Six Monster Takeaways From Las Vegas Raiders Big Win
Henderson, Nev. -- As the Las Vegas Raiders 34-24 win on Monday Night Football against the Las Vegas Raiders was coming to an end, the picture of this year's Silver and Black came into focus.
Derek Carr, the Magnificient
While Carr is humble and won't say it, it gave his critics a proverbial kick in the pants on Monday. Looking like the offensive savant that he is, the Raiders signal-caller, down three starting offensive lineman, made one bad play while making the Hall of Famer on the other team look like a third-string backup.
If you had told anyone on the planet that last Monday night, there would have been a Hall of Fame quarterback on the football field and they knew nothing about the game, everyone would have picked Carr.
Carr is a winner and a gentleman -- a gift to the Silver and Black, and as we have reported all offseason, one of the elite NFL quarterbacks. His performance of 28 of 38 for 282 yards and three touchdowns was a work of art. His three touchdown passes were like watching a maestro work the entire field while garnering no interceptions, a quarterback rating of 120.7, and completing a pass to at least 11 of his teammates.
Raider Nation, you need to embrace Carr as the elite player he is. Carr is the guy you want, leading your team and marrying your daughter on and off the field. Talented and humble, Carr is what you want, leading your multi-billion dollar franchise.
Jon Gruden vs. Sean Payton
Sean Payton is not a good coach; he is an elite and great coach. On Monday night, the Las Vegas Raiders' Super Bowl-winning head coach, Jon Gruden, out-coached him. It wasn't even close on Monday on who was the better coach.
Gruden's Raiders were disciplined, didn't panic, and stayed on course. Conversely, the Saints panicked like Clubber Lang when the Raiders (Rocky) took their best shot and kept coming.
A disciplined commitment to the game plan, exceptional play-calling, and a superior coached team showed the world how good Jon Gruden is.
Many keyboard warriors took unfair and unwarranted shots at Jon Gruden in his first two years back with the Raiders. On Monday night he made them look as foolish as the Derek Carr critics.
Rodney Hudson
The best center in the NFL played like a Hall of Famer on Monday night. If you hadn't known it, the only difference between him and Jim Otto was the number on the jersey.
Hudson coached the backups and the veterans and made line calls all evening that frustrated the already cantankerous Saints defense. Both personally and professionally, Hudson is a star, and Monday night, he showed the world that there are 31 other centers in the NFL that all want to be him.
If you know anything about offensive line play, it takes no time watching the Raiders play to recognize Hudson's greatness. He is a Gian Lorenzo Bernini of his craft, a master artist fitting of a bust one day in Canton, Ohio.
Darren Waller
If you are a shallow follower of football, you will have looked at Darren Waller's numbers, 12 receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown, and been impressed.
But if you know and love football, you would have seen more. Dare I say watching Waller takes you inside the Matrix of this beautiful game predicated on an oblong ellipsoid.
Sports Illustrated's Raider Maven wrote all training camp how Waller worked so hard as a tactician in his craft. He is a brilliant blocker and continuously has eyes on his quarterback, working flawlessly with Carr like a hand and a glove.
Waller doesn't play tight end. He performed like gifted talent and raised it to the level of art. His downfield blocking for his teammates is selfless and propels him to a tremendous tight end from an excellent tight end.
Paul Guenther
Against a head coach in Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints that many consider the best offensive mind in the NFL, Guenther's young and talented Raiders shined.
Derek Carr and his receivers spent all summer throwing in local Henderson parks. Defensive players can't do that. So when you take an offseason with no spring or preseason, it is normal to ascertain the defenses would start 2020 at a disadvantage.
Guenther's guys never quit at Carolina and, despite a brutal first quarter, shut down a future Hall of Fame quarterback in Drew Brees, and young players got better.
While not at the level of Carr and Gruden, Guenther's critics were silenced. Still very young, these Raiders are getting better every game, every half, every quarter, every series, and every rep. Guenther's leadership shined on national TV on Monday night.
Josh Jacobs
Twenty-seven rushes for 88 yards and three receptions for 17 yards. Yet again, Jacobs had no turnovers, and while he didn't find the end zone, he was a workforce battering ram that makes the Raiders better.
His work ethic and magnetic personality allowed him early, when the Raiders were struggling, to keep his team inspired. He has more yards through his first 15 games than any Raider running back ever. He is elite.
Extra Point: Daniel Carlson
Hey, it's football, so that's why we can give you an extra point. Daniel Carlson has ice water in his veins. He is sure-footed and reliable. Most kickers never get mentioned unless they screw up.
Carlson is the real deal, and the Raiders are a playoff team. Special teams doom so many teams, and he is very talented.
How to watch or listen to the Las Vegas Raiders versus the New England Patriots next Sunday?
TV: CBS 1 PM ET/10 AM PT
Radio: Raider Nation Radio
Odds: New England -6.5
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