PLAYER NOTES
–QB Derek Carr appropriately found rare air in Denver when he completed 29 of 32 (90.6 percent) for 288 yards with one TD and no interceptions for a 114.6 rating. His 90.6 completion percentage is fourth-highest in a single game among NFL QBs with 20-plus attempts and his 288 yards passing are the most by a QB with a 90-plus completion percentage in NFL history.
–TE Jared Cook had eight catches for 126 yards in the last meeting against Miami. He leads all NFL tight ends with 229 yards receiving and is second with 13 catches.
–WR Amari Cooper caught 10 passes for 116 yards in Denver. He is looking for his third consecutive road game with at least 115 yards receiving.
–RB Marshawn Lynch rushed for 65 yards and a touchdown against Denver and seeks his third consecutive game with a rushing touchdown.
–LB Tahir Whitehead is one of only nine NFL linebackers with at least 250 tackles (255) and 12 tackles for loss (13) since 2016.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: WR Jordy Nelson. In Week 1, tight end Jared Cook had nine catches for 180 yards. Last Sunday, wide receiver Amari Cooper caught 10 passes for 116 yards. Nelson, the 33-year-old free-agent acquisition who starred as Aaron Rodgers’ battery mate in Green Bay, has only five catches for 53 yards over two weeks and stood in as a temporary punt returner last Sunday with Dwayne Harris sidelined with a foot injury. Total there: two fair catches and a 7-yard return. Said head coach Jon Gruden, “We’re using a lot of receivers. We expect to see more and more from Jordy as the weeks unfold. Cooper had a big week last week, Cook had a big week in Week 1, hopefully Jordy has one this week.”
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Raiders TE Jared Cook vs. Dolphins LB Kiko Alonso. Cook led Oakland with 688 receiving yards last year and after two games in 2018 he is still leading the team with 229 receiving, including a franchise record 180 yards in Week 1. Alonso, a Bay Area native from Los Gatos who went to Oregon, is off to a productive 2018. He has an interception, one pass defensed, two forced fumbles, and 19 tackles. The Raiders have used Cook to dictate mismatches, so it will be interesting to see how these two match up.
–Raiders pass rush vs. Dolphins OL. The Raiders have been woefully deficient rushing the passer, especially in the opener against the Rams when QB Jared Goff’s time in the pocket could have been timed with a sun dial, even at night. The Dolphins have allowed five sacks, 13th in the league, and QB Ryan Tannehill was hit in the pocket nine times. Raiders DEs Bruce Irvin and Arden Key need to tee off and hit like a Mack, ah, truck.
