchdowns against the Oakland Raiders. (Getty)
It was all offense, all the time as the Baltimore Ravens and Oakland Raiders went into the half knotted at 20 all.
Joe Flacco went 17-for-23 for 231 yards and two touchdowns – both to tight end Crockett Gilmore – in the first 30 minutes while Derek Carr was 16-for-22 for 228 yards and one touchdown pass. Amari Cooper got the scoring started on the Raiders opening drive with his first NFL touchdown before notching five first half receptions for 95 total yards.
A sign of just how dominant each team’s offense was in the opening 30? The two squads combined for just one punt in the first half and 29 first downs. Give the Ravens a bit of an edge on total yards with 296 while Oakland notched 256.
Crockett Gilmore Is an Incredibly Strong Football Player
Let the emojis speak.
The Baltimore Ravens tight end would not be denied midway through the second quarter, carrying a handful of Oakland Raiders defenders with him into the end zone for his second touchdown of the day. Once again, Crockett’s run tied up the game, as both defenses continued to struggle.
Crockett, with just over seven minutes left in the first half, already had four receptions for 79 yards and two touchdowns. That’s, like pretty good right?
Latavius Murray Put the Raiders Back Up on Top in the Second Quarter
1-yard TD run for Latavius Murray. Raiders an extra point away from 17-10 lead. Ravens defense getting pushed around.
Eventually, someone has to step up and play defense, right?
Not yet.
Latavius Murray gave Oakland back the lead in the first few minutes of the second quarter, rumbling into the end zone and taking advantage of a serious lack of defensive rush by the Ravens. Let’s just say that Baltimore really misses Terrell Suggs already.
Crockett Gillmore Tied the Game on a Baltimore TD Catch
It was fast and furious scoring both sides in the opening 15 minutes of play.
Joe Flacco found his tight end, Crockett Gillmore, in the final moments of the first quarter to knot the game up at ten all. Gilmore barreled his way into the end zone from 26 yards out. The play was not only good for the Ravens in the score-department but a hit on the Oakland defense in more ways than one:
How many points are we going to have in this game? Also important to note, despite some early-game miscues, Baltimore’s offense had 143 total yards of production in those opening 15. The Ravens had 173 yards in their entire game against Denver last week.
Derek Carr Found Amari Cooper For a 68-Yard Touchdown
Rookie wide receiver Amari Cooper beat the Ravens secondary in big-time fashion early in the first quarter, giving the Raiders a quick lead with a 68-yard touchdown catch and run.
It didn’t really look like Derek Carr’s bruised right hand hurt too much after that one. Also, give the Raiders social media crew some credit for this one:
TOUCHDOWN RAAAAAIIDERSS!!!
68 yards.
AC⚡️DC
Oakland’s defense, not to be denied, followed up the Cooper touchdown by forcing and recovering a Ravens fumble on Baltimore’s ensuing drive.
Game Preview
Derek Carr is ready to go.
The Oakland Raiders quarterback participated in practice this week and, despite some swelling on his right thumb, Carr said that it’s not enough to prevent him from playing against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday afternoon.
“It obviously isn’t 100 percent, but it’s pretty good,” Car said earlier this week. “I’m not going to hurt our team or hurt myself further when it’s only the first week and go out there and try to make it worse. We all felt it was good enough — the coaches, the training staff, the doctors — that I could go out there today.”
But while Carr’s return to the field is good news for Oakland, the Raiders are hoping to open up their ground game this afternoon after posting just 63 rushing yards in week one.
Although the Ravens defense took a serious hit with the season-ending injury to Terrell Suggs last week, keep an eye on outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil. The last time he played the Raiders, as a member of the Denver Broncos, he had five multi-sack games in eight matchups. His nine sacks against Oakland are the second most he has against any team and he could be a major problem for Carr.