What We Saw: Week 3

Oakland Raiders vs Minnesota Vikings

 

The Oakland Raiders offense hit a speed bump in Week 2. Derek Carr threw for less than 200 yards and had two picks to one touchdown toss. He fared a bit better against the Vikings but was held to short throws for a majority of the game. On the other side of the field, the Vikings excelled in pass coverage last week against the Packers and Aaron Rodgers. They continued their excellent defensive effort against the Raiders in Week 3.

 

Oakland Raiders

 

Quarterback

 

• Derek Carr: 27/34, 242 Yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT | 1 Rush, 0 Yards

 

Carr was on target for a majority of his throws but was kept to working the short and intermediary field by a stringent Minnesota defense. On his lone interception of the day, the ball sailed high and right into a defenders hands. On one of his touchdown throws, the Raiders went old school and resurrected the flea-flicker for the score. J.J. Nelson was hit uncovered and raced into the endzone for the score. Carr had several impressive throws throughout the game and had a handful of drives stall when his receivers couldn’t corral passes that hit them in the hands.

 

Running Backs

 

• Josh Jacobs: 10 Rushes, 44 Yards | 2 Targets, 0 Catches
• Andre Washington: 6 Rushes, 22 Yards
• Jalen Richard: 2 Rushes, 15 Yards | 3 Receptions, 15 Yards

 

Josh Jacobs continued his steak of hard running but came up short on a key fourth and one try. He was effective in moving the ball but had his carries dialed back after dealing with an injury the past week. The running game slowly became an afterthought for the Raiders as they fell behind quickly to the Vikings.

Andre Washington had a highlight run for a first down when he fought and juked his way through an onslaught of Viking defenders. Given his effort and skill set, Washington should be well on his way to carving out more carries for himself. 

 

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends

 

• Darren Waller: 14 Targets, 13 Receptions, 134 Yards | 1 Rush, 7 Yards
• J. J. Nelson: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 36 Yards, 1 TD
• Tyrell Williams: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 29 Yards, 1 TD
• Hunter Renfrow: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 28 Yards
• Foster Moreau: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 1 Yard

 

Darren Waller had a highly impressive game. He was effective off the line of scrimmage and running screens. On a third and long, he read his blockers correctly and raced upfield for the first down. He accounted for nearly half of Carr’s receptions and over half of the Raiders passing yards.

Nelson and Tyrell Williams were both secondary to Waller as the Vikings succeeded in locking down throws downfield. Nelson scored on the aforementioned flea-flicker and Williams was able to collect a scoring pass as the game went on. Both were tasked with catching passes amidst tight defensive coverage all afternoon.

 

Minnesota Vikings

 

Quarterbacks

 

• Kirk Cousins: 15/21, 174 Yards, 1 TD | 4 Carries, 16 Yards

 

Kirk Cousins was able to connect with a lot of open receivers throughout the afternoon. On his one scoring toss to Adam Thielen, Cousins hit his receiver as he uncovered from his defender on the left side of the field. Cousins was sharp during the afternoon, but once again leaned heavily on his running game. He did pick up a key first down while utilizing his legs in the red zone. Cousins nearly threw a pick when he tossed a screen pass directly into a Raiders defensive lineman’s hands but was sharp throughout the afternoon. 

 

Running Backs

 

• Dalvin Cook: 16 Carries, 110 Yards, 1 TD | 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 33 Yards
• Alexander Mattison: 12 Carries, 58 Yards, 1 TD
• Mike Boone: 3 Carries, 28 Yards

 

Dalvin Cook continued his impressive start to the season. He was highly effective on the ground and through the air. Some of Cook’s cutbacks were incredible to witness. He was able to escape from the clutches of defenders and consistently gain positive yardage. Cook was able to use his speed to create consistent openings in the running game and was highly impressive running screens. He took a toss and made a strong second effort to power into the endzone for a short-yardage score. Mattison was highly effective with his carries. He barreled his way through defenders and launched himself into the endzone for his lone score on the ground.

 

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends

 

• Irv Smith Jr.: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 60 Yards
• Adam Thielen: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 55 Yards, 1 TD | 1 Carry, 1 Yard, 1 TD
• Stefon Diggs: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 15 Yards
• Kyle Rudolph: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 11 Yards

 

Kyle Rudolph’s lone reception was a yard away from becoming a scoring grab. He caught the ball and worked his way to the left sideline before going out of boards right before crossing into the endzone. Thielen had a nice scoring catch and added an impressive run on an inside handoff to score on the ground. Irv Smith showed off impressive feet and instincts to get open on his three grabs. Throughout the game, the Vikings passing game once again played second fiddle to their rushing attack.

 

• Ben Davidowitz