Baltimore Ravens vs. Oakland Raiders: Oakland Grades, Notes and Quotes
The Oakland Raiders redeemed themselves with a thrilling 37-33 shootout win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2. This contest developed into everything you wouldn’t have expected.
Both offenses looked anemic in Week 1. On paper, this game looked like a defensive matchup. However, the outcome produced a total of 70 points.
Baltimore’s secondary ranked third in the league in pass coverage, per Pro Football Focus. Quarterback Derek Carr threw for 351 yards and three touchdowns, including an 80-yard game-winning drive.
Throughout the offseason, Oakland’s defensive line projected as the unit to help an inexperienced secondary. On the contrary, the secondary made some critical plays despite the lack of a pass rush for a majority of the contest.
Instead of edge-rusher Khalil Mack ending the game with a sack, cornerback Neiko Thorpe sealed the win with an interception.
Oakland didn’t play a completely clean game, but it managed to make critical plays with its back against the wall.
How did each positional unit perform? Who were the key players on Sunday? How did the players and coaches react to the adrenaline rush of a tight contest?
Position Grades for Raiders
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| Position | Grade |
| Quarterback | A- |
| Running backs | B- |
| Wide Receivers | A |
| Tight Ends | D |
| Offensive Line | B- |
| Defensive Line | C- |
| Linebackers | D |
| Defensive Backs | B |
| Special Teams | A |
| Coaching | B |
Quarterbacks
Carr started the game in rhythm and carried that flow throughout four quarters—until he made a critical error, forcing a pass that resulted in an interception.
The interception set the Ravens up for a field goal that could have ultimately cost the Raiders the game. Fortunately, Carr marched the offense back down the field for a touchdown.
CSNCalifornia.com's Scott Bair explains that a defender altered Carr's throw with slight contact, which resulted in an underthrow.
Wide Receivers
The wide receivers helped Carr tremendously. Amari Cooper dropped two passes in the very beginning but took a catch in for a 68-yard touchdown a few plays later.
Michael Crabtree led all receivers in receptions and yards. He also made catches down the stretch to keep offensive drives alive. Andre Holmes didn’t record a touchdown but served as the big-yardage receiver with three catches for 50 yards.
Overall, wide receiver drops were kept to a minimum and receptions stretched beyond the spot of the catch.
Defensive Line
The defensive line put up a second no-show, producing a very light pass rush for most the contest. Mack flashed at times, but the Raiders failed to record a sack in consecutive games.
Offensive Line
The offensive line only allowed one sack but committed four penalties. Fortunately, the penalties didn’t affect Carr’s tempo when moving the offense up and down the field.
Linebackers
The Raiders linebackers continued to struggle with covering tight ends up the seam and across the middle. Crockett Gillmore recorded five catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns, nearly matching Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert’s Week 1 performance.
Linebacker Malcolm Smith caught an interception, but the referees flagged him for holding prior to making the grab.
Coaching
Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave designed an effective game plan that kept the Ravens on their heels throughout the game.
He used an assortment of plays featuring quarterback rollouts to move Carr out of the pocket, short, high-percentage throws and some deep throws. Carr also managed to scamper out of the pocket for a 24-yard run.
Musgrave’s play-calling resembled the creative mind Raiders fans hoped to see from a quarterbacks coach who has worked under Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly.
Derek Carr Throws for Career-High 351 Yards
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Carr’s 351 passing yards set a career high in an impressive win.
The second-year quarterback played conservatively in minimal action in Week 1. He followed that performance with some deeper throws into the secondary, which allowed him to move the ball efficiently.
Carr moved the ball freely against the Ravens defense, which makes this accomplishment notable as a step in the right direction in his sophomore season.
He’s acclimating himself to his top two targets and took a step forward in shedding the perception of him as a checkdown quarterback.
2 Raiders with 100-Plus Receiving Yards
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This game represented two firsts for Cooper. He scored his first career touchdown and recorded his first 100-yard game within two weeks of playing in the league. The Carr-to-Cooper connection gives Raider Nation something to look forward to as the season progresses.
Crabtree’s performance topped that of all Raiders wideouts. The veteran wide receiver caught nine passes for 111 yards and a touchdown.
According to Silver & Black Pride's Levi Damien, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Denarius Moore were the last pair of Raiders wideouts to rack up 100 receiving yards in the same game.
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Raiders Commit 16 Penalties
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Oakland must clean up the mental errors going forward. The team committed 16 penalties, costing it 106 yards. The Raiders managed to edge out a win in a shootout, but playoff teams usually play a clean game.
That number of penalties often kills offensive drives, extends the opponent's offensive drives and takes points off the board.
Penalties plagued the Raiders in the preseason, and it remains a potential problem on both sides of the ball. There's no room to criticize the referees, but there's always room for improvement in the mental aspect of the game.
Avoid the Eomtional Rollercoaster
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It’s a lot easier to joke with the media after a win as opposed to a loss. When asked how the Raiders would avoid a letdown following an emotional win, Del Rio answered, “We’re just not going to travel to St. Louis," per Damien.
In 2014, the Raiders beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12 to end a 16-game regular-season losing streak. The Raiders came out flat against the St. Louis Rams the following week in an embarrassing 52-0 shutout.
The Raiders can celebrate this hard-fought victory, but just like Week 1, it’s only one game. Oakland still has a long road to change the losing image of this franchise. Part of the transition consists of dealing with prosperity and winning on the road.
The Raiders travel to Cleveland to play a team with less talent than their two previous AFC North opponents. They must deliver against a low-tier team with an inexperienced quarterback in Johnny Manziel.
Mack: 'I’m Good, I’m a Machine'
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Mack had to leave the field periodically to receive treatment on his groin and hip area. According to IBABuzz.com's Jimmy Durkin, the Raiders edge-rusher isn’t worried about his condition.
“I’m good. I’m a machine,” Mack said to Durkin.
Mack sounds confident in his body responding to the physical demand of the game, and until further notice, he's “good.”
Trainers stretched Mack out on the sidelines, and a number of Raiders players cramped up in the heat. For Mack, it's all about the the bottom-line outcome.
“We knew it was going to be hot,” Mack told Durkin. “We had a couple of guys with little nicks and bruises, but it’s all about how you finish.”
Winning heals all wounds and quells the pain the body endures in a physical matchup. Check Mack's status on Wednesday when the Raiders post their injury report.
Justin Tuck: 'It’s 1 Win. Don’t Act Surprised'
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Like a true veteran defensive end, Justin Tuck keeps his temperament even-keeled whether it’s an excruciating loss or an exhilarating win.
“It's one win. Don't act surprised,” said Tuck, per Damien. “This is something that we've worked [our] butts off all offseason to do and once we start playing well and start having success, don't act surprised by it. Just continue to do what we've done.”
Tuck puts everything in perspective from inside the locker room. The fans just want to see a win, which has come rarely for the Raiders in recent history.
However, Tuck comes from a New York Giants team that won a Super Bowl—winning one game isn’t going to satisfy him. The 11th-year defensive end has already set his sights on the next step in building a winner.
“We've got a lot of work to do,” Tuck said. "It ain't like we've found the milky river or whatever you want to call it, we've still got a lot of work to do. That starts coming back in here this week and getting our bodies back ready to go."
The Raiders hope to avoid a letdown on the road similar to the shellacking they endured in St. Louis last year.
If the Raiders pull out a victory over the Cleveland Browns, it’ll go down as their first set of back-to-back victories since the 2012 season, when they beat the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chiefs in Weeks 7 and 8.
Follow Maurice Moton on Twitter for news, updates and intriguing discussion about the Oakland Raiders.
All statistics are provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com and Pro Football Focus unless otherwise noted.
Week 2 statistics and play-by-play analysis provided by NFL.com.
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