It took just over 73 minutes of game action, but Seth Roberts and the Oakland Raiders beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-24 in overtime Sunday afternoon at Raymond James Stadium.
Derek Carr enjoyed a historic day in Tampa Bay, and with the win, the Silver and Black now boast an impressive 6-2 record heading into next week's Sunday night matchup with the Denver Broncos.
Next week's primetime clash with Trevor Siemian and Co., will certainly be one of the more talked about matchups on the NFL schedule next week, but before we look ahead to that game, let's take some time to look back at the playtime percentages from the win over the Buccaneers, and see what we can learn from the numbers.
Offense
Carr puts together a masterful performance– Where do you even start when discussing the Raiders signal-caller's performance Sunday afternoon? Carr played all 94 offensive snaps, finishing the overtime win 40 of 59, for 513 yards and four touchdowns, becoming just the third player in NFL history to tally over 500 yards, four touchdowns and no zero interceptions in a game, setting the Raiders franchise record for passing yards in the process.
"It was an awesome performance," said Head Coach Del Rio postgame. "I don't know, I've seen some good ones. I think we'll continue to see good ones from him. He's very confident, he's got some weapons that he's utilizing, and he had a heck of a performance today."
After Sunday's win, the Raiders boast a 6-2 record, and the performance of Carr is a big reason for that.
Rivera finds the end zone– Mychal Rivera played just 21 offensive snaps (22%) in Sunday's win over the Buccaneers, but the fourth-year tight end certainly made the most of the time he was on the field. Not only did he haul in all three passes he was targeted on, but he also caught the game-tying touchdown from Carr with 1:43 left in regulation. In total, Rivera's three catches were good for 36 receiving yards, and his production in the middle of the field provided a new wrinkle for the Raiders offense.
Cooper enjoys a career day– Carr enjoyed a historic day Sunday afternoon at Raymond James Stadium, and his favorite target throughout the Week 8 overtime was wide receiver Amari Cooper. The dynamic wide receiver played 90 offensive snaps (96%) against the Buccaneers, finishing the game with 12 receptions for 173 yards, both of which were career highs. Cooper has now also eclipsed the 100-yard mark four times this season, which ties him with Sammy Watkins for the third most by a player 22-years-old or younger.
Defense
Mack gets rolling– Khalil Mack enjoyed arguably his most-complete game of the season Sunday afternoon in Tampa Bay, playing 57 snaps (81%) in the overtime win at Raymond James Stadium. The All-Pro defensive end filled up the stat sheet, finishing the Week 8 bout with seven total tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss, four quarterback hits, and one forced fumble. After the two-sack effort, Mack has now taken down the quarterback in three consecutive games, and currently has five for the season.
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Carrie fills in for Sean Smith **– Cornerback Sean Smith played just two snaps in Sunday's win over the Buccaneers before leaving the game early because of a shoulder injury on the first defensive series of the afternoon. TJ Carrie entered the game in Smith's stead, and performed pretty well in relief, playing 41 defensive snaps (59%) primarily on the outside. When all was said and done, Carrie had totaled two tackles, and one pass defensed.
Joseph paces the defense– Karl Joseph played 67 defensive snaps (96%) in Sunday's win in Tampa Bay, and once again led the Silver and Black's defense in tackles, finishing the game with seven tackles, one tackle for loss, and a pair of passes defensed. The hard-hitting, rookie safety has really begun to come into his own the past couple weeks, and shown exactly why the Raiders elected to draft him No. 14 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft.
