Hurries
- Speaking of Heeney being benched, word is that sixth-round rookie Cory James — who impressed in preseason play — will get some looks this weekend. He’s just as fast as Heeney and seems more instinctive.
- We’ll also see the debut of touted rookie safety Karl Joseph. A surprise no-show the first two games, apparently it’s taking Joseph some time to get up to speed with the playbook. We’ll see how he acquits himself this weekend, but his torpedo style tackling and intensity may be just what this moribund unit needs to wake up.
- With Carr (69.9%) and Mariota (67.6%) on the field, two of the top eight most accurate passers in the NFL will be on display. That means the Raiders will have played the #2 most accurate passer (Matt Ryan – 72.9%), the #9 (Drew Brees – 66.3%), and now the #7 (Mariota). Carr is #5.
- Carr looks incredible. Poised, accurate, confident, and intense he’s definitely shaping up to be the leader the Raiders hoped he would be, and quickly.
- The team needs to get the ball to it’s playmakers more, and that’s Amari Cooper. I’d also let DeAndre Washington tote a little more. I know Jalen Richard is explosive, but Washington seems like he’d be a little more consistently explosive.