Silver And Black Pride
The Las Vegas Raiders did enough to win against a bad team Sunday.
That is not always the case in the NFL. So kudos to Pete Carroll and his crew for that.
The Raiders certainly weren’t perfect, but they are better than the Tennessee Titans and it should in their 20-10 win at Allegiant Stadium as they broke a four-game losing streak to improve to 2-4 on the season as they won their first home game of the season.
Last week, the woeful Titans snapped a 10-game losing streak dating back to last season as they capitalized on one ridiculous mistake after another at the Arizona Cardinals in a game they had a one-percent win probability in the fourth quarter.
The Titans, now 1-5, had no business winning that game. They had no business winning in Las Vegas on Sunday and to their credit, the Raiders didn’t allow that to happen.
They cashed in on three Tennessee turnovers (rookie quarterback Cam Ward is rough) and they had six sacks.
The Raiders were mostly clean in their paly Sunday and it helped. That will be important moving forward as their schedule toughens. but for now, Carroll has washed the stink of a bad star and they will move forward after dispatching a poor team.
Here are some key aspects of the game:
Nice game by Mayer:
Tight end Michael Mayer had a nice game as he returned from a Week 3 concussion. Starting because star tight end Brock Bowers missed his second straight game with a lingering knee injury, Mayer had five catches for 50 yards and scored a touchdown for the first time since his rookie season in 2023. NFL Media reported Sunday that Bowers may not return until after the Raiders’ Week 8 bye. So, Mayer may get a chance to have a big role next week at Kansas City .
Some life in red zone:
The Raiders have struggled in the red zone all season. Yet, they cashed in twice Sunday. That needs to continue.
Cole is effective:
Kudos to Las Vegas punter A.J. Cole. He had four punted and they all were downed in inside the Titan’s 20-yard line. He didn’t practice until Friday after suffering a low-ankle sprain last week at Indianapolis.
Good pressure:
The Raiders had six sacks. That was a refreshing change. They will need that type of pressure next week when they face the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes.
Hurt draft race?
Could this victory come back to haunt the Raiders? if they don’t make the playoffs, they will be looking at the draft pick order and they currently have a worse draft standing that the Titans. Time will tell if this will be any sort of factor. My approach is always this: Win as much as possible and worry about the draft after the season.
Another good defensive start:
Tennessee got the ball and ran it three time and had to punt. The Raiders’ defense is excellent to start games. They have forced...
