The Raiders are winning against the teams they should beat and they're doing it in a convincing way, by beating the opposing teams in every phase of the game.
I'd give the patched up defense the game ball as they dominated the first quarter, then rebounded after a poor showing in the second and third quarters to shut down Steve McNair and the Titans. The Defense also sacked McNair 6 times for 43 yards, causing 3 fumbles in the process. Our much improved Warren Sapp can boast and proudly wear his old title of "QB Killa" again after having 2.5 of those sacks.
One crucial roughing-the-passer penalty on 3rd down kept a Titans drive alive. It would be the only penalty first down the Raiders would give up in the game. That's a big improvement for our Defense, or maybe the Referrees actually saw the bad calls made in the World Series last week and gave the Raiders some slack. Not.
Rookie Fabian Washington broke up passes and played like a first round pick. Rookie Stuart Schwergart did some hard hitting, one of which caused a fumble. In the end the Titans 10 minute advantage in time-of-possesion wasn't a factor.
Our Offense did it with varied and creative play calling such as Lamont Joran screens and a wide receiver reverse that gained 24 yards for a first down. With Jerry Porter being the star reciver of the day having two touchdowns, big play Randy Moss was not missed. Moss did contribute but not in his usual spectacular way. Offensive blocking at the line and downfield was awesome. Kerry Collins was well protected and sacked only twice for short losses. I saw collins interception as possibly Kerry shedding his cautious ways. Maybe he learned that he can overcome making a mistake in a game.
No team win is can be called complete without the special teams contributing. Rookie Chris Carr is still returning kicks with a hunger for the end zone. Carr returned one for 31 yards today. Shane Lechler's three punt average of 52.0 yards is indicative of his pro bowl player status, though the coverage did give up a 39 yard return. We'll ignore the Tennessee kick return for a touchdown that was called back. I'm sure had the Titans not held our player we would've tackled the return man.
Finally, a game ball to Norv and his coaching staff, Offense, Defense and Special Teams. This week they implemented a plan that suprised the opposition. Then they made the necessary adjustments to fight off a comeback.
It's our first ROAD WIN since that snow filled classic in Denver, which personally is my favorite game of the past two seasons. How can any Raider fan get tired of seeing that stunning one-handed touchdown catch by then emerging wide receiver Ronald Curry. I've replayed that game at least twice during the off season. Boy, it's almost mid-season with us and Indianapolis as the only teams in the AFC with a winning streak of two or more games. We got momentum, keep it going into Kansas City next week.
Final
Raiders 34
Titans 25
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