From the start of this season, Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio has been a bit unconventional.
In the season-opening victory over the Saints in New Orleans, he elected to go for a two-point conversion late in the game. Instead of kicking the PAT to likely send the game into overtime, the Raiders went for the win – and got it – in a do-or-die call that showed his offense he had faith in its abilities.
“I was thinking that we’re here to win,” Del Rio told reporters after that 35-34 Oakland victory. “Let’s win it right now.”
Four games later, Del Rio showed he’s still willing to roll the dice and stay aggressive. And, it’s likely that attitude has helped his team jump out to a 4-1 start in 2016, the Raiders’ first such start since 2002, the last season the team earned a playoff spot.
The Raiders still have some weaknesses – especially on defense – but this Oakland team is showing a resilience, energy and swagger late in games that has carried over from the very first win this season over New Orleans.
In Sunday’s 34-31 victory over the Chargers at O.co Coliseum, the Raiders were trailing 24-19 late in the third quarter when they faced fourth-and-3 at the Chargers’ 21-yard line. In most instances, NFL coaches would have sent in Sebastian Janikowski to kick an almost-chip-shot field goal to get the margin down to 24-22 with still more than a quarter to play.
Instead, Del Rio and his staff decided to go for it, and quarterback Derek Carr connected on a 21-yard touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree in the end zone. Then, the Raiders went for two points, instead of one, with Carr hitting Amari Cooper for the conversion that suddenly put Oakland up 27-24. It was a lead the Raiders wouldn’t relinquish. It was the deciding moment in the game.
Sports
After the game, Del Rio told the media the call felt right at the time.
“It’s like all these situations,” he told Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee. “You make the call, what you think is best for the team, and then you count on your guys executing. Crab got open and made a nice play.”
The result could have backfired, but it didn’t. Just as in Game 1, Del Rio showed a swashbuckling style, and his players responded with perfect execution.
Del Rio isn’t making any plays on the field anymore, but the former linebacker certainly seems to have set the tone for a Raiders season that promises to be better than any in more than a decade.
The Raiders will try to keep it going this Sunday against the visiting Kansas City Chiefs (2-2) at 1:05 p.m.
