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

1. Better preparation from the coaching staff leads to a hot start

Raider Nation has been critical of their $100 million investment in a head coach ever since the ink dried on the contract. Most of the criticisms of Jon Gruden have been deserved.

But with so many positives coming from this game, it’s about time we give him some credit when things do end up working out.

The game-planning against the Colts this week was excellent and allowed several players to have big games on both sides of the ball. The offense was rolling early on and establishing a rhythm that carried through most of the game.

Sure, nit-picking will uncover some dropped passes and a continued theme of some miscommunication between Carr and his receivers, but it’s hard to deny the hot start that allowed the Oakland Raiders to dig their cleats into the game early on.

Jumping out to a 14-0 lead early on in the first quarter is always a massive lift for a team, especially on the road. And it’s been somewhat of a theme this year.

When the Raiders have been able to get going early and put together effective drives, it’s made the game much simpler for them.

Gruden has to be the first person acknowledged when it comes to these fast starts. The fast starts re an indication that he does his homework and comes into the game very prepared.

It still remains to be seen if Gruden has the ability — or the talent on his roster, for that matter — to be able to make the necessary adjustments later in the game, but the coaching staff showed significant improvements in their strategizing this week.

Another important note that goes alongside this is that the Raiders were able to put points on the board later in the game. Sure, it was only three points, but it certainly could have been more given better execution to finish the drive.

The Oakland Raiders are going to need to find a way to get their offense going in the second half of games, but, in the meantime, the hot starts aren’t a bad look.

There was a good balance airing it out and working the ground game, and there weren’t nearly as many head-scratchers as there have been in weeks past.

If Gruden is able to lead his team to more games like this, then we’ll continue seeing strides for individual players. It’s an underrated aspect of the game — coaches need to put their players in positions to succeed.

This week, it allowed Derek Carr to look like an above-average quarterback. It certainly made Josh Jacobs look like an imposing running back.

Speaking of Jacobs, his 307 rushing yards in the first four games of his career sets a franchise record, passing Darren McFadden’s 272 yards in 2008.

Jacobs is quickly blossoming into a very capable running back that will be receiving more and more opportunities from the coaching staff.

It still seems like there might be room to grow in developing his game by involving him more as a receiver, something he showed he was proficient at while with the Crimson Tide.

Tim Kawakami of The Athletic even called for a comparison between Josh Jacobs and a young Emmitt Smith — slicing and twisting between tight spaces to have his way with the defense.

It’s too bad Derek Carr isn’t nailing his Troy Aikman impersonation. The Raiders would really be rolling then.