The Las Vegas Raiders christened the new Allegiant Stadium with an upset 34-24 win over the New Orleans Saints. The Saints, who have been perennial contenders for years now, were heavily favored going into Monday night, however, the offense, led by Quarterback Derek Carr, looked better than it has in a long time.
Carr was an elite 28-of-38 passing for 282 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. This is the second week in a row where the Raiders offense has looked great as Carr, Josh Jacobs and Darren Waller have proven themselves to be a formidable trio.
Following the win, Carr spoke about the phrase “statement win,” and how he was didn’t want to talk about it, instead wanting simply to focus on each individual game, according to Kyle Martin of Raiders.com:
“I mean, I’ll let everyone else talk about the statement [win],” Carr told reporters postgame. “I’m tired of talking. Some people can probably hear it in my voice sometimes. It’s nice to go out and to be 2-0. It’s nice to play against the Saints, the world champions, the top whatever defense, the top whatever offense. This special teams unit is one of the best in the league. It feels good, a good win on Monday night, but just like I told the guys after the game, ‘the job’s not done.’”
Carr changed his tone to express gratitude for the Raiders organization for sticking by him, and how proud he is to be 2-0 at this point:
“This organization has stuck behind me through some hard times,” Carr said. “Through some times when our team struggled, there’s no doubt about it, but when you can get on the other side of things and be 2-0 as the Las Vegas Raiders, that’s a pretty cool thing.”
Carr, Waller and Jacobs have exceeded expectations to begin the 2020 season, and it’s helped to lift the team to this surprising start.
They passed their first major test against the Saints, but it doesn’t get any easier. The Raiders next four games are against the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccanneers.
Jon Gruden and Carr praise Waller after Week 2 performance
Waller was the true star of the day in the win over the Saints, hauling in 12 catches for 103 yards and one touchdown. He was praised by his head coach Jon Gruden and Carr after the win.
Carr called his performance “exceptional,” while Gruden said he would take Waller over any of the other great tight ends in the NFL.
