The Good: Las Vegas Raiders were able to slow Derrick Henry down.
The Las Vegas Raiders might have suffered another loss over the weekend, but it didn’t come without surprises. The biggest one had to be the Raiders’ defense holding Derrick Henry to 85 yards throughout the game. It’s no secret that Henry could have easily feasted on this defense, but the team had a plan in place to prevent that.
Unfortunately for the Raiders, Henry still managed one rushing touchdown, which was enough to keep the game out of reach. Despite this shortcoming, it was a nice little surprise to see Las Vegas fare this well against one of the best rushers in the league. That’s at least something to hang their hat on after another heartbreaking loss.
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The Bad: Derek Carr comes up inconsistent once again
Derek Carr continues to be a mixed bag for Las Vegas and it looks like signing him to a $121.5 million contract extension was a mistake. Not only is that evident by his six touchdowns and four interceptions but also by his piddly 60.8 completion percentage. This trend continued Sunday against the Titans.
Carr went 26 of 44 for 303 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception that very well could have changed the course of the game. Another thing that could have changed the course of the game is the Raiders’ touchdown droughts in the second and third quarters. Carr and company had so many opportunities to score but didn’t follow through.
The Ugly: The running game and failure to convert on third down
Josh McDaniels worked throughout the offseason to establish a stronger running game, but it doesn’t seem to be working. In fact, star running back Joshua Jacobs remains scoreless in his first three games off the season and has only racked up a total of 42 attempts for 192 yards.
Zamir White and Brittain Brown haven’t seen much action either, and there’s no sign of that changing. This has once again put a majority of the pressure on Carr, which he is not responding well to. Another stat that shows just how bad the situation has become is the fact that the Raiders only managed one-third down conversion in 12 attempts. That’s just sad.
Final thoughts on Las Vegas Raiders vs Tennesse Titans
The Las Vegas Raiders are now in freefall after an 0-3 start to the NFL season, and a victory doesn’t seem to be coming anytime soon. Derek Carr and the Raiders are just not effective on third down, have no running game, and can’t stop an opposing offense.
The season just doesn’t seem salvageable at this point.
Next: Take a ride on the Game Day express for the next Raiders matchup!
