5 Instant reactions to Raiders win over Ravens

It's gonna be tough not to overreact to this game. The Las Vegas Raiders just went into Baltimore and took down the Ravens in their home opener by scoring 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.

So much went wrong for Antonio Pierce's squad to start the day, but the team never wavered. When it mattered most, the Silver and Black found a way to get it done against one of the best teams in the league.

In what was a wild day in the NFL, the Raiders had perhaps the most impressive and unexpected victory.

Here's how it all went down:

The Raiders made offensive adjustments

At so many points in Sunday's game, it felt like the wheels were about to fall off the wagon. But they never did, and 13 unanswered points by Las Vegas was the difference in the game.

It all started with the Raiders' defense, which kept the team in the game for the entire 60 minutes. Despite the Raiders' first five drives ending in three punts, a turnover, and a field goal, the team was tied up with just under two minutes left in the first half.

But a switch flipped in the second half. Luke Getsy and Co. absolutely abandoned the run and never looked back.

After being shut out in the first quarter, the team put together two scoring drives in the second quarter and a touchdown in the third quarter. Then, the team scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

This means that the Raiders scored on four straight drives to end the game. After only managing two field goals in six first half drives, the Raiders scored two touchdowns and two field goals on their five second half possessions.

The only drive that produced zero points was the one that opened the second half, as the Raiders failed to convert a 4th and 2 on the Baltimore 25-yard line.

This is a resilient group and coaching staff, and Sunday's win proves that the team does not have to do everything right to win. The Raiders have enough talent both on the field and on the coaching staff to compete with the best teams in the league. Sometimes all it takes is being open to change.

Minshew Mania continues!

Brock Bowers is the real deal

It's tough to put into words just how fun it is to watch Brock Bowers play football.

His value in the game can be seen clearly in the numbers: Nine catches for 98 yards (on nine targets). But to diminish his impact simply to the numbers is a disservice to his playing ability.

Not only did he light it up, but he was incredibly clutch. He had multiple catches that moved the chains and bailed out the offensive line when Minshew was forced to scramble and put together broken plays.

The offense is better when Brock Bowers is getting targeted. When he gets cookin', the offense is very tough to stop. He throws such a wrench into things for a defense. Today he caught a ball in a one-on-one with Kyle Hamilton, one of the biggest and most agile safeties in the league. This is not normal tight end behavior.

Bowers also passed Amari Cooper (12) for the most receptions by a Raiders rookie in his first two career games according to Raiders PR, and has more receptions through two career games than any tight end in NFL history (15).

Davante Adams is back

After a disappointing opening game for Davante Adams, he looked like one of the best receivers in the NFL again on Sunday.

He had his 43rd career 100+ receiving yard game according to Raiders PR, tying legend Tim Brown for 17th most in NFL history.

His nine-catch, 110-yard, one-touchdown performance on Sunday against an elite Ravens secondary was proof that he is still at the top of his game. He was targeted 12 times in the contest, and two of his missed opportunities were catchable balls.

It's scary for opposing defenses if the Raiders can figure out how to get the ball to their playmakers. When the ball is flowing through Bowers and Adams, it is too much for defenses to handle. Luke Getsy, if you are reading this, keep feeding these two!

Las Vegas has an elite defense

This comes as no surprise to most readers, but the Raiders have one of the best defenses in the league.

Even though the Silver and Black gave up 383 yards today, they only relinquished 23 points to one of the most dynamic offenses in the NFL. Yards don't win games, points do.

While the run defense was still an issue, Patrick Graham's unit bent and did not break for 60 minutes. Timely sacks, turnovers, and stops were the name of the game for Las Vegas, as they bottled up Lamar Jackson for the most part and did not let him wreck the game on the ground.

To boot, Maxx Crosby brought down Jackson twice in the backfield for two sacks, which means he has 3.0 sacks in just two games.

The Raiders trio of corners were relatively quiet today, as well. Jack Jones had a penalty and Jakorian Bennett gave up a few receptions, but for the most part, no news is good news for cornerbacks.

Jones and Bennett each had two PBUs and a handful of tackles, and Nate Hobbs was a silent assassin all day.

The team held up when they needed to as well, and continue to be the lifeline of the 2024 Raiders.

Raiders have two defenders in a league of their own

Maxx Crosby and Robert Spillane are the physical, emotional, and spiritual leaders of the Raiders defense.

They also happen to lead the team in a handful of crucial statistical categories.

Crosby has 3.0 sacks through just two games to begin the 2024 season, and after four tackles for loss today, is up to five for the season. He has five QB hits and two pass deflections as well.

The plays he made on Sunday were huge and incredibly timely, and he had possibly the most important moment of the day:

This leadership will always mean more than his production on the field, but we'll take a 2.0-sack, 4-TFL, 1 pass deflection performance any day of the week, and twice on Sundays.

Spillane was also the embodiment of a junkyard dawg middle linebacker against the Ravens. He had another double-digit tackle performance, and in addition to two pass breaks, he had the first takeaway of the season for the Raiders on an interception.

Jakorian Bennett broke the pass up, but Spillane had the presence of mind to snag it out of the air and pick it off.

He was elite on Sunday, and sooner or later he will get the league-wide respect that he deserves. But for right now, if he can just keep helping the Raiders win games, that's fine by me.