The Las Vegas Raiders won an absurd, thrilling ballgame on Monday night against the Ravens, coming back from a 17-10 deficit in the fourth quarter to eventually prevail in overtime, 33-27.
The Raiders defense held its own, putting consistent pressure on Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. The group even caused a couple of fumbles, each of which turned into Raiders touchdowns, including QB Derek Carr’s game-winning toss to wide receiver Zay Jones.
With a dazzling array of big plays and memorable moments, there were plenty of options for each of this week’s winners and losers. Here are the players that made the cut.
Winners
Derek Carr
The Raiders veteran QB personified the fighting spirit that this year’s squad has been determined to implement. He had a couple of near interceptions early on and went on a cold streak for much of the first half, but he kept trying to make plays. Eventually, he made a bunch of them.
Without much of a rushing attack at all, Carr ended up with 435 yards on 34-for-56 passing, including two touchdowns and one interception. The INT wasn’t all his fault, either (more on that later).
Carr also dealt with an offensive line still finding its way, and he willed his young receivers Jones, Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards into making plays down the stretch. It was true leadership on display for the fans at this historic game at Allegiant Stadium.
ZAY. JONES. BALL GAME. GOOD NIGHT VEGAS! #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/LJrn4EURp0
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) September 14, 2021
Maxx Crosby
Defensive end Maxx Crosby provided a pass rush rarely seen on the Raiders in the last two decades. He was simply marvelous, impacting Jackson’s pocket nearly every time the former MVP dropped back to pass.
He finished with multiple sacks (two total, according to the latest count by ESPN), two tackles for loss and five QB hits.
Crosby made an impact just by getting blocked at times, too. Most importantly, extra attention paid to Crosby helped DE Carl Nassib get to Jackson and force a fumble in overtime. The Raiders recovered and made good on their second opportunity in the extra period, scoring the TD to Jones.
This defensive line… All heart.
Carl Nassib’s forced fumble puts us back in business. Live on @espn pic.twitter.com/kG1gLqxMeT
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) September 14, 2021
Darren Waller
While it took the Raiders wide receivers, besides Hunter Renfrow, a long time to get going, tight end Darren Waller was his dominant self throughout the contest.
He finished with 10 receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown, which tied the score at 24 late in the fourth quarter. Carr targeted Waller an absurd 19 times, and each play appeared as though it could have been completed with slightly better execution from Carr and Waller.
It seems nobody can stop the Carr and Waller combo besides themselves. And even when they can’t connect on every pass, the results are extremely productive and overwhelm the opponent.
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