Raiders vs. Eagles score: Derek Carr has career day as Las Vegas advances to 5-2 for first time since 2016

Carr had his fifth 300-yard game of the year, as the Raiders went to 2-0 without Jon Gruden

Derek Carr couldn't be stopped as the Las Vegas Raiders are off to their best start in five years. Carr finished an astonishing 31 of 34 for 323 yards with two touchdowns as the Raiders obliterated the Philadelphia Eagles 33-22 to advance to 5-2 on the season -- 2-0 in the post-Jon Gruden era. The Raiders scored 30 unanswered points in the blowout victory, a dominating effort on both sides of the ball. 

The Raiders' offensive side set the tone early in the game, allowing Josh Jacobs to be the difference-maker in the opening half. Jacobs had six carries for 29 yards and a touchdown, along with three carries for 39 yards in the first half. He capped a 10-play, 96-yard drive with an 8-yard touchdown run to give Vegas its first lead of the game with 1:38 remaining in the second quarter, a lead it wouldn't relinquish.

After a Kenny Gainwell fumble on Philadelphia's first offensive play following the Jacobs score, Carr led Vegas on a 7-play, 19-yard drive that resulted in a Daniel Carlson field goal to put the Raiders up 17-7 at the half. The bleeding would only get worse from there as the Raiders recovered an onside kick attempt to give them a short field, resulting in a Kenyan Drake touchdown to get the rout going at 24-7. Bryan Edwards had a touchdown catch on Vegas' next possession to make it 30-7. 

Carr was 21 of 23 for 215 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the opening 30 minutes, his lone blemish on a tipped pass that landed into the hands of Avonte Maddox. He completed 16 straight passes in the first half, showcasing how good he was throughout the game. 

The Eagles were able to take the early lead on their opening possession, as Jalen Hurts completed a 13-yard strike to Gainwell to give Philadelphia a 7-0 advantage. Miles Sanders had five carries for 25 yards on the opening drive, one in which Philadelphia used a different look on offense with Hurts coming out of the huddle under center and a newfound commitment to run the ball. 

Sanders left the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury and was ruled out later in the contest. Gainwell and Boston Scott took the reps at running back, but the Eagles weren't able to get anything going offensively. Scott rushed for a 1-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter when the game was out of hand. Hurts also threw a touchdown pass to Jalen Reagor late in the game. He finished 18 of 34 for 236 yards with two touchdowns and rushed for 61 yards. -- the majority of those yards coming with the game out of reach. 

Here are takeaways from this game and a recap of the contest in our live blog below:

Why the Raiders won

There was nothing more to say about how good Derek Carr was in this game. Arguably the best performance of Carr's career, he finished with just three incompletions on the day and a 91.2 completion percentage -- the second-highest in a game in league history (minimum 30 attempts). Drew Brees, who went 29 of 30 (96.7%) two years ago, holds the top honor.

Carr had his fifth 300-yard passing game of the season (most in the NFL) as he delivered from a clean pocket all day -- without his top target in Darren Waller. The Raiders quarterback delivered throws in a few tight windows, but overall had his pass catchers wide open throughout the day. 

He finished with 323 yards and averaged 9.5 yards per attempt. Carr took whatever the Eagles defense gave him -- and capitalized. 

Why the Eagles lost

The Eagles were just dominated on both sides of the trenches in the loss. The defensive line was a massive disappointment, only recording two quarterback hits and no sacks on Derek Carr throughout the day. Vegas' offensive line also paved the way for the Raiders to finish with 4.1 yards per carry -- they came in last in the NFL with 3.3.

Yannick Ngakoue and Maxx Crosby dominated Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson throughout the afternoon, forcing Jalen Hurts to leave the pocket much quicker than he would have liked as the Eagles quarterback ran for his life. Hurts was hit seven times and sacked twice, getting pressured throughout the day. This was arguably the worst game for the Eagles offensive line this year. 

Turning point

Miles Sanders injury really affected what the Eagles did early in this game, so much that Philadelphia couldn't run the ball once he was out of the game with an ankle injury. Sanders had five carries for 25 yards on the first drive of the game, which resulted in the Eagles taking an early 7-0 lead. 

Sanders had one more carry before leaving the game with his injury and the Eagles couldn't score until 11:38 left in the fourth quarter. When Sanders was in the game, Jalen Hurts was under center and efficient when running play-action -- which was abandoned when Sanders was injured. 

Eagles running backs not named Sanders had 12 carries for 44 yards and a touchdown with a fumble, but Hurts was certainly missing having the explosiveness of Sanders in the offense. The Eagles didn't have much of a chance once Sanders was out. 

Play of the game

Derek Carr made plenty of strong throws in this one, but none was better to his touchdown pass to Foster Moreau to tie the game at 7-7. An unprotected Carr threaded the needle to Foster Moreau on second-and-4, firing an 18-yard strike to the Raiders' No. 2 tight end.

Moreau made an incredible catch over Marcus Epps (who had strong coverage on the play). Starting in pace of an injured Darren waller, Moreau was not going to be denied on the excellent pass from Carr. The Raiders quarterback has been a proponent of Moreau for years -- and that catch showed why. 

The quote

"Derek Carr is the voice of the Raiders right now. -- Raiders interim coach Rich Bisaccia after the game (via Vic Tafur of The Athletic). 

Carr was brilliant in dissecting the Eagles defense, as his 91.2% completion rate is the second-highest in a game since 1950 (minimum 30 attempts). Carr was 31 of 34 with a clean pocket throughout the day, putting the Raiders on his back as the team is 2-0 in the post-Jon Gruden era. 

The Raiders have the look of a playoff team, as Carr is in the midst of the best season of his career. 

Up next 

The Raiders are 5-2 for the first time since 2016 and head into their bye week. They face the New York Giants on Sunday, November 7. The Eagles are 2-5 for the first time since 1999 and play the Lions next Sunday in Detroit. 

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@Raiders via Twitter
October 24, 2021, 11:40 PM
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@Raiders via Twitter
October 24, 2021, 11:40 PM
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@Raiders via Twitter
October 24, 2021, 11:21 PM
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Don't let the 33-22 final score fool you. The Eagles were dominated by the Raiders in every facet of this one. Hurts wasn't great, even though the stats look fine. The Eagles don't set him up great early in games. It's hard to get a grasp on him as the QB of the future. 

Carr was incredible today. Had tons of protection, but just didn't miss. The opposite was true for Hurts, who was pressured all day. 

Eagles are 2-5 for the first time since 1999. Raiders are 5-2 for first time since 2016. two franchises heading in completely different directions. 

Jeff Kerr
October 24, 2021, 11:04 PM
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@Eagles via Twitter
October 24, 2021, 10:26 PM
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It's gone from bad to worse for the Eagles. Jalen Hurts fumbles the football on 3rd and goal and things have snowballed. 

It's 30-7 Raiders. They're crushing a horrible football team. 

Jeff Kerr
October 24, 2021, 10:16 PM
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@Eagles via Twitter
October 24, 2021, 10:14 PM
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The Eagles have allowed 30 unanswered points. The Raiders are cruising to 5-2 -- the last time they did that they made the playoffs. 

Jeff Kerr
October 24, 2021, 10:08 PM
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