Getty Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.
It was a tumultuous week for the Oakland Raiders, but they were finally able to to put the drama in the past and hit the football field against the Denver Broncos. With the departure of Antonio Brown, the Raider offense suddenly looks less lethal. It was an unfortunate turn of events to hit Oakland just a few days before the season. Well, quarterback Derek Carr has been quiet on the issue, but he was able to lead the team to an impressive touchdown.
The offense marched down the field and Carr hit Tyrell Williams for a short touchdown. It was exactly how the Raider offense needed to start the game against a stout Broncos defense. Most importantly, Carr look really strong and didn’t miss a single pass.
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Much of this drive’s success was thanks to the excellent play from tight end Darren Waller, who made two big catches. He had two catches for 35 years. Josh Jacobs also got to see his first action as he carried the ball five times. He hasn’t broken out for a big run yet, but it’s just a matter of time before he does.
The Raiders could really use a win to change the narrative about them after a very bad season. A win on Monday Night Football would do a lot for the team’s morale after a rough week.
What the Raiders Need to Do to Win
Scoring early touchdowns is a good start as it’s just a matter of time until Vic Fangio’s defense starts making plays. The Broncos have a very unimpressive offense and if the Raiders are improved, they shouldn’t have too much trouble holding them off. Raiders-Broncos games are typically low-scoring affairs, so it could come down to just a few big players. Oakland has more playmakers and should be able to do enough to outscore Denver.
Raiders Not Talking About Antonio Brown
Both Mike Mayock and Mark Davis had a chance to address the recent Antonio Brown drama and both declined to comment anything substantial. It has likely been a very tough week for those two men, so it makes sense that they’d prefer to just talk football. Brown really did a lot to try and set the Raiders back, but based on the fact that he wasn’t around very much, the team has a lot of reps without him.
It’s easy to forget that the Raiders added a lot of talent in the offseason. Josh Jacobs, Hunter Renfrow and Tyrell Williams should be big contributors. With the loss of Brown, it’s easy to focus on the negatives, but this team should be greatly improved in 2019. They also made a lot of additions on defense. This team looks very different than last year’s lackluster unit. Oakland may still be a year away from a playoff berth, but they’re definitely headed in the right direction.
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