Image Source: https://saintswire.usatoday.com/

I think we can all agree on one thing here: the Las Vegas Raiders sending the New Orleans Saints packing after a shocking 34-24 victory is, hands down, the highlight of the season (so far!).

It’s only the third week, yet things are already starting to look crazy from here. If only Monday Night Football had a live audience during that epic matchup, we would’ve seen the wildest crowd yet.

But anyway, before we get into detail about the Saints vs. Raiders Week 2 spectacle that everyone’s still rambling about, let’s retract some pre-game bits to put things in perspective:

  • Drew Brees outplayed Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in Week 1, pushing the Saints’ odds for Week 2 by a significant margin.
  • The Raiders had a good run just the same, but not as good as their rival’s numbers.
  • Michael Thomas getting sidelined from an ankle sprain was bad omen for the Raiders.

Now that’s out of the way, let’s dive into what went down that night.

In what looks like the greatest upset of the season so far, Derek Carr and the Raiders managed to steal the Saints’ thunder at Allegiant Stadium. At this point, the Raiders are now 2-0. I know.

But that’s just a blip on the radar.

Early on, everybody had the same thought process. It was just another child’s play for the Saints, that they’d just take the game with a swift win after rushing an early 10-point lead into the second quarter.

Then suddenly, things took a quick turn. Derek Carr just wasn’t gonna let that happen. Not in their new home, at least.

Although starting middle of the road, Carr was the real hotshot of this feat. He kept taking multiple sacks during the first half of the game, but from that point on, he became unstoppable. Even Drew Brees’ passes couldn’t slip through, and for that we have to give Johnathan Abram some credit. The Raiders’ offensive line was also a furious bunch, even managing to destabilize Cameron Jordan. And to piece it all together, their defensive line remained rock solid the whole time. It’s like watching clockwork.

It was one helluva Monday night, and after what happened, we’ll definitely be seeing more of ‘football in Vegas’. Drew Brees is certainly not pleased, but he seems unfazed - even saying that the Saints have yet to unlock their fullest capacity. I guess we’ll see about that.