There are just six games remaining on the Raiders 2021 schedule which means we are officially in the home stretch. Which means the emergence of Desean Jackson in the comes just in time. After three weeks in which the Raiders offense struggled without a true deep threat, we saw just how big a difference his presence made.
The first week after Henry Ruggs III was released due to his drunk driving accident that killed a young woman and her dog, the team was a shell of its former self. Some seemed to attribute it directly to the emotions the team was feeling. And while there may have been some emotional impact, the loss of Ruggs’s role as the deep threat in the offense was far more obvious.
Jackson was signed immediately thereafter, but his first two games he was still getting the hang of the offense and played only a handful of snaps. His one deep catch was then fumbled away while he attempted to make a play after the catch.
Thanksgiving in Dallas, Jackson’s snaps jumped considerably and the offense jumped up with it. His quarterback’s numbers rose to levels not seen since prior to Ruggs’s release.
“I think the first couple weeks we talked about how everything was moving the right way but he’s not on the field as much,” Derek Carr said Wednesday.
“I think what we saw in the Dallas game was he was on the field more. He had more opportunities. So, when his number was called and they were playing a certain coverage, ‘Okay, well yeah, that’s where the ball is going to go.’ And I think he had three or four targets, three catches, a big penalty for us on a go ball. Really two big penalties on a go ball. So, he could have had five or six catches for 180 yards or whatever. That’s him just being able to handle more and be in the system more and being able to play more. I think that him being able to do that obviously gives us that stretch that we are going to need for everyone else to get active too.”
The primary benefactor of the defense having to account for Jackson was slot receiver Hunter Renfrow who put up career-highs in catches (8) and yards (134). Mind you all this was accomplished with Pro Bowl TE Darren Waller out the entire second half.
The result was an overtime win which put the Raiders at 6-5 which is a significant different from losing their fourth straight game and dropping to 5-6.
The winning record plus the emergence of Jackson puts the Raiders in a favorable position for their final six games — a stretch that has not been great for the team in the past three years.
Up this week is the 5-6 Washington Football Team. The rest of the way, however, they don’t face another team with a current losing record.
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