Raiders Week 2 Team Grades: Oakland Knocks Off Jets To Remain Undefeated
By Shawn Lealos
After opening the 2017 NFL season with a tough game against a possible AFC playoff contender in the Tennessee Titans, the Oakland Raiders moved on to Week 2 against the New York Jets. While the Raiders have some of the best odds of making it to the Super Bowl among AFC teams, the Jets have some of the worst odds. The game was pretty much what most people expected, with the Raiders' offense rolling along while their defense struggled at times.
The final score of the game saw the Oakland Raiders knocking off the New York Jets, 45-20. Here is a look at the Oakland Raiders team grades for their Week 2 victory over the Jets.
Offense: A
The biggest acquisition for Oakland this offseason was bringing Marshawn Lynch out of retirement to play for his hometown Raiders. In this second game of his Raiders career, Lynch ran for his first touchdown since coming out of retirement. However, he ranked only third in rushing yards for the game despite the fact that he led the Raiders with 12 carries. That is not to say that Lynch wasn't good, as he ran for 45 yards with an average of 3.75 yards-per-carry.
The Raiders had two giant runs, one by fullback Jalen Richard and the other by wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson. Richard broke through the middle and bounced off tackles for a huge 52-yard touchdown run, while Patterson came in motion, took a hand-off and ran 43 yards for a score of his own. Both plays made the Jets' defense look confused and out-of-place.
Derek Carr and the Oakland passing game did what they needed to do to win this game. Carr completed 23 of 28 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns. He wasn't sacked a single time, played efficiently, and had an almost perfect 136.3 quarterback rating. While he didn't need to throw the ball all over the field, he found Michael Crabtree six times for 80 yards and three touchdowns, one of the best games of Crabtree's NFL career.
Defense: B+
Defensively, the Raiders did what they needed to do in order to hold down the Jets. Khalil Mack got his first sack of the season, and the Raiders sacked Josh McCown four times. They also hit McCown five times and forced a fumble.
However the Raiders allowed the Jets QB to throw two touchdowns to Jermaine Kearse and allowed New York to rush for 126 yards, with Matt Forte leading the way with 53 yards.
Special Teams: A
There were two fumbles recovered in the game for Oakland. Outside of the Josh McCown fumble, Kalif Raymond also lost a fumble on a punt return, which put the Raiders on the four-yard line. That was the turnover that resulted in Lynch's first touchdown run of the season.
After winning the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week last week in his regular season NFL debut, Giorgio Tavecchio hit his only field goal attempt of the game, a 29-yarder. He was also a perfect six-of-six on point after attempts. When it comes to returns, Cordarrelle Patterson had a nice 31-yard kick return and averaged 23 yards per return.
Coaching: A
The Raiders had to feel good after beating the Tennessee Titans last week. With a team as bad as the Jets coming to town, there was a chance that the Raiders could have had a letdown game. They didn't let up at all, scoring 45 points and decimating the Jets. The Raiders seem well-coached and ready to repeat their impressive performance from 2016. At 2-0, Oakland looks like an early favorite to roar through the season as one of the top teams in the AFC.
Up next for the Oakland Raiders
Oakland hits the road to battle the Washington Redskins (1-1), who lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1 before knocking off the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2. This will be a Sunday Night Football game on Sept. 24 with a kickoff time of 8:30 p.m. EST.
