Against the New Orleans Saints, the offense of the Oakland Raiders had a field day. Derek Carr looked flawless, throwing for well over 300 yards and a touchdown. Second year receiver Amari Cooper had a field day, catching six passes for 137 yards, and even the Raider rushing attack came to play, rushing for 167 yards and three touchdowns as a unit. Other than a couple of silly penalties, the Oakland Raider offense looked fantastic. However, it might be time to pump the brakes.
Pump the Brakes on the Oakland Raider Offense
While the Oakland Raider offense looked phenomenal, they were playing against the Saints. While the Saints offense gave the Raiders the beating of a lifetime, their defense might be the worst in the league. Against the Raiders, the Saints failed to register a single sack, interception, or forced fumble. And it’s easy to see why.
No Pass Rushers
Can you name a single talented pass rusher on the Saints defense? Because it’s not easy. Cameron Jordan is talented, but he didn’t make much of an impact in the game, registering a single tackle. Outside of Jordan, the Saints were starting the likes of Tyeler Davison, Nick Fairley, and Craig Robertson. The Raiders could sell the jersey that Carr wore in this game in the pro-shop and nobody would know the difference. Carr had all day to throw, and that’s exactly what he did.
Secondary Depth
The best corner on the Saints roster heading into this game against the Raider was Delvin Breaux. For those who don’t know, Breaux has a great story. He broke his neck in high school, and never played college football. He had to play for semi-pro teams and the Canadian Football League just to earn his shot in the NFL.
That’s a fantastic story, but you don’t want that kind of inexperience lining up against Amari Cooper. Additionally, Breaux he had to leave the game in the second quarter with a fibula injury. That meant that New Orleans was stuck with De’Vante Harris, Ken Crawley, and P.J. Williams, who had never taken a regular season snap before Sunday afternoon.
For a team with as much talent and potential as the Raiders, they had better dominate a secondary like that. Wide receivers like Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree shouldn’t have any trouble at all against young players with no NFL experience.
Silly Penalties
As good as the stats look in hindsight, the officials played a huge role in this game. Without getting into the questionable flags against the Raiders, it’s worth noting that the referees helped Oakland late in the game as well.
The Raiders got the ball, down by seven, with six minutes left in the game. Latavius Murray and Jalen Richard had a couple of good runs, and Derek Carr connected with Michael Crabtree on an unreal pass, but the Saints defense also helped. On a third and four, P.J. Williams was called for a hold on Amari Cooper, extending the drive. Later on, linebacker Craig Robertson was called for pass interference after face-guarding Cooper, erasing what would have been a turnover on downs. Two plays later, Carr found Roberts for a ten yard score that would set up the game-winning two point conversion.
As clutch as Derek Carr and the Raider offense was, the Saints defense did their part to keep the drive alive. Ultimately, as bad as the Saints are, the Raiders should be able to move the ball at will. Struggling against the Saints defense is more of an indictment than dominating them is a sign of things to come. The Oakland Raider offense could still easily be among one of the best in the league, but we should wait until they dominate a respectable defense before we start trading for Raiders in fantasy.
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