It's been 15 years since it happened last, but the Oakland Raiders are 2-0.
The Silver and Black made quick work of the New York Jets, beating Todd Bowles' group 45-20 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Sunday afternoon.
Next on the agenda for Head Coach Jack Del Rio's squad is a Week 3 clash with the Washington Redskins on Sunday Night Football, but before we completely shift focus to Kirk Cousins and Co., let's look at the playtime percentages from the win over the Jets, and see what we can learn from looking at the numbers.
Offense
The day belonged to Michael Crabtree– Talk about having a good birthday weekend. Crabtree – who turned 30 earlier in the week – might have only played 35 offensive snaps (61%) in the win over the Jets, but he certainly made the most of them, hauling in all six passes he was targeted on for 80 yards, and three touchdowns. "King Crab" has now had three-touchdown games in back-to-back seasons – he also recorded a football hat trick last year against the Ravens – and with three touchdowns to his name already in 2017, he currently leads all NFL receivers in that metric.
Derek Carr stays clean– The Raiders starting offensive line (Penn, Osemele, Hudson, Jackson, and Newhouse) played all 57 snaps in Sunday's victory, enjoying yet another strong outing up front. Not only did quarterback Derek Carr not get sacked all afternoon, but the big fellas up front were dominant in the run game, helping spring Marshawn Lynch and the team's backs all afternoon. In total, the Silver and Black totaled an impressive 180 yards on the afternoon.
Cordarrelle Patterson makes reservations for six– When the Silver and Black signed Cordarrelle Patterson this offseason, we knew that the explosive wide receiver really was a Swiss army knife as far as his skillset, and that fact was on full display Sunday against the Jets. Patterson played 27 offensive snaps (47%) at the OACC, finishing his afternoon with one reception for six yards, as well as three carries for 57 yards. His most impressive run? An explosive, 43-yard scamper that turned into six points.
Defense
We got our first look at Gareon Conley– After missing all of the preseason, as well as Week 1, we finally got our first look at the team's first-round draft pick, cornerback Gareon Conley. In total, the former Ohio State Buckeye played 46 snaps (82%), finishing his NFL debut with three tackles, and one, impressive pass defensed.
Karl Joseph goes the distance– The second-year man from West Virginia has had a strong start to the 2017 season. After a good season opener last week against the Tennessee Titans, Joseph kept the positive momentum flowing Sunday, playing all 56 defensive snaps against the Jets, finishing the day with five tackles, one quarterback hit, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a sack.
Mario Edwards Jr. gets active –No. 97 was a fixture in the New York Jets backfield yesterday, which was good news for the Silver and Black, but not great news for Josh McCown. At game's end, Edwards played 24 snaps (43%), totaling an impressive stat line of three tackles, two quarterback hits, two tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks.
