The Oakland Raiders entered their game on Sunday with the New York Jets as two-score favorites and exited with a 45-20 win.
Mr. Oakland himself, Marshawn Lynch, highlighted the day with his sideline dancing during a commercial break after he and the Raiders took a 35-13 lead in the fourth quarter.
It was a day to remember for Lynch, who returned to the NFL after a year off and joined his hometown squad. For Oakland, it was the first time they’ve began a season 2-0 since 2002, the year the team went to its last Super Bowl.
It was a complete and total domination for Oakland as their offense shined and their defense held down an overwhelmed Jets team.
Derek Carr had an almost perfect day as he went 23 for 28 throwing the ball. He had three touchdowns and threw for 230 yards. However, the Raiders rushing attack were the stars as three different Raiders scored on the ground and the combination of Marshawn Lynch, DeAndre Washington, Jalen Richard and even Cordarrelle Patterson totaled for 180 yards on the ground.
Michael Crabtree had himself a hell of a day as he caught all three of Carr’s TD passes and had six catches for 80 yards. The Raiders once again used a balanced attack to feast on New York; they threw the ball 28 times, as mentioned, and ran 27 times. Lynch had the most carries with 12.
On defense, Karl Joseph once again stood out as he had five total tackles and a sack, which resulted in a fumble and led to the Raiders second to last score. The Raiders were also able to get to the quarterback as they had four sacks. Khalil Mack got his first sack of the season and Mario Edwards Jr. added 1 and a half to bring his total to two sacks on the year.
Edwards has proven in the early going to be a huge game-changer when on the field. He was limited to only two regular season games last year due to injury, but has been a welcomed presence in the team’s two games this year.
Next for the Raiders will be a Sunday Night Football test against the Washington Redskins.
Featured Image: Marshawn Lynch (Raiders Official Facebook Page)