Carr, receivers bring back vertical game to Raiders
Derek Carr dropped back and unleashed a deep strike that Nelson Agholor caught for a touchdown. Two drives later, Carr did it again when Henry Ruggs III got behind the Kansas City defense and brought in another pass for a touchdown.
The quarterback who has been criticized for too often settling for checkdowns is finally showing the aggressiveness the Raiders hoped he would after they drafted Ruggs, the speedy receiver from Alabama.
The performance Carr delivered against the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs might have made even the difficult to please late owner Al Davis smile if he could have seen it.
It was also a sign that the Raiders ( 32) might have an offense that can keep pace with the more dynamic teams in the league as Las Vegas heads into its bye week seventh in the NFL in scoring at 30.2 points per game.
It’s only fitting the “vertical game” is a big part of the turnaround, considering that Davis once called that his No. 1 philosophy when it came to building a team.
“We were going to stretch the field vertically,” he once told NFL Films. “When we came out of the huddle, we weren’t looking for first downs. We didn’t want to move the chains. We wanted touchdowns. We wanted the big play, the quick strike.”
Though Carr has shown flashes of this during his career, he wasn’t willing to go deep consistently. His average depth of throw was the lowest in the NFL from 2018 through ’ 19 as the Raiders ranked near the bottom in the league in scoring, in part because of a lack of big plays.
That has begun to change with the addition of Ruggs, who was drafted 12th overall after running the 40yard dash in 4.27 seconds at the combine.
Ruggs caught a 46yard pass to set up a field goal and a 72yarder that went for a touchdown Sunday as the Raiders showed they have the same type of dynamic threat with which Kansas City has throttled them in recent years with Tyreek Hill.
“I know I have a role in the offense,” Ruggs said. “I came in because the organization saw something in me and they saw something that I could use my talents to help the offense and help the team.”
Ruggs has only six catches this season but they have gone for 177 yards; he is the only player in the league with three receptions of at least 40 yards.
His impact runs far deeper than just on the plays when he gets the ball. Defenses are forced to respect his speed, which opens up underneath routes for tight end Darren Waller and slot receiver Hunter Renfrow, as well as running lanes for Josh Jacobs.
The Raiders gain 2.2 more yards per pass when Ruggs is on the field than when he isn’t, according to SportsInfo Solutions.
“When you’re really healthy, the full offense is open. We can do everything that we want to do,” Carr said.