The Raiders, fueled by young leader Derek Carr, had completed a big road comeback with nearly every ounce of intestinal fortitude.
Advertisement
Derek Carr made the players the Raiders needed him to make and avoided those critical mistakes that have sometimes derailed him. I know that might be really unfair, but really good defenses don’t give up over 150 yards rushing EVER, and don’t squander 14 point second half leads.
Coach Sean Payton lamented the late game no-show from his defense after the game as he discussed their inability to stop anything in the fourth quarter in a post-game conference.
After Drew Brees had hooked up with on a 98-yard TD play with WR Brandin Cooks, the Saints took a 2-Touchdown lead in the 3rd quarter, and everyone thought that it was game over for the Oakland Raiders. There’s a point where you want to dig down and get off the field.
With Breaux, the Saints gave up 255 total yards and 10 points in the first 39 1/2 minutes. The top play for the Raiders was a 75-yard touchdown sprint by Jalen Richard, which along with a two-point conversation connection of Carr to Amari Cooper tied up the game. Vehicle passed for 319 yards, one TD and a pair of clutch 2-point conversions, first to Cooper to tie the game at 27 and later to Crabtree for the win.
With Khalil Mack, Bruce Irvin, Jihad Ward and Shilique Calhoun, the Raiders were expected to have a decent pass rush coming into the 2016 season, but the unit only recorded one sack for four yards on Sunday.
Basically, if the Raiders ran this two point conversion 100 times, they’d have had to convert 56 of them – eight more than the league’s average – for it to be worth it. “I said, “When we score here, we are going to go for two and win it right here'”.
But it happened on Sunday, and it apparently wouldn’t have happened if analytics had the final say.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Oakland gambled with a 2-point conversion that David Carr converted with a pass to Michael Crabtree for the winning points with 47 seconds left to help the Raiders beat the New Orleans Saints 35-34 on Sunday.
In the first quarter of Sunday night’s Patriots-Cardinals contest, Arizona defensive lineman Chandler Jones recovered a fumble by Patriots QB Jimmy Garoppolo. He’ll bounce back. He’s going to be a good player for us. “He put a handsome ball out there and all I had to do was lay out my hands and the ball was there”.
Two plays earlier, on fourth and 5 from the 18, Saints linebacker Craig Robertson was flagged for pass interference on what appeared to be a uncatchable pass. “That was just one play”.
Advertisement
After throwing for 424 yards and four touchdowns in the season opener, Brees needs just 36 passing yards next week to pass former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino for third-place all time behind Brett Favre and Peyton Manning. “Defensively, the first three quarters of that game, there are a lot of things that we did according to plan”. “I’m going to always do what I think is best for the football team and that’s what it was”. Saints starting cornerback Delvin Breaux left the game with an undisclosed lower left leg injury.
