The Raiders finally won a game. That was an important step after three consecutive losses, a result that increased morale and showed great resilience.
The Raiders overcame losing another late lead. They showed moxie and fight and, for the first time in this season, performed under pressure.
But beating the Cleveland Browns 45-42 in overtime didn’t create delusions of grandeur. Coach Jon Gruden knows full well this Raiders team has a long way to go.
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SIGN UP HERE “We haven’t fixed anything yet,” Gruden said Sunday. “We have a lot of things we have to get better at. I think it is pretty obvious. We played some good football for stints. We played good football in Miami. We played some good football against the Rams. We had some really good tape against Denver, but we have tape that needs to be fixed. That’s the same thing that I think we will see today.
“We have some guys that are really eager to work, we have good leadership, and we are going to continue to do it. It was really fun to score and win a game and to get that monkey off our back.”
That’s why Gruden looked dog tired at his Monday press conference. He didn’t enjoy the Browns win long -- though a coach famous for working long hours rarely does -- clearly pushing to bandage problems and get ready for a talented Chargers squad this coming Sunday.
“It’s hard to rejoice in your victories for very long,” Gruden said. “We have a real challenge (ahead).”
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He listed the reasons why Sunday will be difficult, from Philip Rivers and Melvin Ingram and Derwin James. The Raiders have their own issues, including injuries along the offensive line.
The Raiders' defense remains a work in progress, but it showed signs of improvement with four takeaways after creating one the first three weeks. The Raiders have given up way too many big plays. Cleveland had five plays of 34 yards or more, including three touchdowns. The Raiders have allowed 23 plays of 20 yards or more, and seven of 40-plus.
“We just have to eliminate the five or six plays per game that are dearly costing us,” Gruden said. “That’s very uncharacteristic of our style of defense. We have to tackle better when we are in 1-on-1 situations. We have to eliminate the big plays. But there is some great effort. Some great individual and collective effort. We have to figure out how to solve these big plays.”
The Raiders are moving the ball well offensively, but they aren’t scoring enough. They rank second in total offense but 13th in scoring, a rank that was No. 28 before they scored 45 on the Browns.
Gruden’s offense wasn’t scoring often enough, without regularly capitalizing on red-zone opportunities. They turned it around Sunday against Cleveland, with Marshawn Lynch leading the ground attack and Derek Carr distributing the ball well. There’s plenty to like about this offense, assuming it can remain consistent finishing drives from week to week.
“Now we know what it takes,” Carr said. “We have to go and put everything out there to finish all three phases.”