Subscribe
Follow Us
The Las Vegas Raiders defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in a thrilling overtime victory that came down to the final seconds to earn a playoff berth. After the Raiders led for most of the game, the Chargers fought back in the fourth quarter and erased a 15-point deficit to force overtime. Both teams traded field goals in OT, before the Raiders won on a walk-off field goal as time expired.
Here are 3 takeaways from the Raiders' victory.
Derek Carr and Josh Jacobs are ready for the playoffs
Derek Carr and Josh Jacobs are two key pillars of the Raiders offense, and they both came up big when it counted on Sunday. While Carr only threw for 186 yards, he tossed two touchdowns against zero interceptions.
Jacobs, meanwhile, had an excellent game, carrying the rock 26 times for 132 yards and one touchdown. His 5.07 yards per carry average is extremely efficient, and Jacobs was able to consistently set the Raiders up with a good down-and-distance. These two played key roles in leading the Raiders to a 15-point lead early in the fourth quarter, before the Chargers came storming back. Both of these players came up clutch late in the fourth quarter and in overtime when their team needed them the most. Jacobs had several key rushes in overtime, including the ten-yard carry with under a minute left that set up Daniel Carlson to kick the game-winning field goal for the Raiders.
Statistically, it wasn't Carr's greatest game. However, he completed quality pass after quality pass, consistently placing the ball perfectly where it was catchable, but only his receiver could catch it, while also setting up his receiver for yards-after-the-catch opportunities when possible, or to get out of bounds immediately and stop the clock when necessary.
From throwing frozen rope passes into tight windows between multiple defenders to lofting the ball towards the sideline for his receiver to make a play and get out of bounds to stop the clock, Carr did it all. The only real blemish for Carr late in the game was taking a sack that wasn't entirely his fault. If Carr is able to make the throws that he made last night throughout the postseason, while maintaining his poise from late in the game, Vegas will be a tough out for any team.
Marcus Mariota works as a change-of-pace QB
The Raiders utilized their backup quarterback, Marcus Mariota, in a variety of ways. From running an occasional wildcat formation to designed quarterback runs and option plays, Mariota brings a different twist to this offense, and the Raiders were able to catch the Chargers off guard multiple times when Mariota came in and Las Vegas switched to a run-heavy offense for a few plays.
Article Continues Below
Not only did this allow Carr to protect his body in situations where these plays made sense, but Mariota is also simply better at running the ball than Carr is. Yes, it did tip off the defense as to what type of plays would be called (although Mariota is certainly capable of throwing the ball a little), but the Las Vegas was simply better at running these plays when the situation called for it than Los Angeles was at stopping these plays.
Mariota completed his only pass for four yards, and the backup quarterback also had four carries for 23 yards, which is good for an average of 5.8 yards per carry. If Las Vegas is able to consistently implement running plays for Mariota, that will add another wrinkle to the team's offense that defenses will need to gameplan for. This additional flexibility will provide Las Vegas with an edge and make them that much more difficult for anybody to beat in the playoffs.
The Raiders defense can improve
The Raiders defense played well for much of the night, holding the Chargers to just 14 points midway through the fourth quarter. However, Justin Herbert and company scored virtually at will the rest of the night, and the only thing that stooped them from putting up more points was the “next score wins” overtime rules. There are two key aspects that Las Vegas can focus on to see improvement going forward: Limiting their mistakes and getting off the field. The Raiders had multiple plays where they either got the stop, or put Los Angeles in a terrible down-and-distance situation, only to allow Herbert a free first down due to a defensive holding or pass interference penalty. Cleaning up these mistakes will go a long way towards this unit having a better outing next week.
Finally, the Raiders defense late in the game was able to consistently force the Chargers into third-or-fourth and long scenarios, but then they allowed these plays to be converted almost every time. They did a great job of setting themselves up to get off the field, but simply weren't able to finish the job consistently.
Led by Maxx Crosby's two sacks, four QB hits and three tackles for loss, the Raiders defense played well for most of the game. If they can improve in these two areas that they struggled with late in the game, Las Vegas will be well-positioned to make some noise in the postseason.
