Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders make a statement on Monday night
By Brad Weiss
The Oakland Raiders welcomed the Denver Broncos into RingCentral Coliseum on Monday night, and sent the fans home with a solid divisional victory.
For the Oakland Raiders, getting off to a fast start to the 2019 NFL season was necessary, especially after all of the drama the team has had to endure over the last couple of days. On Monday night, the Raiders dominated on both sides of the ball, grabbing their first victory of the new campaign.
The Raiders got the party started early, taking the opening kickoff, and driving down the field methodically for the score. Quarterback Derek Carr was having a field day against a tough Broncos defense, which was without Bryce Callahan and Todd Davis in this one.
Carr was perfect on the opening drive, hitting new targets in Tyrell Williams and Darren Waller, as the new-look offense looked very good. Williams capped off the first drive of the game with a touchdown, proving he can be every bit the WR1 that the team was hoping Antonio Brown would be.
In the second quarter, the Broncos appeared to be set to put points on the board, but on a third-down play, Benson Mayowa came up with the strip sack of Joe Flacco. That knocked the Broncos out of field goal range, forcing a punt, and the Raiders took over deep in their own territory with their 7-0 lead still in tact.
Oakland would proceed to drive the length of the field, continuously connecting on third downs, and the drive culminated in rookie running back Josh Jacobs scoring his first NFL touchdown. Carr was magnificent on the drive, putting the Raiders up 14-0 late in the second quarter.
The Raiders would go into the half with that 14-0 lead, thanks to some key plays by the team’s defensive first round picks. Johnathan Abram and Clelin Ferrell were crucial to the Raiders getting the stop, ending one of the better halves we have seen from this team in a while.
Denver put together a solid drive to start the second half, but for the second time in the game, Benson Mayowa made his presence felt. Flacco was flushed out of the pocket, and Mayowa got to him, knocking the ball out, but he was ruled down. A Brandon McManus field goal made the score 14-3.
The third quarter belonged to the Broncos, who controlled the ball for nearly the entire 15 minutes. The scariest moment came when Gareon Conley had to be carted off the field after Johnathan Abram’s leg came down on his head.
Up 14-6 heading into the fourth quarter, the Raiders took control of the game, as Carr hit Jacobs for a big gain over the middle. After hitting Tyrell Williams for a deep throw into Denver territory, the rookie found the end zone for the second time, as Jacobs ran through the middle of the Broncos defense for a 21-6 lead.
After a Broncos drive ended in a field goal, their third of the night, Dwayne Harris took the life out of Denver. Harris returned the ensuing kickoff 72-yards, setting the Raiders up with tremendous field possession. The drive would end in a Daniel Carlson field goal, putting the Raiders up 24-9.
Denver punched in their first touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter, as Flacco hit Emmanuel Sanders for a one-yard touchdown. A McManus extra point made it a one-score game, and the Raiders took over with 2:15 left in the fourth.
After the two minute warning, Oakland converted on a third down pass for the first, as Carr hit Williams once again. That was the clincher, as the Raiders moved to 1-0 on the season.