The Oakland Raiders are 2-1 on the season and stand alone in second place in the AFC West, one game behind the first place Denver Broncos.
Week 3 was good to the Raiders as they beat the Cleveland Browns 27-20. It was the silver and black’s first road win since November 17, 2013, and their first road win on the east coast since 2009; a 16-game losing streak on the east coast.
This was a matchup the Raiders dominated early on, leading 17-3 at halftime. The defense swarmed the field attacking quarterback Josh McCown with the pass rush. Khalil Mack was a beast with two sacks, Malcolm Smith, Ray Ray Armstrong, and Neiron Ball also each finished the game with a sack.
Defense dominated the first half keeping the Browns offense off the field and stepping up in the red zone, however they allowed Cleveland to creep back in, making it an interesting game come the fourth quarter.
The Raiders defense played a critical role in this road win, but no play was more important than the final play of the game.
With the Browns driving down field, only down by seven, with 38 seconds left, the ageless wonder and future Hall of Famer, Charles Woodson sealed a Raiders victory with a timely interception to end the game.
Offensively, the Raiders looked impressive moving the ball extremely well throughout all four quarters.
Granted the Browns don’t have a good run defense, but Latavius Murray 139 yards on 26 carries with a 54-yard run and a touchdown. With the Browns troubles against the run, Murray was expected to deliver and he did just that.
Derek Carr had another stellar showing, with 314 yards with two touchdowns, while completing 20 of 32 passes.
In his young career Carr has also shown that he isn’t afraid to throw at the big time corners, as he threw at Joe Haden multiple times Sunday.
Amari Cooper had over 100 yards for the second week in a row. The rookie had a deep 40-yard reception, eight in total, for 134 yards. The AC/DC duo of Carr and Cooper has a bright future as these two youngsters continue to learn and grow as the weeks progress.
Carr connected with Seth Roberts and Andre Holmes for touchdowns in the first half. Roberts who earned a role after his impressive play in preseason, had 56 yards on the day with three receptions, including a 36-yard catch.
The Raiders built off a close win against the Baltimore Ravens and followed up win yet another tight game with Cleveland, but Oakland has been able to buckle down at crucial times and seal a victory in back-to-back games.
This one was a tad different than the Ravens game, which was just a shootout with no defensive showing by either team.
When it comes to this game, the defense was dominant in the first half, but fell short in the final two quarters. This is a developing group, but Jack Del Rio has instilled confidence in these guys and they are believing in themselves, making plays on the field, and the results are there.
Sure, it’s only Week 3, but good teams take advantage of the lesser teams on the schedule. The Raiders and Browns both entered this matchup with the same record, and the Raiders left with a victory.
These are the games the Raiders have to win. One game out of the division right now, and not so great play from the Chiefs and Chargers put the Raiders right in the middle of this division race.
Next up for the silver and black is another road game against the Chicago Bears, another game in which the Raiders can make a strong statement with a victory.