The Las Vegas Raiders picked up a 20-13 victory over the New England Patriots. Geno Smith flexed his big arm and deep-ball accuracy. Brock Bowers’ productive day ended with an injury scare. Head coach Pete Carroll pointed out something that needs improvement in the next outing.
Raiders Daily highlights the biggest takeaways from the team’s season-opening win in New England.
Geno Smith Leads Effective Deep-Ball Attack in Win
Raiders fans haven’t seen a potent, explosive passing attack in quite some time. So, they were delighted that offensive coordinator Chip Kelly dialed up aggressive plays to attack the New England Patriots over the top.
On Las Vegas’ first drive, Geno Smith threw a 26-yard pass to wide receiver Tre Tucker. Five Raiders pass-catchers finished with at least one 23-plus-yard reception, and those weren’t short catch-and-run plays.
Despite shaky pass protection against the Patriots’ blitz schemes, Smith threw for 362 yards, a touchdown and an interception with a 70.6 percent completion rate.
With Tucker and rookie Dont’e Thornton Jr. in three-receiver sets, Kelly can open up the playbook and force defenders to respect the Raiders’ speed on the perimeter.
Read: This Ain’t Your Grandpappy’s Raiders: Carroll, Smith, Lead Raiders to Big Opening Win
Brock Bowers Has No Concerns About Knee Injury
In the fourth quarter, All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers exited with a knee injury and didn’t return, which raised concerns. He racked up a team-leading 103 receiving yards before leaving the contest.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero spoke to Bowers, who said he’s “fine.”
In his postgame presser, head coach Pete Carroll said the team held Bowers out to watch how the game unfolded in the final minutes. Based on that statement, the star tight end may have been able to check back in if the team needed him for a comeback.
For now, it seems Bowers avoided a significant injury. He’ll have an extra day to rest with the Raiders’ next game coming up on September 15 in a Monday Night Football doubleheader.
Read: Reaction: Raiders 20, Patriots 13
Pete Carroll Wants More from the Run Game
Typically, a Carroll-coached team runs the ball efficiently, but that wasn’t the case last Sunday. Rookie running back Ashton Jeanty absorbed contact and contorted his body to cross the goal line for a touchdown in the third quarter, but he averaged two yards per carry. As a team, Las Vegas logged 2.3 yards per rush attempt.
After the game, Carroll pointed out that the Patriots’ aggressive attack at the line of scrimmage allowed the offense to pick up explosive gains off play-action designs, but he wants the ground game to be “a lot more formidable” going forward.
Overall, the Raiders’ offensive line stood out as the biggest disappointment from the season-opening win. The unit struggled with its pass blocking against the blitz and didn’t open up running lanes for Jeanty, who logged 19 carries for just 38 yards.
Read: NFL Week 2 Power Rankings: Packers, Bills Rise as Chiefs, Broncos Drop After Week 1
In Week 2, Las Vegas will look to get going on the ground against the Los Angeles Chargers, who gave up 41 yards on 10 carries to Kansas City Chiefs running backs Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt last week.
