Raiders report card: A’s across the board in rout of Giants
How the Raiders performed in a 30-6 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium:
Offense: A
Call it the return of Josh Jacobs. The star running back had by far his most productive game of the season, rushing 26 times for 98 yards and two touchdowns. Jacobs averaged nearly 4 yards per carry, one more than what he had entering the game. Aidan O’Connell made his second start at quarterback and fared far better than his first, completing 16 of 25 for 209 yards with no scores or interceptions. Kudos to an offensive line that aided Jacobs and allowed zero sacks. It had allowed seven in a 24-17 Week 4 loss to the Chargers, which was O’Connell’s first start. Eight players were targeted Sunday, led by Davante Adams with seven. He caught four balls for 34 yards. Tre Tucker led the way with two receptions for 52 yards, including a 50-yard catch. Hunter Renfrow showed up with two catches for 32 yards. Jakobi Meyers scored on a 17-yard jet sweep.
Defense: A
What a complete effort — no matter that the Raiders faced below average quarterbacks Daniel Jones, who left with a knee injury in the second quarter, and Tommy DeVito. Things were inspired from the first snap, as the Raiders allowed just 277 yards. They had eight sacks in a game for the first time since 2010, led by Maxx Crosby’s three. Amik Robertson and Nate Hobbs picked up interceptions. Robert Spillane led the way with nine tackles, and Crosby added eight tackles (three for loss) and three quarterback hits. New York was 3 of 12 on third down.
Special teams: A
Another Sunday, more good from these guys. Daniel Carlson made all three of his field-goal attempts (24, 46 and 41 yards), and punter AJ Cole averaged 63.6 yards on five kicks with a long of 69.
Coaching: A
It was a successful debut for interim coach Antonio Pierce, who watched his team dominate in all three phases. Now, the Giants stink. You can’t get around that. But it was still a memorable first effort for Pierce and his staff. Interim offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree was on point as a first-time play-caller in the NFL, and Patrick Graham’s defense was stout from the beginning.
Contact Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.
