The Las Vegas Raiders got their first win of the season, it just so happened to be against one of the best teams in the league, and certainly one of the best over the last five years or so. No one picked them to win, not even myself, but, the Raiders proved everyone wrong, including myself.
On the offensive side of the ball, they still started very, very slow. In fact, the first half of the game was a snooze-fest, because the Raiders' defense shut down the Ravens' offense, and the Raiders' offense shot themselves in the foot every possession.
But, the second half saw the Raiders' offense dramatically improve, specifically the last drive, which the Raiders scored on with Davante Adams and Brock Bowers doing a ton of the work. But one thing that may go overlooked for the Raiders offense, really even against the Los Angeles Chargers, too, is that Alexander Mattison has been a good addition so far.
He's even broken some records or droughts, I should say, that hasn't been broken since Marshawn Lynch, one of the best to do it.
RB Alexander Mattison punches it in for a 1-yard touchdown run, capping off a 7-play, 46-yard Raiders touchdown drive. Mattison logs his 12th career rushing touchdown and his first since Week 18 of 2022. Mattison is the first Raiders running back to score a touchdown (rushing or receiving) in each of the first two games of a season since Marshawn Lynch (first 3) in 2018. - Raiders PR Team
Mattison is being used on the goalline like he was on Sunday against the Ravens, and he's being used in the passing game like he was against the Chargers. And, he's been hitting gaps well, which is something that can be counted as a weakness of his last season with the Minnesota Vikings.
He is establishing a role for himself, even as the second guy in his position. And, who knows, Zamir White has struggled a bit, so maybe Mattison will take over. He's having no issue getting adjusted to this system.
