Takeaways and Sacks Keep It Close
The Buccaneers went up 14-0 with 3:52 left in the first quarter but didn’t score again until 8:47 remained in the game. The Raiders held Tampa Bay scoreless for six straight possessions during that time.
The Raiders recorded four sacks against Tampa Bay, three of which came in the first half. The team now has nine sacks in the past two games, tied for their most over a two-game stretch since Weeks 10-11 of the 2019 season (10 sacks).
The Raiders also reeled in two interceptions and recorded their first forced fumble of the season. The three takeaways are a season high and all came in the second quarter.
“Second quarter, these guys kind of focused, dialed in,” Head Coach Antonio Pierce said Monday morning. “I thought they did a great job competing. You saw the defense there were three turnovers, and then offense finally got going a little bit. And look, we’re going into half 14-10 with the ball. And the third quarter, we had the ball for whatever it was, 10-plus minutes down inside the 10-yard line with an opportunity to be down by one or take the lead.”