Here are the top takeaways and highest-graded players from the Raiders' 24-21 win over the Titans.
Oakland Raiders
— Second-year quarterback Derek Carr (0.0) had a better day than his overall grade suggests; the two big knocks on him were his false start penalty and his fumble when dropping the snap. However, as a passer, he had a +2.5 grade, fueled by his ability to hit passes over 10 yards, going 9-16 for 223 yards.
– Prior to this game, the Raiders seemed to have turned around David Amerson’s (+5.9) career; after finishing as the lowest-graded corner last season, it was understandable why Washington cut him one week into the season. However, over the course of the year, the Raiders had Amerson playing just above average. No one could have expected the performance that Amerson produced versus the Titans. He was targeted nines times, allowing just one catch for 5 yards with an interception off of a miscommunication, and four pass deflections.
– First-round pick Amari Cooper (+1.6) once again showed why he was the first wide receiver taken in the draft, and how much life he has helped infuse into this wide receiving corps. While Cooper has struggled with drops this season, where he has the second-worst drop rate, at 15.9 (only ahead of Mike Evans), he has shown the ability to be a game-changer. He was able to take the ball right off of Blidi Wreh-Wilson’s (-2.7) helmet for a big completion in this game.
Top performers:
CB David Amerson (+5.9)
WR Seth Roberts (+3.0)
LB Malcolm Smith (+2.3)
TE Clive Walford (+2.2)
DL Denico Autry (+1.9)
Tennessee Titans
– Marcus Mariota's (+0.5) box score stats look worse than his actual performance, only completing 46 percent of his passes and throwing two interceptions. However, a lot of this was due to miscommunications between the quarterback and his receiving group. Both interceptions where the result of these miscommunications, with Mariota throwing the ball with trust that his receivers were running the same route, but both ended up being picked off, as the receivers ended up running different routes. The second interception that ended the game was an example of this, as rookie receiver Dorial Green-Beckham ran a curl, but Mariota threw a post route before the break, and it ended up being an easy pick for Oakland.
– With Perrish Cox (+3.1) being in and out of the lineup due to injury this season, it was good to see the player the Titans had hoped to be signing in the offseason. Cox had his best day on the field, as he only allowed 28 yards and only 50 percent of passes to be completed against him (5-of-10), and had one pass deflection. As the Titans' season is now more about looking towards 2016, Cox could be a vital piece to turn them around in the near future.
– The Titans, going against the most efficient offensive line, struggled to get much of a pass rush. Derek Carr was only pressured on 27.5 percent of his passes, as the only player to give the Raiders' offensive line any issue was Karl Klug (+0.4). Klug record four total pressures and a +1.9 pass rushing grade. Overall, Oakland's offensive line was able to take over to give the Raiders just enough to beat the Titans.
Top performers
CB Perrish Cox (+3.1)
OL Taylor Lewan (+2.5)
SS Da’Norris Searcy (+1.7)
FS Michael Griffin (+1.5)
OL Chance Warmack (+1.4)
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