Oakland Raiders: Five thoughts on the win over Cleveland
Sep 27, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Oakland Raiders receiver Andre Holmes (18) celebrates with receiver Michael Crabtree (15) and receiver Amari Cooper (89) after scoring on a 3-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns in a NFL game at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
3. This Offense Doesn’t Suck
After a pretty uninspiring preseason and a lousy opening day performance against Cincinnati, many of us were ready to write the Raiders offense off for another year. But Bill Musgrave and Derek Carr weren’t going to let that happen. For two straight weeks, the Raiders offense has not only done well against some very talented defenses, it has gone off against them. Last week was Derek Carr slinging the ball all over the field to his wide receivers. This week was a combination of great YAC plays with a strong rushing attack that ate clock and kept the Browns off the field.
Amari Cooper had his second straight 100 yard receiving day of his young career, just the second rookie to do so in the last 30 years. Latavius Murray finally hit the 100 yard mark for the first time this season, adding a rushing touchdown and some big runs in the second half. Underdog story Seth Roberts had another successful game with a touchdown catch and a big YAC play in a two-minute drill to end the half while Andre Holmes remained as a strong redzone target with a touchdown catch of his own. All of these players showing the depth of offensive weapons that the Raiders have at their disposal after years of having one or two weak points that could be exploited.
This Raiders team scored three touchdowns on Sunday and aired it out against a Browns secondary that is in the top half of the league in terms of talent led by Joe Haden at cornerback with Donte Whitner at safety. Without the strong play to get a 17 point lead by the offense this game would likely have been a loss for the Raiders, and with the weaknesses in pass coverage this team will need to continue to score in bunches to win games all year long. Luckily for Del Rio, it appears that this roster has the talent to continue to put up three touchdown efforts on a consistent basis this season.
Next: Week 3 Thoughts: Stick With the Blitz