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Following an impressive 27-20 home victory over the Los Angeles
Chargers on Sunday, the Raiders head into the short week on a
three-game winning streak. They'll hit the road to face the Los
Angeles Rams, who are expected to have a new quarterback under
center after claiming Baker Mayfield off waivers from the
Carolina Panthers.
When the season started, the Raiders (5-7) were all about
quarterback Derek Carr and his reunion with wide receiver
Davante Adams, his former Fresno State teammate. But that
connection took some time to rekindle itself.
When the Raiders have delivered success, it's been when running
back Josh Jacobs has been able to shine. Jacobs had 144 yards
rushing against the Chargers, with the Raiders now 5-1 when he
gains 100 yards or more.
With 1,303 rushing yards, Jacobs is 457 yards away from breaking
Marcus Allen's franchise record set in the 1985 season. He has
10 rushing TDs, five away from surpassing Pete Banaszak's
franchise record set in 1975.
"I think (the offensive line) believes in me like I believe in
them," said Jacobs, who is on this week's injury report with a
quad contusion but is expected to play. "I encourage them guys
all the time. I'm their biggest advocate. Even when they do bad,
I tell them I believe in them. You can tell they lay it out on
the line for me and that's a great feeling to have."
Carr and Adams showed just how much they are on the same page
now with a pair of long TD passes that were key against the
Chargers. The first was a 31-yard strike to give the Raiders a
17-13 lead early in the second half, before a 45-yard
flea-flicker later in the third quarter for a 24-13 advantage.
Carr is 20 passing yards away from reaching 3,000 for the ninth
time in nine seasons. Only Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson
have accomplished that feat. Adams is 36 receptions away from
becoming the first player in NFL history with 115 receptions in
three consecutive seasons.
"We're definitely playing a better brand of football right now,"
Adams said. "(It's) complementary. When the offense isn't doing
great, the defense goes out there to do their job and they hold
teams to no scoring or stopping (opponents) in critical
moments."
The last time the Rams (3-9) played complementary football was
in the Super Bowl in February. Chances of a repeat title were
doomed early, first by poor play, then by injuries that have
devastated the roster.
Initially, it was the Los Angeles offensive line that was banged
up. Now the Rams are without the top three players that led last
year's title charge: quarterback Matthew Stafford (neck), wide
receiver Cooper Kupp (ankle) and defensive tackle Aaron Donald
(ankle). None of the three are expected to play Thursday.
That led to Mayfield being claimed Thursday. The 27-year-old
started six of the seven games he played in for Carolina after a
trade last July, completing 57.8 percent of his passes for 1,313
yards and six touchdowns against six interceptions. The No. 1
overall selection in the 2018 draft by the Cleveland Browns is
30-35 as a starting QB.
The Rams are on a six-game losing streak and their last victory
was so long ago, Christian McCaffrey was still a member of the
Panthers when Los Angeles defeated Carolina in October.
"I've heard it said before, ‘Calm seas don't make good
sailors,'" Rams head coach Sean McVay said, trying to be as
optimistic as possible moving forward. "And know this: We're
growing. I'm not going to allow this to be anything but a growth
opportunity. You're going to continue to see us compete to the
best of our ability, regardless of the circumstances."
--Field Level Media
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