The Oakland Raiders hit the road for the second week in a row, traveling to Nashville, Tenn., to take on the Tennessee Titans Sunday afternoon at Nissan Stadium. The Silver and Black beat the Titans 24-21, snapping their three-game losing streak and inserting themselves back in the AFC playoff conversation.
Their next test comes this Sunday as they return home to host the Kansas City Chiefs, but before we shift our attention to that game, let's take a look back at who played against the Titans and for how many snaps, and see what we can learn from taking a closer look at the numbers.
OFFENSE
Derek Carr Almost Goes The Distance– Carr bounced back in a big way against the Titans, throwing for 330 yards and 3 touchdowns, but the one thing he didn't do for the first time in several weeks was play the entire game. The Raiders quarterback played 70 snaps (99%) in Sunday's win over the Titans, however, was removed for one play after taking a shot to the ribs on the Raiders opening drive.
Once Again, Tony Bergstrom Steps In– Starting center Rodney Hudson missed his second game of the season Sunday, meaning that Tony Bergstrom got his second start of the 2015 campaign. He, along with the rest of the Raiders starting offensive line, played all 71 offensive snaps, and kept Carr clean for the most part, allowing just 1 sack on the afternoon.
Welcome Back, Amari Cooper– After struggling with some drops of late, the rookie wide receiver turned in an impressive performance Sunday.
Cooper played 66 snaps (93%) against the Titans, catching a team-high 7 catches for 115 yards (16.4 avg.) He also broke the Raiders rookie receiving yards record, just 11 games into the season.
DEFENSE
Malcolm Smith Paces The Defense– Once again, linebacker Malcolm Smith paced the Raiders defense Sunday. He played all of the team's 62 defensive snaps, leading the team with 10 total tackles and 2 passes defensed.
Have A Day, David Amerson– Amerson returned to the starting lineup against the Titans, playing 59 snaps (95%), and boy did he put on a show.
According to STATS, LLC., Amerson recorded 6 passes defensed which is a Raider single-game record. He is also the 13th NFL player, and first since 2013, with six passes defensed and 1 interception.
"He played well in what we call sticky coverage," said safety Charles Woodson. "He was sticky out there today and made some great plays and got an interception. It was an outstanding performance."
Khalil Mack Puts Together Dominant Performance– The second-year standout delivered an impressive performance defensively Sunday, totaling 6 total tackles, 2 sacks, 2 tackles for loss and 2 quarterback hits.
He was also consistently around the football and acted as a disruptive force all afternoon.
