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3 quick takeaways from Raiders-Giants game

Three takeaways from the Raiders’ 23-16 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

1. Red zone, dead zone

The Raiders moved the ball well enough to come away with a convincing victory, outgaining the Giants 403 yards to 245, but repeatedly settled for field goals. A sure way to lose in today’s NFL.

They reached the Giants’ 6-, 14- and 7-yard lines before settling for three points. Then early in the fourth quarter, the Raiders again got to the Giants’ 7, but Daniel Carlson missed a 25-yard field goal. On their last-gasp drive, the

Raiders made it to the 13 before quarterback Derek Carr lost a fumble.

Five possessions that totaled nine points. The Raiders left 26 points on the field.

It was too much to overcome.

2. Carr wasn’t quite right

Carr has been playing as well as any NFL quarterback, a big reason the Raiders were on top of the AFC West. That wasn’t the case Sunday.

Carr overthrew an open Darren Waller in the end zone late in the first half, forcing the Raiders to settle for a field goal. Then in the opening drive of the second half, Carr threw behind Hunter Renfrow on the left sideline, a pass that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown for the Giants.

The Raiders had the chance to seize control of the game with those drives, but instead of potentially being up two possessions, they were down 17-13.

Carr later threw a fourth-quarter interception to thwart a Raiders rally.

3. Familiar face does damage

As it turned out, the Raiders didn’t catch much of a break with the Giants not having running back Saquon Barkley. He missed his fourth game in a row because of the combination of an ankle injury and not practicing because of a false positive on a COVID-19 test.

Devontae Booker, who played for the Raiders last season, started and rushed for 99 yards on 21 carries. He also caught three passes for 23 yards.

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.

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