Silver And Black Pride
The Las Vegas Raiders found themselves in familiar territory: Quicksand.
But instead of struggling and sinking even further, the Pete Carroll variant of the Silver & Black stayed the course, showcased belief and endurance — in hostile territory, too boot — and dropped the New England Patriots on the road 20-13 on Sunday.
A great start eroded and Las Vegas found itself trailing 10-7 heading into halftime. New England responded and battered Raiders quarterback Geno Smith and had momentum on its side. Prior incarnations of the Silver & Black would’ve spiraled into a bad loss. But with Carroll at the helm, his desert marauders handed the oldest head coach in NFL history — at 73 years young — a road win in his first game as Raiders boss.
And the victory arrived in the most Carroll way: A quarterback he resurrected in the driver’s seat and several youngsters stepping up to make plays.
Smith completed 70 percent of his passes going 24 of 34 for 362 yards with a touchdown and interception. And he connected with wide receiver Tre Tucker (24 years old) on a 26-yard dime for a touchdown to open the scoring on the Raiders’ first drive. Smith also hit up tight end Brock Bowers (22 years old) and showcased the patience, arm strength and accuracy to hit rookie wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr. on a 36-yard dime to help bleed the clock in the fourth quarter.
“Those situations, game on the line, I love the ball in my hands. That’s what I live for,” Smith said.
And we can’t forget rookie tailback Ashton Jeanty (21 years old) powering his way for a three-yard touchdown in the third quarter to kick off a 13-0 run by the Raiders offense that allowed Las Vegas to jump to a 20-10 advantage.
Flip the coin and Las Vegas’ defense had a mix of savvy veterans and youth players mixing well to create a frenetic energy that limited New England to just three second-half points.
Let’s hit the quick slants as fast at Thornton got by New England Patriots cornerback Carlton Davis III for a 36-yard catch on 3rd-and-20 from Smith in the fourth quarter to help bleed the clock:
—The battle of scintillating rookie running backs — the Raiders’ Ashton Jeanty and the Patriots’ TreVeyon Henderson — was a dud, statistically. Jeanty got 19 carries for 38 yards and a touchdown (a long of nine yards) while Henderson got five totes for 27 yards (long of 14).
—Neither Las Vegas or New England got their ground game going as in total, the Raiders churned out 56 yards on 24 carries (one touchdown) while the Patriots generated 60 yards on 18 attempts. The 2.3 yards per carry average from the Silver & Black and 3.3 from the Pats was indicative of the rushing struggles.
—Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (five receptions for 103 yards, robust 20.6 yards per catch average) paced the Silver & Black aerial assault while Patriots wide receiver Kayshon...
