It's almost too bad that the Raiders have to wait two weeks for the regular season to start because they're ready to roll now. There's a reason why the Raiders are a popular playoff pick this year and that reason is because Derek Carr slings fire every time he throws the ball.
The Raiders quarterback started off hot against Tennessee and never really cooled off during the five possessions he was on the field during the Raiders' 27-14 loss.
On the Raiders' second offensive play from scrimmage, Carr hit Michael Crabtree with a perfect over-the-shoulder pass on the sideline that went for a 41-yard gain. Carr didn't stop there, he also threw a sweet 29-yard touchdown pass to Amari Cooper.
Overall, five of Carr's 12 completions went for 14 or more yards in the game. That's the kind of big play capability that's going to make the Raiders offense scary this season. Carr played one possession into the third quarter and finished the game 12 of 18 for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Cooper had three catches for 52 yards, while Crabtree ended his night with just that one big catch.
Raiders fans probably don't need anything else to be excited about because there heads are probably close to exploding from optimism, but guess what, there's more. Let's talk about DeAndre Washington.
Although Latavius Murray is the Raiders starter, Washington got most of the snaps on Saturday and he made the most of them. The 2016 fifth-round pick made a bid for some serious playing time with his performance against the Titans.
Not only did Washington carry the ball eight times for 55 yards, but he also added a six-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter.
Anyway, Raiders fans better keep their fingers crossed that Carr never gets hurt because things got pretty ugly for Oakland's offense after he left the game. Matt McGloin and Connor Cook each threw an interception during their short time on the field in the second half.
2. The Bears' offense was embarrassingly bad
The Bears' starters (most of them, anyway) were simply embarrassed by the Chiefs in the first half. The ugly numbers: Chicago ran 18 plays before halftime en route to being out-possessed by the Chiefs, 21:54 to 8:06. Those 18 plays totaled 20 yards. That's an average of 1.11 yards per play. They were out-gained 239-20. They totaled -7 (yes, negative 7) passing yards in the first half, and only 27 rushing yards.
They allowed the Chiefs to go on three drives of 10 plays or more, all of which ended in scores. Had Andy Reid not elected to kick two field goals from inside the 10-yard line, they might have totaled more than 13 points, too.
The final indignity showed up on the last two plays of the first half. After Spencer Ware was penalized 15 years for unsportsmanlike conduct on his touchdown celebration, the Bears got the ball on a short field with six seconds left in the half. They attempt to run a quick-hitting pattern to gain a few extra yards, but Jay Cutler threw the ball into the ground, missing a wide-open receiver by a mile.
On the next play, he was strip-sacked by Dontari Poe. The fumbled was recovered for a loss of 10 yards.
The final: 23-7 Chiefs, but it wasn't really as close as the score.
3. The Chiefs do more with less
Kansas City was missing several starters on both sides of the ball ( Jamaal Charles, Justin Houston, Tamba Hali, Eric Berry, Josh Mauga, and center Mitch Morse, who was ruled out shortly before the game), but their starters really took it to the Bears. Alex Smith was his usual efficient (20 of 30) but not very explosive (6.0 yards per attempt) self, though he did lead the Chiefs on the aforementioned three scoring drives.
View image on Twitter
Spencer Ware found the end zone with a short plunge and had four catches. Jeremy Maclin had five and Travis Kelce had three. Andy Reid's crew mixed in some multi-tight end sets to get guys like Demetrius Harris and Ross Travis involved.
The defense may have looked even better than the offense. Derrick Johnson was flying all over the field, making plays in the backfield and near the line of scrimmage. Poe had a sack and another quarterback hit, and rookie Chris Jones practically took up residence behind the Bears' offensive line. Marcus Peters, Steven Nelson, and Daniel Sorenson got help from a couple Chicago drops, but they held their own in coverage for the most part.
4. Bears quarterback Connor Shaw carted off
Shaw led the Bears on their only scoring drive of the afternoon, but suffered what looked to be a fairly serious injury on Chicago's next possession. He was ultimately carted off the field after going 5 of 6 for 68 yards and a touchdown toss to Cameron Meredith.
5. Ravens lose Ben Watson for the season
The Ravens signed Ben Watson to a two-year, $7 million deal this offseason after his 74-catch, 825-yard, six-touchdown year with the Saints in 2015, hoping he would provide another reliable target for Joe Flacco over the middle. On the first play of their third preseason game, Watson's 2016 campaign came to an end. He tore his Achilles on a non-contact play, and he's expected to be out for the year.
