When Mike Mayock found Jon Gruden on the field Monday night after the Las Vegas Raiders had defeated the New Orleans Saints in front of a national audience, you could almost feel the excitement. Or maybe it was relief? Either way, the two men who have borne the responsibility of rebuilding a once-proud franchise got a moment to smile after their team secured a ten-point victory over a team many believed to be one of the best in the league.
Now all that said, Monday’s performance wasn’t perfect. The defense remains leaky and the roster is — like every other group in the league — becoming an injury ward, but none of that matters today because this group was good enough.
A few minutes into the game, however, I can assure you I didn’t think I’d be writing those words. Twitter was full of jokes for people who had bet on the Raiders at +4 after they fell behind 10-0 by the end of the first quarter — and it didn’t quite feel premature.
Were the Raiders really going to come back against the Saints? Were they really going to score enough against this defense AND get enough stops against this offense? On their first two drives, the Saints ran 20 plays and gained 140 yards. The Raiders? 11 plays for 25 yards.
But then…..something changed.
After New Orleans went three-and-out on their last drive of the first quarter, the Raider offense put together an 11-play, 63-yard touchdown drive capped off by a brilliant play design that got fullback Alec Ingold wide open on a play-action pass. Maybe this was the turning point?
Not quite. The Saints responded with a seven-play, 76-yard touchdown drive to go back up by 10 — which felt like a body-blow for a team that was just starting to gain some momentum. But I think there were two points in the game that showed me — and I’m sure Gruden and Mayock as well — what this team was made of, and this was one.
The Raiders responded with another touchdown drive, they pressured Drew Brees enough to force an interception and then got themselves in position for a field goal just before the half that tied the game at 17 with the Raiders due to receive in the second half. Thankfully, the second half was more of the same.
Las Vegas got the ball four times in the second half, and the only time they didn’t score was when Jalen Richard fumbled a pitch deep inside New Orleans territory. This was the second key moment of the game.
The fourth quarter had just started, and rather than extending their lead to either 10 or 14, the Saints now had a chance to tie things up. Could the Raider defense really hold?
The answer on this night was YES, as after getting one first down, the Saints would go no further — being forced to punt the ball back to the Raiders who would do exactly what New Orleans could not: march 89 yards on 10 plays for a touchdown. That touchdown? It was Richard — running almost the same play he had fumbled on earlier and getting 20 yards on 3rd and 10.
Talk about poetry.
The Saints would make one final run to cut the lead to seven, but the Raiders marched right back down and got a 54-yard field goal from Daniel Carlson to seal the win. It was enough to make you dance almost….
Fighters and believers.
This team is building something special.2-0. #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/tqGbSiPxFw
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) September 22, 2020
Offensive MVP: Darren Waller and Derek Carr
How could you choose between these two when they were completely unstoppable against a Saints defense that many said was among the best in the league? Carr finished with 282 yards and 3 touchdowns on 28-of-38 passing. Almost more impressive is that he finished the game having completed passes to 11 different receivers.
Of those 11, none was more active than Waller — who was targeted 16 times, securing 12 catches for 103 yards and a touchdown. Whether it was a defensive back or a linebacker covering him, it didn’t matter because he always seemed either too big or too fast (and sometimes both).
One other note about Carr that was crucial to the win: he was 9-of-10 for 98 yards on third downs.
Defensive MVP: Nobody
Nicholas Morrow had an interception, but in the first quarter especially I thought he was the root of all the Raiders problems on defense. Yes, the Raiders got stops when they needed to, but there wasn’t a whole lot to love here unless you want to talk about their ability to earn penalties?
The defensive line played better in the second half — getting into the face of Brees (even if they didn’t get any sacks) and drawing some critical holding penalties, but nobody really stood out. I’d have to go back and watch the tape, but one name I never heard was Trayvon Mullen’s — was his coverage that good?
Special Teams MVP: Daniel Carlson
We didn’t give Carlson any love last week, despite the fact that he won AFC Special Teams Player of the Week — an award he probably deserves again if not for Harrison Butker in Kansas City. Carlson is one of only seven kickers to not miss a kick this season (8-of-8 on XP, 4-of-4 on FG) — and only Justin Tucker and Mason Crosby are in that group with more attempts (13).
His 54-yarder to clinch this one was a no-doubter and it came with all the pressure of knowing a long miss would put the Saints in a dangerous position. And yet? No doubt.
Also, congrats are in order because apparently he left the stadium to go be with his wife as she was preparing to give birth. What a night.
Random Musings
- The Raiders were once again down to their third-string right tackle — which made replacing guard Richie Incognito difficult considering his backup was out on the right side. Rookie John Simpson came in and performed really well, though — even clearing the way for Josh Jacobs on one of the Raiders’ fourth-down conversions.
- I mentioned it above, but the Raiders desperately need Nick Kwiatkoski back as soon as possible. Morrow is a nice story, but he’s a definite problem defensively — and when you play middle linebacker, teams can pick on you as much as they want to.
- Very rarely does it feel like the Raiders get fortunate, but tonight they did. The Saints dropped a bunch of passes early and then got penalized 10 times for 129 yards — not to mention the gift-wrapped interception. Those things covered a lot of warts the Raiders still need to deal with defensively.
