Most people didn’t expect what we saw from the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2 of the NFL season – at least in the second half. The Raiders went to Baltimore and pulled off a surprise 26-23 win over the Ravens, moving them to 1-1 to start the season.
For two and a half quarters, it looked like the Raiders were going to have the same outcome as Week 1. The offense struggled and the defense did its best to keep them in the game.
One thing that helped the Raiders get their first win of the season was opening up the passing game, as the offense performed well with 12 men. What felt like a huge lead for the Ravens at halftime was only a 3-point deficit for the Raiders. The Raiders offense eventually took advantage of their excellent starting positions, which ultimately paved the way for the offense to be successful late in the game.
Our Hondo S. Carpenter Sr. spoke about the Raiders’ surprise victory in a recent episode of the “Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast.”
“First and foremost is coaching,” Carpenter said. “Antonio Pierce, we saw him in the game, on fourth-and-2, he tried and couldn’t make it. But he just showed them, ‘I believe in you guys. We’re here to win. We’re not just here to lose by a field goal and say, ‘Oh, we just lost by a field goal. We’re here to win.’ And he kept coaching and stayed true to his coaches. The problem was execution. … And I’m not saying it was all pretty. But remember, Al (Davis) just won, baby. … The coaching stayed consistent.
“…Second, the players took responsibility. I told you, Davante (Adams)…there was anger. And we’re tired of doing that to our defense. Here we go. And they responded. Third, you had a team that said, ‘We scored 10 points, we weren’t even respected,’ they thought. And what do good teams do? You put a chip on your shoulder. …Fourth, you still have AJ Cole and Daniel Carlson. And man, your special teams look really good. But finally, you have — and I’ve been telling you this all offseason — a tight team, nobody gave up, nobody pointed fingers. I think your Raiders found an identity. They have a little bit of confidence in their gut now.”
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