Raiders' winners from brutal 38-10 loss to Buffalo Bills

Justin Churchill — College Football & NFL Trending News Writer

Sep 18, 2023 12:52 PM EDT

"I'm not real encouraged about much of what we did today overall as a team," Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels told the media after the game.

There isn't much to be encouraged about. They didn't do anything good, and in fact, they got embarrassed by the Buffalo Bills, who played a far less than mediocre game in Week 1 against the New York Jets.

However, there are some "winners" in this loss. Some guys walked away from the 38-10 loss feeling a bit better about their situation.

Here are the three winners from Week 2 for the Las Vegas Raiders:

Raiders Winners after Week 2 loss

Jakobi Meyers, WR – Yes, I know, Meyers didn't play in Week 2, so how is he a winner? Well, the offense struggled mightily without him, whereas in Week 1, it was much better, especially in the passing game. In Week 1, he was Jimmy Garoppolo's favorite target, as they go way back from their days in New England.

In Week 2, he often looked like he didn't trust his receivers, which only increased Meyer's stock. We know that Garoppolo will continue looking for Meyers in the coming weeks.

Davante Adams, WR – Adams, who left after being hit in the head when his quarterback threw him into the injury, had a much better game this week than he did in Week 1. In Week 1, he had a rough game as Patrick Surtain locked him down. Pat Surtain II had 20 single coverage reps against Davante Adams, and in those reps, Surtain won the battle.

In six targets, he allowed just two receptions for 11 yards. Surtain also had three pass breakups and one questionable defensive pass interference. In Week 2, though, Adams abused the matchup with Tre White. He finished with six catches for 84 yards and a touchdown.

Tre Tucker, WR: Yes, basically, the whole receiver group gets the nod as winners; well, these three do for sure. With Tucker, it's different, though, as he played his first-ever game. In that game, he played pretty well, too.

Tucker had one carry on a jet sweep that went for 34 yards. He also showed that his speed can be used in his route running, too, as he got open for one play. Garoppolo threw it to him, but he couldn't haul it in. It's a positive, though. The kid can get open; now the team just needs to work on his hands.