It turns out the third time was the charm for the Oakland Raiders in London.
After two less-than-ideal trips to England, the Silver and Black exercised their collective demons and took down the Chicago Bears 24-21 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
With the win, the Raiders will fly back to the United States with a 3-2 record, and some unquestioned momentum headed into the bye week.
Here are six observations from the team's big night abroad.
1. The Silver and Black struck first
It took Head Coach Jon Gruden's group a little while to get rolling, but when they did, the group didn't look back.
While the first drive of the evening didn't go quite as planned – a personal foul by Richie Incognito took the Raiders out of field goal range and forced a punt – after the Silver and Black's defense got Derek Carr the ball back, they took advantage of the gift, marching 90 yards for their first points of the evening.
An ill-advised throw from Chase Daniel that resulted in a Nicholas Morrow interception, also turned into points for the Raiders, and the Raiders led 17-0 at halftime.
Now, things certainly got dicey for the Silver and Black in the second half, but nevertheless, they were able to overcome.
It wasn't as hot of a start as the team enjoyed last week, but all the same, it got the job done.
2. Josh Jacobs – That Dude
I know we're only five weeks into the season right now, but seriously, is anyone going to give Josh Jacobs a run for his money when it comes to Offensive Rookie of the Year?
When everything was said and done, the rookie running back enjoyed yet another quality game in Silver and Black, finishing his evening in Tottenham with over 130 all-purpose yards.
Not only did Jacobs once again set the tone on the ground, but he was the catalyst for everything the team as a whole did rushing the football.
In addition to Jacobs' trip north of the century mark, Jalen Richard and DeAndré Washington also chipped in with north of 30 themselves and the group's collective effort was a big reason why the Raiders flew home with a "W."
3. The third quarter was a killer
The first half that the Silver and Black played against the Bears was likely their best of 2019, but after the intermission, things went south in a hurry for Head Coach Jon Gruden's team.
All in the span of 13:44, the Bears not only erased the Raiders' hard-earned lead with a trio of touchdowns, but took over the lead themselves, by the score of 21-17.
The Raiders returned the body blow in short order, getting into Chicago territory in a hurry, but a Trevor Davis fumble on the goal line, ensured that the Raiders would have to come back for their third win of 2019.
But, all's well that ends well, and your mighty Oakland Raiders are back over .500.
4. DC spread the love
At the end of the first half, with the Raiders up big 17-0, eight Raiders' receivers had caught a pass.
And when all was said and done, nine members of the Silver and Black caught a ball from Derek Carr.
Did the Raiders miss the triumvirate of Tryell Wiliams, Dwayne "Gucci" Harris and J.J. Nelson Sunday night? I'm sure they did, but give credit to Carr and the guys who were active, because they put together an incredibly compete performance together against one of the best secondaries in the NFL.
Carr deserves a huge tip of the hat as well, in addition to spreading the ball around to all parties, he was both judicious and smart with his passes, finishing 25 of 32 for 229 yards.
5. Maxx Crosby kept the good times rolling
Indianapolis, Oakland, London – doesn't matter, Maxx Crosby is finding ways to make plays for Paul Guenther's defense.
After putting together the best effort of his young career last week at Lucas Oil Stadium – that featured two passes defensed and a forced fumble – the rookie defensive end followed it up in a big way in London on Sunday night.
Not only did Crosby notch the first sack of his career against Chase Daniel in the first quarter…
He might have been a fourth-round draft pick, but Crosby looks to be anything but a developmental project as he's now had back-to-back quality outings at work.
Especially without the services of Clelin Ferrell, the Raiders needed a big day from one of their defensive ends, and young Mr. Crosby delivered.
6. The pass rush came alive
After back-to-back weeks of not taking down the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage, that changed in a big way against the Bears.
The Silver and Black notched three sacks – all in the first half – and put Chase Daniel under pressure all night.
In addition to Maxx Crosby's aforementioned sack, both Mo Hurst and Benson Mayowa got home as well, and now with 4.5 sacks on the year, Mayowa has more sacks than any individual Raider did in 2018.
