Road warrior Raiders growing into expectations

BALTIMORE — Three road trips, three wins. The Oakland Raiders have not blinked in the face of one of the NFL’s most challenging schedules over the first month of the season, proving they can pack a bag, strengthen their collective bond and handle a good business trip.

This time, the Raiders (3-1) regrouped after squandering the lead in the fourth quarter, rallying Sunday to hang a 28-27 defeat on the Baltimore Ravens.

Just as telling, the Raiders' win came on the East Coast.

Don’t sneeze at that. Before this effort, with a kickoff that their body clocks may have interpreted as 10 a.m. Pacific, the Raiders were 1-18 since 2009 in games in the Eastern time zone.

Surely, this all suggests something about a young team enveloped with lofty expectations. Derek Carr, the sharp-shooting quarterback who tossed four touchdown passes, may know what it means.

“We need to win at home,” Carr said, mindful that the only loss this season came in Oakland against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2. “Sorry, Raider Nation. We’ve got to do it in front of y’all.

“In all seriousness, it does say that we’ll fight anywhere.”

It took some scrapping in Baltimore. The Raiders’ offense, ranked No. 2 in the NFL after Week 3, could generate just 13 first downs and 261 yards against the Ravens. They were 3-for-12 on third downs. And in the fourth quarter, rookie running back DeAndre Washington was stripped of the football, the turnover setting up a go-ahead Baltimore touchdown.

Yet the setbacks didn’t doom the Raiders, as it did so many previous editions. These road-game challenges, like the down-to-the-wire job at New Orleans in Week 1, have allowed a young team a certain amount of confidence.

“The way we’re winning, it just shows the culture we’ve built is paying off,” said Carr. “You’re seeing the benefits of it.”

You’re also seeing a young team growing up in a hurry. Sure, there are a few wily vets in tow, like kicker Sebastian Janikowski. But the identity of this team — for a franchise that hasn’t had a winning season in 14 years — is that youth is being served in abundance as it aims to build a solid contender.

Carr, 25, pointed out how many view wideout Michael Crabtree, an eighth-year vet who snagged three TDs Sunday (including the game-winning, 23-yarder with 2:12 left), as the old man.

“He’s just 29!” Carr said.

And still learning. At the end of the winning reception, Crabtree dragged his left foot across the turf to ensure that it was legal. Typically, he will use a toe-tap to mark himself inbounds. But receivers coach Rob Moore, who played 12 NFL seasons, has been harping on him to drag the toe instead.

“I did that for him, right there,” Crabtree said.

The defense is growing, too. The unit came to town ranked dead-last in the NFL, with coordinator Ken Norton trying to mesh an array of new pieces. A 52-yard TD catch-and-run by 37-year-old Steve Smith was a fresh reminder that Norton's troops are allowing too many big plays.

But Bruce Irvin’s strip-sack of Joe Flacco, Irvin’s third forced fumble of the season, led to a touchdown. And in the end, with the Ravens desperately trying to set up a game-winning field-goal try, the defense held up as safety Reggie Nelson broke up Flacco’s final pass.

“You talk about the adversity, it brought us together,” insisted defensive end Khalil Mack, who recorded his first sack of 2016 Sunday.

It’s also evident that road trips are much more palatable when you’re winning. Raiders coach Jack Del Rio may still grumble about the schedule, but he’s accepted the reality.

"First of all, at some point, we really stop talking about the time zone,” Del Rio said. “Good football teams find a way to win, wherever they are.”

They’d better. The Raiders play their next two games at home, but then come back-to-back trips to Florida. And with one of Oakland’s home games exported to Mexico City, in November, the Raiders really play nine on the road.

But at least it looks like they’ve found a formula. Like most teams based on the West Coast, the Raiders leave on Friday when heading east. Beyond that, Del Rio minimizes fuss.

Mack recalled his rookie year, and that then-coach Dennis Allen switched up items on the schedule and wake-up calls for certain trips to account for time-zone differences.

“Coach Jack is like, ‘(Skip) it. You come in and you adjust your time on your own,' " Mack said. “You wake up whenever you’re supposed to, and you’ve got to grind it out. It’s a different mindset.”

With the type of different results the Raiders have been longing for.

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Follow NFL columnist Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell

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