Josh Delilo, Staff

Las Vegas

Talk about a statement win. The Raiders are off to a 2-0 start under new interim head coach Rich Bisaccia. Las Vegas has responded well after the Jon Gruden email leaks, which lead to him eventually resigning and handing the keys to the offense over to veteran quarterback Derek Carr. Many speculated that the Raiders’ season would fold after the Gruden departure, but during the past two weeks, Carr has silenced any criticism about Vegas’ playing capabilities, and that was in full display as the Raiders dominated Philadelphia this past Sunday in a 33-22 victory. 

Carr was almost perfect against the Eagles, as he completed 31 of 34 of his passes, finishing the day with a 91.1 completion percentage. It was his most accurate day as a passer in his career, with at least 30 pass attempts. Carr is the only quarterback in NFL history who has done that twice in his career. He picked apart the Philadelphia secondary, finishing the day with 323 yards, two touchdown passes, and a passer rating of 113.6. It was the third game this season where the 8-year vet has had a passer rating above 100 and fifth game where he threw for more than 300 yards, which currently leads the NFL. Not bad for a guy who was without his favorite target, Darren Waller, on National Tight End Day. “Derek looked fantastic managing the clock throughout the entire game,” Coach Bisaccia stated, giving props on Carr’s ability to have long, sustained drives that wear out a defense, specifically a six-minute drive in the second half that started on Vegas’ own four-yard line — “those types of drives in the second half are what ice the game.” That same drive ended in a Bryan Edwards touchdown reception on fourth-and-goal, sealing the victory for Raider Nation. Heading into the bye week, Derek is just seven yards behind Tom Brady for the most passing yards this season. 

The Raiders advance to a 5-2 record for the first time since 2016. Carr and the Raiders sit in one of the top spots of the AFC.  Interim Head Coach Rich Bisaccia has given all the credit to the team’s leadership inside the Las Vegas locker room. “Derek Carr is the voice of the Raiders,” Bisaccia stated in the press conference after the victory Sunday afternoon. “When he talks, all the players trust his leadership that we can get the job done, no matter the circumstances on or off the field.” Despite the fantastic bounce-back performances these past two weeks, Carr has stayed humble. “Given everything that we accomplished and all the crazy stuff that has happened, this is still a game,” Carr stated with a smile on his face. “I tell that to myself and my teammates, go out and have fun, and that is what we have been doing, but the job is far from finished.”