LAS VEGAS—For at least a week, the Las Vegas Raiders get a reprieve from the growing discontent.
On Sunday, the Raiders notched their first home victory of the season with a 20-10 win over the Tennessee Titans.
The game ends what was a four-game losing streak for the Raiders, putting the season back on the right track.
Here are some of the major takeaways from a game where the Raiders were finally able to take care of business.
Defensive showcase
After a week of stressing accountability, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will be ecstatic about his unit’s performance.
The Raiders defense was all over the field, making life miserable for Titans quarterback Cam Ward and his offense. Linebacker Devin White, in particular, finished the game with a sack, a forced fumble and an interception. The unit as a whole recorded five sacks as well (Maxx Crosby lead the team with two), winning the battle in the trenches.
The Raiders have not quite had the defensive success they wanted, but this week had to feel good for that group.
No mistakes (kind of)
While the box score will reflect a relatively clean day for the Raiders offense, that was far from the case.
The Raiders had a strip sack that was returned for a touchdown called back due to review deeming the play as a forward pass. Another sack was called back due to illegal contact, erasing major plays from the Titans defense. It was still not the cleanest day, with the Raiders giving up two sacks and Geno Smith throwing his tenth interception of the season to Titans linebacker Cody Barton, but they largely avoided the backbreaking plays that have plagued them over the last few weeks.
Momentum swing
When Smith threw his fourth-quarter interception, Raiders fans were fearing that they were allowing the Titans back into the game.
However, the Raiders defense was undeterred by the instance, forcing a three-and-out shortly after. The offense did not waste the next opportunity and, while they did not ice the game with a touchdown, the Raiders did put up three more points to push the game out of reach. While the Titans would get a touchdown later in the quarter, the Raiders were able to get enough stops to secure the win.
The Raiders hope to keep their newfound momentum next Sunday on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs.
