RAIDERS WIN: WHAT A RUSH

- Michael Mueller, Senior Editor

The Las Vegas Raiders improved to 2-2 after a 20-16 victory over the Cleveland Browns. 

The win for the Raiders was based almost entirely on the performance of the defense and the rushing game, though the beginning of the game would not be an indicator of that. Las Vegas must have felt like it was in The Twilight Zone as flashes of the inept defense that haunted the Raiders for years was rearing its ugly head. The Browns drove down the field in a methodical 9 ½ minute drive, converting on four third downs and shedding tackles left and right. Raiders fans held their breath and hoped this newfound defense we fell in love with would Not Fade Away.

Troubles compounded for the Raiders as they went three-and-out on their first drive, and Cleveland kicked a field goal on their next drive, getting out to a quick 10-0 lead. Coming into the game, the Raiders were penalized 3.7 times per game, the lowest in the league and the lowest for the Raiders since the inception of the team. The old Raiders’ Fly By Night attitude toward discipline reared its ugly head as they amassed 5 penalties in the first 20 minutes alone, but they eventually settled down and played pretty clean football for the rest of the game. 

After checking their Vital Signs, the offense realized they still had some life in them! The very next drive started with a 12 yard end around by the tight end Brock Bowers. Reverses and end around plays would be a huge part of this offense moving forward, as the drive was capped off by a three yard reverse to Tre Tucker. 

The Raiders defense then rewarded the good play of their offense by holding Cleveland to a three and out, which allowed Alexander Mattison to step into the Limelight and make a huge rush that set the Raiders up in field goal range. Daniel Carlson was able to hit a 52 yard field goal, and the score was 10-10 going into half time. 

The first play of the third quarter was a thing of beauty. Surely the message to the Browns defense at halftime was “these guys can’t pass the ball, but they’re starting to run it down our throats. Don’t let that happen moving forward.” 

A good message, and a sound strategy, but as any good boxer will tell you, a well-timed counterpunch can make all the difference. Knowing this would likely be the strategy of the Browns, The Raiders opened the second half with a beautiful play action pass to Jakobi Meyers for 19 yards. This would be Minshew’s longest completion of the day, because he is not a very good quarterback. The Raiders were able to tack on another field goal and get their first lead of the game, 13-10. 

Next, Christmas came early in Las Vegas as Amari Cooper let a wide open throw bounce off of his chest and into the air, where Tre’von Moehrig happily received the gift and the Raiders got only their second turnover of the year.  

​

Unlike last week, the Raiders were able to capitalize on their opponent’s mistake. Alexander Mattison rumbled forward for another huge gain, and then DJ Turner ran an end around, slashing and dashing, looking like he was hitting YYZ in a video game, and took it to the house. Thunder then lightning, that’s not the way science works, but it’s the way the Raiders work!

However, the good times were short lived as the Browns were able to strip the ball from Zamir White on the next drive, and Rodney McLeod was able to scoop and score a defensive touchdown. A missed extra point brought the game to 20-16. 

The rest of the game was dominated by the Raiders defense, who shut the Browns down at every turn. Aside from one late game run (more on that later), the rushing offense for Cleveland was non-existent, and as the game wore on, Las Vegas found themself in the backfield, pressuring and taking down Deshaun Watson with ease. 

In their game against the Giants last week, Cleveland was susceptible to twists and stunts that the Giants D-line was throwing at them. Las Vegas continued that trend, leaving the Browns offensive line to feel like the kids that Tom Sawyer tricked into painting the fence. “What the hell just happened?” 

However, this is the Raiders, so we have to have some drama at the end of the game. Cleveland got the ball back with just over three minutes to go, and after the big run by Jerome Ford, they were inside the Raiders 20 yard line. However, thanks to the missed extra point earlier in the half, the Browns could not go for a field goal, and instead had to go for it on 4th and 3, where Charles Snowden came up with the game winning sack, and got Closer To The Heart of every Raiders fan. 

Takeaways from this game: 

1. As long as Minshew is quarterback, this team is only going to go as far as the rushing game can carry them. While Adam Pierce wants us to be a running team, it would be nice to not HAVE to be a running team all the time.

2. The front seven for the Raiders defense is among the very best in the league, now that Wilkins is finding his groove.

3. For as much as the game has changed over the decades, the fundamentals are the same. Wrap-up tackling is vital to stopping the passing game. 

Next week, the Raiders (2-2) go on the road to take on the offensively anemic Denver Broncos (2-2), and The Browns (1-3) travel to DC to take on the red hot Commanders (3-1).