Derek Carr’s performance did not suffer even without two key offensive weapons as he led the Las Vegas Raiders past the Philadelphia Eagles 33-22.
The Raiders were without tight end Darren Waller who was hurt at the end of Friday’s practice, according to head coach Rich Bisaccia. And star running back Josh Jacobs left near the end of the second quarter with a chest injury.
But Waller and Jacobs’ absence did not hinder the Raider offense as they scored 30 straight unanswered points after allowing a touchdown on the opening drive to improve to 5-2 on the season.
“We have good football players,” Raiders quarterback Derek Carr said when asked how the Raiders won without two important pieces to the offense. “We showed that when Josh (Jacobs) is out the rest of the game and Darren’s out, we can still win.
Carr completed 91.2% (31 of 34) of his passes for 323 yards and two touchdowns. Carr joked that with Waller out, he had an extra 20 targets he needed to spread around, and he had no problem spreading the wealth as seven Raiders had at least three receptions.
Las Vegas managed to overcome a shaky start that saw Philadelphia score on the game’s opening drive and Carr threw a pass behind Jalen Richard that was intercepted by the Eagles.
The Raiders broke through in the second quarter when Carr connected with Foster Moreau on an 18-yard touchdown pass.
On their next drive, Las Vegas took the lead when Jacobs rushed it in from eight yards out to cap off a 10 play, 96 yard drive. The Raiders forced an Eagles fumble on the ensuing drive that they turned into three points on a Daniel Carlson field goal.
The Raider defense came up with several big plays that helped keep the Eagles out off the scoreboard for six straight drives and give Las Vegas opportunities to score.
Las Vegas’ 96-yard drive was set up by a big sack by Yannick Ngakoue on third down. He led the Raiders with two sacks, two tackles for losses, and two passes deflected, and as much as the offense shined, the defense had just as important a role in the win.
“You have to give it up to the defense,” Moreau said. “It’s incredible what they’re able to do, an unbelievable fight those guys have...And when they make a play like that (a big sack), there’s nothing we can do but rally, respond and drive down the field.”
Las Vegas came out of the second half without Jacobs, who left before the end of the first half, and Kenyon Drake picked up the workload. 21 of Drake’s 69 rushing yards came on the first drive of the second half, as he scored from four yards out.
The Raiders rushed for 119 yards, only the second time this season they rushed over 100 yards. The team credited the offensive line, who has been injury tested this season, for being the catalyst for their offensive success.
“The offensive line today set the tempo for what we were trying to do,” Raiders interim head coach Rich Bisaccia said. “Not only in the run game, but in pass protection. Derek was 31 of 34 and they kept him clean with no sacks.”
Las Vegas’ offensive line has not allowed a sack in the last six quarters. Having Carr upright all game helped the Raiders be successful offensively, as he registered the second highest completion percentage in a game in NFL history, with at least 30 passing attempts.
“It just makes the game flow so much easier,” Drake said of having Carr be so accurate. “It’s almost like having a coach out there on the field. I enjoy playing with him because he has that ability to be a guy that you can rely on, he’s going to get the job done.”
The win puts Las Vegas into first place in the AFC West by half a game over the Los Angeles Charges (4-2). The Raiders will have their bye this week and return Nov. 7 in a road game against the New York Giants.
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