Las Vegas Raiders 2020 Week 4 review: Studs and Duds
Las Vegas Raiders 2020 Week 4 review: Studs and Duds
The Studs
WR Nelson Agholor
The Raiders were down two starting wide receivers and thankfully this year they don’t have to rely on undrafted rookies or one-trick ponies like Trevor Davis. Nelson Agholor was brought in to provide some veteran savvy and he did just that as he had his best game of the season so far with 4 catches for 44 yards and a touchdown.
His numbers would have been much better as he and Carr connected on a 49-yard touchdown that was wiped off the board due to an illegal formation penalty. Late in the game Agholor drew his second defensive pass interference in two weeks and is showing that he can be a consistent deep threat for Carr to target.
TE Darren Waller
Darren Waller was on his way to an almost perfect afternoon as he racked up 9 catches for 88 yards and was a constant safety valve for Carr. When he was connecting with Carr, the offense was humming along and he was able to use his tremendous size and speed to get chunks of yards after the catch. Unfortunately for Waller he also made the big mistake of not securing the ball when fighting for those extra yards.
At that point it was still early in the fourth quarter and the Raiders were down just 7 points and were in the midst of a solid drive. Waller’s fumble came when the Raiders were in field goal range and had he held on to the ball would have set up a manageable third down situation at the Buffalo 33. It was a bitter way for Waller’s big day to end and a learning experience for the star tight end.
K Daniel Carlson
Daniel Carlson was one of the bright spots for the Raiders as he had another big day to help keep them in the game. Carlson was 2 for 2 on extra points and 3 for 3 on field goals, including a 54-yarder to start the scoring when the Raiders opening drive stalled. He has been money this year and his confidence is sky high so let’s hope it stays that way.
QB Derek Carr
If there was an award for a semi-stud then Derek Carr would’ve gotten it for his performance on Sunday. Carr had his first 300-yard game of the season and was dropping dimes all over the field. He even made a couple big plays with his legs and extended drives with the athleticism that he rarely flashes.
Carr’s numbers would have looked much better if he had connected with Zay Jones on a deep pass in the third quarter and if his 49-yard bomb to Agholor would have counted. Those were both plays that showed how much of a game of inches football is as a player lining up a few inches off or a pass that was a little too long made the difference between losing and potentially winning the game.
The bad for Carr was the strip sack late in the fourth quarter when the pocket collapsed on him and the inexplicable fumble that was luckily called dead. We saw the good and bad from Carr as he took shots downfield which he is often criticized for not doing but also continued with his ball security in the pocket. If the Raiders are to win with this shaky defense, they will need Carr to be perfect and he was not on Sunday.