3 Takeaways from Raiders' Week 2 Win

An impressive start to the 2021 NFL season continues for the Las Vegas Raiders. After winning an overtime thriller in Week 1, the Raiders traveled east and came out of Pittsburgh with a decisive win over the Steelers.

Though nowhere near a blowout win, Sunday's victory was not the nail-biter that last week's was. Las Vegas essentially sealed it with a 45-yard Daniel Carlson field goal with less than a minute remaining. That gave the Raiders a nine-point lead, and Pittsburgh's desperation trickery went nowhere.

The big takeaway is that Las Vegas is 2-0 and owns a share of the AFC West lead. Here's what else we learned during the Raiders' 26-17 win over Pittsburgh.

Since head coach Jon Gruden was hired in 2018, it's never quite felt like Derek Carr's future in Las Vegas was secure.

"The Raiders could be moving on from starting quarterback Derek Carr this offseason, with several team sources sensing a growing frustration with the veteran by the coaching staff," CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora wrote in late 2019.

Carr has been nothing short of spectacular in his first two games this season, though, and there should be no doubt that he's the right quarterback for this team. A terrific performance against a strong Steelers defense should prove that Carr's 435-yard outing against the Baltimore Ravens was no fluke.

The Raiders needed Carr to be great with the running game lagging, and he delivered. Carr finished 28-of-37 for 382 yards and two touchdowns.

For those keeping track, this means that Carr is averaging over 400 passing yards per game this season.

Carr and the Raiders were aided by Steelers injuries—Devin Bush (groin) and Joe Haden (groin) both missed the game and T.J. Watt exited with a groin injury. However, this was still a gutsy performance in a hostile environment and a sign that Carr should be in store for a special season.

Running back Josh Jacobs made his first Pro Bowl in 2020 after rushing for 12 touchdowns and producing 1,303 scrimmage yards in 15 games. However, Jacobs was held out of Sunday's game because of ankle and toe injuries. Instead, the Raiders put their faith in offseason acquisition Kenyan Drake and September addition Peyton Barber.

"I like the way he runs and catches and picks up blitzes," Gruden said of Barber, per ESPN's Paul Gutierrez. "We're excited about this opportunity to see what we have."

What the Raiders got was little on the ground. Barber led the team with 32 yards and a 2.5 yards-per-carry average. The Raiders finished with only 21 rushing yards in the first half and 52 yards for the game.

Las Vegas was going against a Steelers defense that allowed just 75 rushing yards to the Buffalo Bills in Week 1. Still, only four of the Raiders' 22 first downs came via the run, which is a problem against any defense.

Jacobs had four first-down and two touchdown runs in Week 1, despite not being at 100 percent. If Las Vegas wants a more balanced offense moving forward, it needs a healthy Jacobs in the fold as soon as possible.

The Raiders offense was plenty potent a year ago. Las Vegas ranked in the top 10 in both yards and points scored. The defense, which ranked 25th overall, left plenty to be desired.

That doesn't appear to be the case this season, though. The Raiders have faced two playoff-caliber opponents and held their own defensively. Against the Ravens, Las Vegas forced two critical turnovers. Against Pittsburgh, the defense notched another takeaway while flustering Ben Roethlisberger and shutting down the run.

Roethlisberger was a pedestrian 27-of-40 for 295 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The Steelers averaged just 2.8 yards per rush while gaining only three first downs on the ground. Pittsburgh's first three drives ended in a punt, an interception and a turnover on downs.

Solomon Thomas produced a pair of sacks to bring the Raiders' season total to five. Las Vegas had only 21 sacks all of last season.

Las Vegas has not fielded a shutdown defense yet this season, but coordinator Gus Bradley's unit has been opportunistic and aggressive. Any opponents that choose to overlook the Raiders' prowess on that side of the ball will be making a mistake.

*Advanced stats from Pro Football Reference.