After wowing the football world in Week 1 when they successfully converted for two with only 47 seconds left instead of just kicking the extra point to tie the game, the Oakland Raiders fell flat in Week 2 at home against the Falcons.
Not being able to build momentum after a big, inspirational win is one thing. However, allowing an average of 500-plus yards in back-to-back games is another. It’s still a young season, but such a defense should always be a cause for major concern.
If you try to look at the bright side, though, what you’ll see is Derek Carr and the entire offense. The third-year QB is proving that he can go toe-to-toe in production with some of the league’s elite play-callers. In his first two games, he’s gone 58-for-83 (69.8 percent) with four TDs and not a single pick. He has also received just one sack to date, with the O-line playing a good part in his development, too.
Among the beneficiaries of Carr’s current passing prowess are wideouts Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree, who have a combined 22 receptions and 326 yards. Oakland’s running game is a little stale, but considering Latavius Murray’s talent and the O-line’s good showing, we shouldn’t worry for now.
The Raiders’ flag football-like defense makes them a questionable pick, but the offense is so good right now you can’t just bet against them. They are 4-3 in their last seven road games, but are 6-1 ATS.
This is the year where the Titans hope to finish carving up the real identity of the team. Last year’s 3-13 record wasn’t pretty to say the least, but that’s expected if you have a rookie starting QB, a stagnant running game, and a new defensive coordinator, not to mention the sudden firing of head coach Ken Whisenhunt in the middle of the season.
The team’s front office acquired promising weapons for Marcus Mariota, led by running back DeMarco Murray. The 2014 NFL rushing title-holder has been doing a good job in making his QB look good, with 222 total yards in the first two games.
His QB, on the other hand, has been a little up and down. Against the Vikings’ defense, Mariota threw a pick-six and had a fumble that was returned for a touchdown, bringing his QB rating to an awful 52.6 mark. He then had a comeback performance in Week 2 by going 25-of-33 through the air and tossing the game-winning, fourth-down TD pass.
It’s great that the defense is stirred led by legendary defensive guru Dick LeBeau, but they aren’t showing any consistency yet, especially in defending the run. It’s also interesting that limiting Adrian Peterson to 31 yards resulted in a loss, while allowing the Lions to rush for 137, resulted in a win.
In their last 10 home games, the Titans have been atrocious straight-up (1-9) and against the spread (2-7-1) alike.
