The Las Vegas Raiders stayed perfect this week when they defeated the visiting Miami Dolphins 31-28, in overtime.
For the first time since their last Super Bowl run of the 2002-03 season, the Raiders have started a season 3-0. A lot has changed since that year. It was the first year without Jon Gruden after his first tenure with the franchise. Since then, the franchise has also moved locations … for anyone who’s been living under a rock and didn’t know.
Raiders QB Derek Carr is playing at an MVP level. He currently leads the league with 1,203 passing yards. He also has six passing touchdowns and is completing over 65 percent of his pass attempts.
In Sunday’s win over the Dolphins, Carr completed 26 of his 43 pass attempts for 386 yards and two touchdowns. Even after Miami’s fourth quarter comeback, Carr was able to keep himself composed and lead his team in overtime.
After falling into a hole early, the Raiders had to dig themselves out. Las Vegas found themselves trailing to the Dolphins 14-0 just ten minutes into the game. The turning point was when the Raiders were able to get a safety just before the end of the first quarter. After that, they scored 23 unanswered points to take a 25-14 lead at the start of the fourth quarter.
“Defense is going to keep us in this,” Hunter Renfrow, Raiders wide receiver, said about trailing early. “We just have to go out, make plays, move the ball and keep our defense off the field. We did that and thankfully they had a big safety to get us to 14-2.”
Wide receiver Bryan Edwards was the leading receiver for both teams. He caught three of his five targets for a game-high 89 yards. His biggest catch came on the game-winning drive in overtime. Facing a second and 15, Carr threw a 34-yard pass to Edwards, which put the Raiders on Miami’s side of the field.
“I’m so proud of their work ethic,” Carr said about his receivers. “It’s showing up during the games. I gain confidence in them. They were our starters in camp, they earned it. They proved it every day. Now we’re getting into games and they’re making huge plays for us.”
With Josh Jacobs out for the second week in a row, the Raiders looked to Peyton Barber to lead them in the ground game. Barber finished with 23 carries for 111 yards and one touchdown. He had 47 rushing yards just in the overtime quarter to help lead the team to victory.
The Miami Dolphins were without their starting quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, who was placed on the injured reserve list due to fractured ribs. First year Dolphin Jacoby Brissett got the start at quarterback. He finished with 215 passing yards, while completing 32 of his 49 pass attempts.
Running back Myles Gaskin led the way on the ground for the Dolphins. He finished the day with 13 carries for 65 yards.
“Well, I would just like to thank our fan base,” head coach Jon Gruden said. “Our Raiders fans made a big difference today.”
The Raiders’ next game will be on Monday night when they travel to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:15 p.m.
Contact Sports Editor Danny Smyth at dsmyth@pvtimes.com