The Oakland Raiders snapped a two a two-game losing steak this past Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. Oakland won the game 31-24 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Raiders started fast as they do several times in the Jon Gruden era. On the first drive, Derek Carr found rookie tight end Foster Moreau for an 18-yard touchdown pass. On the next drive receiver, Trevor Davis took a jet sweep 60 yards for a touchdown, to give the Raiders 14-0 lead.
Oakland led at half time 21-10, the lead could have been more significant, but the offense had couple miscues. Derek Carr and Josh Jacobs fumbled a handoff, and the Colts recovered, Tyrell Williams dropped a crucial third-down pass that could have been first down. It was still a good half of football for the Raiders considering what happened last week in Minnesota. Here are a few Raiders takeaways from the game
Josh Jacobs More Touches
With the Raiders jumping out to a good start they were able to get Josh Jacobs more involved in the offense. Jacobs had a steadily productive game for the Raiders. He rushed for 79 yards on 17 carries and also caught two passes for 29 yards.
Running backs Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington got some playing time to help keep jacobs fresh as the game went on. All three combined for 152 total yards to help lead the Raiders to victory. Coach Gruden has a lot of creative ways to get all three of his running backs the ball in different positions.
Raiders Tight End Core Standing Out
Darren Waller has proved he can play in the NFL over the first quarter of the season. Waller against the Colts caught seven passes for 53 yards; he was the most targeted receiver by Derek Carr. Waller has become Carr’s go-to receiver. So far this season Waller leads the Raiders in receptions with 33 and has 320 receiving yards.
As of late rookie tight end, Foster Moreau has come a long as a receiver. He is known for being more of a blocking tight end. Moreau caught a beautiful 18-yard touchdown pass between two Colts defenders. He finished the game with three catches for 30 yards. Waller and Moreau complement each other very well, Waller is more on an athletic tight end, and Moreau is more of physical tight end.
Defense Played Well
The Raiders defense played a pretty solid game against the Colts granted T.Y Hilton was out, but it still was an excellent performance for a defense that has struggled.
LaMarcus Joyner played a lot more in this game, and it paid off. Joyner finished the game with seven tackles, and he was flying all over the field. This is what the Raiders need from Joyner for the defense to be successful.
Oakland’s defense did not notch a sack in the game, but they did have some hurries and seven tackles for a loss in the game. The Raiders Secondary played some decent coverage in the back end, but the Colts did help out with several dropped passes.
Safety Erik Harris replaced Curtis Riley in the starting line up and played really well. He finished with seven tackles, one pass defensed. Also, Harris sealed the game with a pick-six. It is safe to say Harris will be starting for the next couple of weeks.
Next Week
The Raiders now head to London to face Khalil Mack and the Chicago Bears. It will be a tough game for the Raiders offense, let’s see what head coach Jon Gruden can come up with against a great Bears defense.
