We're now sitting at 5-4. This team has a winning record -- and a good opportunity to make the playoffs -- for the first time since 2016. What has been the difference, the Raiders who have elevated this team beyond the terrible seasons of 2017 and 2018 into playoff contention this year?
I see five in particular who have made the difference:
1) Trent Brown
Trent Brown is a beast. Yes, he's missed some playing time, but he has protected Derek Carr and opened up running lanes. Plus, he has instilled a nastiness along the offensive line that has been missing in recent seasons. He reminds me a lot of Bob "Boomer" Brown, the huge OT who manned the right side for the Raiders in the early 1970s after coming over from Philadelphia. Boomer is in the Hall of Fame, and deservedly so. Trent is an immediate upgrade in pass protection and the running game.
2) Josh Jacobs
Jacobs should be offensive rookie of the year. He runs hard, protects the ball and seems to be "money" when the game is on the line. He makes defenders miss and can outrun them for long gains. Throughout most of the San Diego game, Jacobs was stopped for small gains, before we needed a great run the most. He ran it in from almost the 20 and then put the game away with two runs for a first down when the Raiders got the ball back and needed to run out the clock. How good is Jacobs? He has surpassed both Marcus Allen and Bo Jackson in the number of yards gained at this point in their rookie seasons.
3) Richie Icognito
Talk about nasty. We have Brown serving up nasty on the right side and Icognito doing the same on the left side. I have to think that he's also elevated the game of Kolton Miller with his leadership. Why has Derek Carr been able to lead the Raiders to come from behind victories the past two games? Because we've been able to run the ball and pass protection has been phenomenal. Icognito and Trent Brown are the driving force behind the improvement in our offensive line.
4) Maxx Crosby
What a rookie. He is 100% effort on every play. We didn't have a pass rush last year and didn't look good for most of the season, until Crosby began coming on. Against San Diego, Crosby only had .5 sacks, but he had 10 QUARTERBACK PRESSURES, two of which contributed to interceptions. This kid, if he gets a little stronger, can be an absolute beast on the d line. Think a combination of Ted Hendricks and Jared Allen.
5) Derek Carr
Derek Carr is completing over 70% of his passes, a career high. He's also led two come-from-behind drives to help us win the last two games. I think of myself as a Carr "realist" as I realize his limitations and mistakes, but I also see that he is playing better, partly because he knows Gruden's system better in the second year, but also because he has had a very clean pocket for most of every game. I hope Carr continues to improve, shows a little more pocket awareness and begins to return to the fearlessness that was the hallmark of his 2016 season.
Honorable mention: Karl Joseph
Sadly, Joseph is out for the rest of the season after two of his best games as a Raider. He made a great defensive stop to win the game against Detroit, then followed it up with a game-reserving interception against San Diego.