Maxx Crosby is also playing with an injury that might a bigger issue in the future. He is currently playing with a high ankle sprain.
"It sucks," Crosby said. "It's unfortunate. Just part of the game, though. Every time I have a chance to go out there, I'm going to try to be out there with my teammates. Whether I'm 100 percent or 50 percent, it doesn't matter...
But it didn't get any worse, so I'll be good."
Part of me wants him to be more cautious. More of me just admires #98 for giving us everything he has.
The good news? We saw more great plays from Mr Tre Tucker!
Tucker posted career-bests of seven catches and 96 yards while scoring his first touchdown of the season.
"We didn't get the win, so it doesn't matter what stats I had," Tucker said. "I don't know how many yards I had last week. I know it wasn't much, but I do know we won and I enjoyed that. I like winning far more than stats."
Among his highlights was a 54-yard reception in the first quarter that led to a game-tying touchdown. The Raiders, however, allowed 26 unanswered points after that to a team that had only scored 23 points all season.
"If anything, this reminds you this is the NFL," Tucker said. "Everybody is good. You have to come prepared to play every week.
We clearly were not prepared last Sunday. Who was? Mr. Andy mother fucking Dalton..
"Honestly, it's just what I expected out of him," coach Dave Canales said after his first victory. "The receivers were in the right spots for him, and he took advantage when they gave us favorable coverages to hit those plays. He just continued drives so we could get in that striking zone and take those shots when they're there."
The veteran was clearly waiting patiently to get one more chance to show the NFL he is a capable starter. You can't knock a guy with fire sill in his belly. My belly only has tacos..
"I mean, it felt great," the 36-year-old said. "Obviously for me to get an opportunity to be out there and for it to go the way it did, I couldn't have drawn it up any better. I thought our guys came out with the right attitude, the right mentality from the start, and we never slowed down."
Damn right you didn't..
"I wasn't surprised, honestly," Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs said. "Andy Dalton is good. He's a backup right now, but he's a good player. He's been a very good guy in this league, so I wasn't surprised. Disappointed, but not surprised."
I suddenly remember how good he was in Cincinnati...
"They started the game early with a lot of quick-hitters," he said. "They got the run going, and we didn't do well enough there. That made it more manageable on third downs, which didn't help us. There were a lot of things. They did a good job. Made some crazy catches. They made some plays, so you have to give them credit. (Dalton has) been a Pro Bowler in this league, and he played well....They came ready to play, so they got the win."
Dalton has now won all four starts against the Raiders in his career and is 5-0 in games he has appeared in against the franchise.
"I wouldn't say there's one thing that has led to the success," he said. "Obviously, I'm happy to have the success against this team. The Raiders have been good. They've got good players all over the field. So, shoot, I'm glad that we're leaving today with another win for me."
Summary:
https://www.nfl.com/games/panthers-at-raiders-2024-reg-3?active-tab=watch
It's time to turn the page and burn the book, Raider Nation. Let's push the reset button, lift harder, train harder and fix our O-line problems to be successful! Let's RUN THE BALL with brute strength, quickness and ferocity! Let's cover more effectively! Diontae Johnson had 122 yards with 1 TD last Sunday! Thats unacceptable! What do you think Amari Cooper is capable of? Let's defend that kid like our life depended on it!
Quitters near win and winners never quit! Give me a REAL Season opener this Sunday, Raiders! I'll be waiting on the DARK SIDE of the End Zone!