Biggest Takeaways from Oakland Raiders' Week 3 Win
The Oakland Raiders' 27-20 win over the Cleveland Brownsย Sunday provided an awe-inspiring takeaway, some interesting developments and some breakthroughs.
The contest started off one-sided in favor of the Raiders, but the defense allowed the Browns to climb out of a 17-point deficit in the second half.
Both of Oakland's coordinators made changes on their side of the ball to earn the victory. Those changes brought a lot of hope and a little bit of controversy.
At the conclusion of a win that broke an 11-game road losing streak, most Raiders fans couldnโt care less about the how and why. After all, the mantra is โJust win, baby.โ
The Raiders won the game.
Now, weโll go under the hood and examine the nuts and bolts of Oaklandโs Week 3 victory.
Woodsonโs Immeasurable Willpower
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Weโll start with how the game endedโon an interception secured by safety Charles Woodson.
Woodson dislocated his shoulder in garbage time against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1, which led many to believe that heโd sit out several weeks to heal. The 18-year veteran never ruled himself out and practiced the following week.
The team's physicians strapped his arm with a harness, and he continued to play. Yes, he missed tackles and probably should play less snaps to help preserve his conditioning, but the Raiders need him in critical moments.
Woodsonโs timely interception stopped the bleeding in the Raiders secondary that could have ended in a game-tying score from the Browns.ย
The injury has hindered his ability to wrap up tackles, but heโs still capable of providing decent coverage.ย
You cannot measure a person's heart by what he or she saysโWoodson continues to put his heart on display at much less than 100 percent health.
T.J. Carrie at Safety
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Defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. threw in a curveball to contain Browns wide receiver Travis Benjamin.
T.J. Carrie provided blanket coverage as a strong safety against the Browns. Woodson gave props to Carrie for playing at an unfamiliar position and excelling, per San Francisco Chronicle writer Vic Tafur.
Itโs unclear whether Carrieโs move to strong safety will stick going forward or becomes a matter of circumstance depending on the opposition.ย
Realistically, most teams have a deep-threat receiver or offensive player capable of stretching the field. Norton found success in this particular move, which creates a plausible solution at safety until Nate Allen returns to the lineup.
Khalil Mack's Breakthrough
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Khalil Mack finally broke out as the pass-rushing beast that analysts and fans expected him to become as an edge-rusher. Norton also experimented with Mackโs positioning on the field.
Initially, he played as a pure defensive end with his hand in the dirt. In Week 3, Mack charged the offensive line as a hybrid linebacker, starting a few steps behind the line of scrimmage.
In the fourth quarter, Mack came off the edge as an isolated pass-rusher and matched up against fullback Malcolm Johnson, who didnโt stand a chance in blocking the hybrid linebacker. Mack side-stepped Johnson and mauled quarterback Josh McCown for his second sack of the day.
Mackโs movement across the formation and various lineup spots may continue to shuffle considering the results on Sunday. He recorded two sacks and forced a fumble with a little added creativity from Nortonโs defensive schemes.
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Latavius Murray Showing Potential as Workhorse Running Back
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Two quiet weeks from the rushing attack raised questions pertaining to Latavius Murrayโs ability to run the football 25-plus times with efficiency.ย
Murray carried the ball 26 times for 109 yards in the first two weeks of the season. In Week 3, he matched the number of carries in the first two weeks combined and gained 139 rushing yards on the ground.
Marcel Reece and Taiwan Jones accounted for the remaining three carries for 17 yards combined.
Murray stands as the clear-cut tailback who will likely account for more than 75 percent of the carries going forward. In Week 3, he showed the ability to take on a heavy workload and perform at a high level, averaging 5.3 yards per carry.
Oaklandโs next opponent, the Chicago Bears, surrendered 159 rushing yards to the Seattle Seahawks. Running back Marshawn Lynch and quarterback Russell Wilson only accounted for 42 of those yards.
Expect another heavy dose of Murray against the Bears' porous run defense in Week 4.ย
Right Side of Offensive Line Holding Up
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In the offseason, questions surrounded the talent on the right side of the offensive line. Right tackle Menelik Watsonโs season-ending Achilles injury amplified those questions with Austin Howard stepping in to seal the edge.
Quarterback Derek Carr and Murray garner a lot of praise for their stellar performances, but no one mentions how well the offensive line has blocked over the last two weeks.
Carr has been sacked once in three weeks. Murray continues to find sizable lanes to exploit after the handoff. The offensive line makes both the quarterback and running backโs job a lot easier.
The better line protections arenโt heard of, which means less penalties and less sacks allowed on the quarterback.
At times, the Raiders offensive line drew false start or holding penalties but nothing substantial that disrupted the flow of the offense. Offensive line coach Mike Tice continues to do a great job with helping his unit win battles in the trenchesย mentally and physically.
Followย Mauriceย Motonย on Twitterย for news, updates and intriguing discussion about the Oakland Raiders.
All statistics are provided byย Pro-Football-Reference.com,ย ESPN.comย andย Pro Football Focusย unless otherwise noted.ย
Week 3 statistics and play-by-play analysis provided byย NFL.com.
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