Las Vegas Raiders

Derek Carr expects the Las Vegas Raiders to have plenty of fans for Monday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.

"Whether it was in Los Angeles at that soccer stadium or at Qualcomm in San Diego, it was another home game," he told reporters. "You always looked at it as another home game and that was no disrespect, it's just a fact."

The reality for the Chargers is opposing teams that have big fanbases always make their presence known even when Los Angeles is technically the home team.

That was the case in Week 2 when the Dallas Cowboys visited, and it will likely be the case when the Raiders, Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs and New York Giants visit later this season.

Carr knows this from playing inside the AFC West his entire career.

The Raiders used to play in Los Angeles from 1982 through 1994 before they moved back to Oakland, where they played from 1960 to 1981 and 1995 to 2019, and likely have plenty of fans in the area who remained loyal to the team even after it left.

Monday's contest will be an important one for more than just the scene in the crowd.

Las Vegas is 3-0 and tied with the Denver Broncos for first place in the division. The 2-1 Chargers are looking to make up some ground, and the 1-2 Chiefs are looming as a threat as the two-time defending AFC champions.

These showdowns will be critical in one of the league's most competitive divisions, especially as the Raiders and Chargers attempt to create some space between themselves and Kansas City in the early portion of the season.

Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Gerald McCoy has been suspended six games for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs, per Vic Tafur of The Athletic.

McCoy addressed the suspension in a statement, noting he was prescribed to take something "to help with scar tissue and tendon strength from a previous injury":

McCoy is currently on injured reserve and has been ruled out for the rest of the season due to a knee injury he suffered in Week 1, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. 

Per Pro Football Reference, the 33-year-old played only nine snaps this season.

McCoy also missed all of 2020 with a quad injury after signing with the Dallas Cowboys.

Considering he agreed to just a one-year deal with the Raiders this offseason, the veteran's future in the league is certainly in question.

The 2010 No. 3 overall pick earned six Pro Bowl selections during his nine years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He totaled 54.5 sacks across 123 games with the squad, starting every game he played.   

Hot starts to the 2021 season helped Rob Gronkowski and others boost their Madden 22 ratings.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers star jumped two points in the latest update from an 87 to 89, as former player Chad Johnson explained:

The 32-year-old has scored four touchdowns on 12 catches for 129 yards.

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr's rating increased from 81 to 82 in the update.

Carr leads the NFL with 817 passing yards and has four touchdowns and only one interception. The production has come against quality defenses with the Raiders defeating the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.

The 30-year-old has especially impressed with his deep passing, including a long touchdown throw to Henry Ruggs III:

It helped Carr earn a two-point boost in his deep throw accuracy rating.

In addition to the veterans' recognition for their hot starts, Steelers rookie Najee Harris also gained one point from 76 to 77 with the help of an increased stiff arm rating:

Harris is averaging only 3.2 yards per carry, but his highlights have turned heads.

Washington Football Team receiver Terry McLaurin also reached a 90 rating after an 11-catch, 107-yard performance on Thursday Night Football against the New York Giants.

The 26-year-old has proved he can excel regardless of the quarterback, which makes him one of the top receivers in the game.  

Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson put on a monster performance in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, going a perfect 4-of-4 on field goals with two made extra points.

The Auburn alum even hit from 46 yards out as the Raiders won, 26-17 to remain undefeated. That's more than Carlson can say for his fantasy team—and he only has himself to blame. 

The kicker was playing against himself in fantasy football and lost his matchup because of how well he did his job. 

It's pretty comical Carlson would even be thinking about his own fantasy performance when he plays professional football, but this should also be a lesson to him and all of his colleagues.

If you're in the NFL, there's no reason not to draft yourself with your first pick. Especially if you're a kicker who has yet to miss in six tries to start the year. 

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr is "ready to go" for Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins despite an ankle injury, coach Jon Gruden told reporters Wednesday.

Carr was a full participant in Wednesday's practice. Gruden said Monday that the NFL's leader in passing yards through two weeks was questionable after undergoing an MRI.

Carr was injured in last week's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers but never missed a snap and threw for 382 yards and two touchdowns.

"It was the same ankle that I broke. I said, 'I can't go out like this.' It could have been a lot worse," Carr said after the game.

Carr is off to the best start of his NFL career, throwing for 817 yards and four touchdowns against one interception while leading the Raiders to consecutive wins over 2020 playoff teams.

While it's early in the season, he is on pace to blast his previous career best in passing yards (4,103) and surpass his high in passing touchdowns (32).

A co-founder of the Las Vegas Raiders' Black Hole fan group died this week.

ESPN's Paul Gutierrez reported Rob Rivera died from COVID-19-related complications.

Rivera told The Ringer's Rafi Kohan in 2017 he was inspired by the Cleveland Browns' Dawg Pound to bring something similar to the Raiders as the franchise was preparing for its move back to Oakland, California.

He and 19 others bought front-row seats in Section 105 for the 1996 home opener and stood for the entire game. While fans seated behind the group voiced their displeasure early on, the Black Hole soon expanded and became a staple at Raiders games.

Mark Acasio was among those who became a fixture in the fan section.

"[Rivera's] vision was that one day, with the blimp overhead looking down, the entire stadium would be the Black Hole, but the heartbeat would be Section 105," he said to Gutierrez.

Over the years, the group has expanded not only beyond the Bay Area but also outside the United States. Domestically, the Black Hole extends eastward all the way to New England and has chapters in Australia, Germany and Mexico.

With their move to Las Vegas, the Raiders took the Black Hole to Allegiant Stadium. Radio broadcaster John Tournour told Gutierrez, however, that Rivera wasn't able to attend a game in Vegas.

Tournour went on to call Rivera "arguably the most important fan in Raiders history."

The Las Vegas Raiders are off to another 2-0 start after taking down the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2.

Despite the hot start, people might doubt their ability to contend this year since they've underwhelmed in this situation before. The Raiders began their 2020 campaign with a pair of victories before ultimately finishing 8-8 and missing the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.

The 2021 version of the Raiders is for real, though. That will become even more apparent in the coming weeks.

One big reason for Vegas' growth is the play of quarterback Derek Carr. The veteran has put himself atop the early-season MVP discussion after dissecting two quality AFC North defenses over the first fortnight of the campaign.

Carr began the year by going off for 435 yards and two touchdowns on 35-of-56 passing against the Baltimore Ravens. He willed his team to an overtime win on Monday Night Football, connecting on a brilliant 31-yard strike to Zay Jones to seal the victory.

Before he could become a hero on the final play, Carr first had to orchestrate three game-tying drives in the fourth quarter. This included running a frenzied hurry-up offense with less than 40 seconds on the clock and no timeouts to set up a 55-yard field goal to send the season opener to the extra frame.

The 30-year-old was even more poised against the Steelers. Carr battled against a relentless pass rush, completing over 75 percent of his passes while hanging 382 yards and two touchdowns on the Pittsburgh defense in a 26-17 win.

One reason for Carr's noticeable improvement is the ascension of wideout Bryan Edwards. Although the 2020 third-rounder hasn't accounted for a huge portion of Carr's targets, he's proving to be the reliable and sure-handed receiver the team lacked in tough situations last year.

Edwards played only 24 percent of the team's offensive snaps as a rookie. That number has jumped up to 70 percent in 2021, with a big increase in production to match. After catching only 11 balls for 193 yards last year, Edwards has already reeled in seven catches for 121 yards in two games.

The rise of Edwards, coupled with the continued development of speedster Henry Ruggs III and the All-Pro play of Darren Waller, has made this version of Carr the most dangerous he has been in his career.

There are still some causes for concern regarding the Raiders offense, mostly revolving around the offensive line. After trading away three starters this offseason, Vegas' new-look offensive line has already given up five sacks. The team is also averaging a meager 67 rushing yards per game, tied for the third-fewest in the NFL right now.

Fortunately for Vegas, Carr's otherworldly performances have still allowed the team to lead the NFL in total offense and rank seventh in points scored going into Week 3. The line should only improve with more reps, giving the unit time to jell and get some of its younger members—like first-round tackle Alex Leatherwood—valuable experience.

While Carr has been nothing short of incredible, the Raiders' defense sets this year's squad apart from head coach Jon Gruden's previous teams.

Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley deserves praise for his work turning that unit around in a single offseason. Vegas fired former defensive coordinator Paul Guenther before last season even wrapped up and installed Bradley in the vacant position back in January.

The decision is paying dividends for Las Vegas. Bradley has been heralded as a "no-nonsense" leader in the locker room and has earned the respect of his players in the past. Vegas now appears to be fully buying into the former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach's system.

Bradley has had success in this position before. He took the Seattle Seahawks from the No. 25 scoring defense up to the No. 1 spot by the end of his four-year run as their defensive coordinator between 2009-12. He also orchestrated the Los Angeles Chargers' third-ranked scoring defense in 2017 and had the team in the top half of the league in three of his four seasons with the club.

Bradley still employs the same 4-3 under system that he gained notoriety with during his "Legion of Boom" Seahawks days. The scheme calls for press Cover 3 and bump-and-run-style coverage. Marcus Mosher of Raiders Wire did a fantastic write-up on the gritty details of this defense that has changed Vegas' fortunes.

After giving up nearly 400 yards and 30 points per game to the opposition last year, Vegas has seemingly undergone a complete transformation on the defensive side of the ball. Through two games this year, the Raiders have allowed a shade under 370 yards and just 22 points per game.

They've managed this despite playing against a pair of teams that boasted top-12 scoring offenses during the 2020 season.

The defensive line has been particularly impressive. PFF noted that Maxx Crosby led all defenders in Week 1 with 13 pressures. RaidersBeat.com's Chris Reed highlighted one of Solomon Thomas' two sacks on Ben Roethlisberger, pointing out that he couldn't remember the last time Vegas forced a coverage sack.

Last year's Raiders recorded just 21 sacks all season long, while this version has already secured five sacks before Week 3. Vegas' plus-two turnover differential far outpaces its minus-11 figure from 2020, a mark that was tied for the second-worst in the NFL.

One of the more impressive feats the Raiders have already accomplished this year was securing a win after traveling across the country on a short week of rest.

The Raiders have long struggled with early afternoon Eastern Time Zone contests, but were able to come away with a convincing all-around victory at Heinz Field on Sunday despite facing a short week after their overtime win last Monday. Coming away with a victory in that type of situation, in that type of environment, is usually something only a good team is likely to accomplish.

Going 2-0 against a pair of 2020 playoff teams—and two of the toughest opponents on Vegas' schedule—sets the stage for a campaign that should result in at least a wild-card berth, if not an AFC West title.

Las Vegas went into the season with the eighth-toughest strength of schedule, but it now has only a handful of remaining games against teams that made the playoffs last year. It will square off with Browns, Colts and Kansas City twice between Weeks 10 and 17, a tough stretch that will test this group's mettle.

According to Nick Jacobs of KSHB 41, Bradley's defenses have been the most successful against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, whom the Raiders will have to get by to win the AFC West. 

The Raiders showed they can get through any opponent with their performances over the last two weeks. They appear ready to make their first postseason appearance since Gruden returned to the sidelines in 2018.

If they can get past the Chiefs at least once, the divisional crown may even belong to them for the first time in almost two decades.