Oakland Raiders: Top 5 takeaways from Week 4 victory over the Indianapolis Colts

The Oakland Raiders were able to overcome the Indianapolis Colts in a game that was almost never in doubt, 31-14. But can they replicate their success for the rest of this road trip?

Headed into Week 4, the Indianapolis Colts were seven-point favorites against the visiting Oakland Raiders despite a quarterback shakeup at the very end of the offseason that threatened to derail their season.

The line, however, was reasonable given how unpredictable the Raiders have been thus far this season.

It seems that each week has seen something different — fast starts one week and slow ones the next, the fluctuating play of Derek Carr as he attempts to harness his confidence with doubters at his neck, a defense whose success is as easy to predict as the timeline for building a stadium in Vegas.

But Raider Nation had a lot to be excited about this week. Everything seemed to be clicking for the team. They jumped out early and the game was virtually never in doubt, even with a handful of miscues.

It’s understandable that there will be steps forward and steps backward from week to week with a rebuilding team, but this game — given where the Raiders are at in their season — was pivotal.

Coming off of a disappointing thrashing by Minnesota last week, the Raiders were staring a daunting road trip in the eye. This matchup against the Colts quickly transformed into a must-win game.

And the Raiders were able to live up to that, overcoming the Colts 31-24.

It was the first time since 2016 that Oakland was able to put up that many points in a road game, and it serves as the first road win of the season.

Derek Carr was able to air it out a little bit more this game, and fans should be excited to see that. Various receivers got in on the action, as well — something that might not have ever happened had we continued to live with the curse that was Antonio Brown on the active roster.

For this first time all season, it felt like the Oakland Raiders were firmly in control from start to finish.

Even when the Colts seemed as though they were a good drive away from making it a ballgame, the Raiders were able to maintain the distance. They were able to execute. And now the pressure is relieved slightly as they try to survive this long stint away from the Bay.

With the team now back to .500, the Oakland Raiders will have to face their biggest challenge of the season: replicating the positives of this week and attempting to sustain that level of play.

There is still a laundry list of things that the team can address in order to get better. The coaching staff — and the fanbase, for the most part — realizes that they are working with limited talent.

The expectation shouldn’t be to find a dozen diamonds in the rough, but rather to keep identifying talent and giving them the chance to shine.

This week has been an excellent step forward in that process, and it’s allowed the coaching staff to get a good sense of who to lean on moving forward.

Here are the top five takeaways from the Week 4 victory against the Indianapolis Colts.