Graney: Who would have believed Raiders are 2-0? Not many

PITTSBURGH — Can you consciousness it?

Foster Moreau can. It’s not thing you spot connected a stat expanse oregon from a definite play. Nothing truly tangible. Just a feeling.

“It’s successful the air,” said the Raiders’ choky end. “An aerial of confidence. Of camaraderie. A batch of teams enactment hard and a batch of teams person bully players. I conscionable consciousness similar we’re coming into our own. We’ve had flashes of it successful the past.”

That was then.

This is now: The Raiders person begun the play with consecutive victories aft beating the Steelers 26-17 earlier 63,707 astatine Heinz Field connected Sunday.

This is present (again): Raise your manus if you believed the Raiders would decision some Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

If you thought they would outwork and successful galore ways out-physical specified bruising AFC North teams.

If you predicted they would question eastbound connected a abbreviated week and instrumentality retired Pittsburgh successful a crippled which saw the Steelers invited their chaotic and brainsick and towel-waving devoted fans for the archetypal clip since the pandemic struck.

Yeah. Me too.

My manus remains down.

Never successful … 10 years? … more? … would I person believed it.

The tougher team

But the Raiders did. They person flooded an already agelong and elaborate wounded database to drawback that 2-0 start. They person played amended defence than immoderate of their caller sides and person a backmost successful Derek Carr who has strung unneurotic six consecutive terrific quarters aft a shaky opening against the Ravens.

They person been tougher against immoderate truly pugnacious opponents. It’s successful the aerial — and seemingly connected the field.

Look. The Raiders person earned a playoff berth erstwhile successful 17 years. So that astir mightiness person hesitated to anoint them thing beyond different grounds adjacent .500 to statesman the play was much than a just judgment.

It’s conscionable 2 games with 15 much to go. It’s not conscionable early. In galore ways, the alarm timepiece hasn’t yet sounded.

But it definite is amended to awake successful the NFL having posted back-to-back wins than losses. Postseason beingness isn’t secured successful September — but it definite tin beryllium lost.

“The implicit worst happening successful the satellite are preseason rankings and speech shows and each that stuff,” Carr said. “None of it matters. You inactive person to enactment the shot down and play and immoderate squad enactment successful the enactment and is connected their worldly hopefully wins. Just enactment the shot down and let’s see.”

He doesn’t blasted others for doubting the Raiders. Not earlier the season. Not now. They haven’t earned overmuch content and spot successful caller times. They person started 2-0 earlier and done thing with it.

Carr’s stated mantra precocious Sunday afternoon: Don’t fto things bash downhill now. Keep the mindset strong, enactment wrong the process and support doing things the close way.

He said they would laughter and observe connected the level thrust home, land, get immoderate sleep, awake and hitch the achromatic and yellowish slate from present clean.

The Raiders adjacent big Miami connected Sunday. I’m guessing determination could beryllium arsenic galore players entering the grooming country this week arsenic the signifier field.

Not adjacent perfect

“I’m not going to get each philosophical astir things and beryllium Socrates up here,” said Gruden, who looks thing similar the Greek laminitis of Western philosophy. “We person a assured group. We were assured past twelvemonth and mislaid immoderate heartbreaking wins — gut-wrenching, disgusting losses astatine the extremity of shot games.

“We person a agelong ways to go. We are obscurity adjacent perfect.”

Not close. They’re bushed up with tons of things to cleanable up.

But bash you cognize what is cleanable aft this Baltimore-Pittsburgh swing?

Their record.

Raise your … stop.

Put it down — similar astir everyone should.

“If I’m a Raiders fan,” Gruden said, “I would emotion this team.”

Can you consciousness it?

Ed Graney is simply a Sigma Delta Chi Award victor for sports file penning and tin beryllium reached astatine egraney@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-4618. He tin beryllium heard connected “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday done Friday. Follow @edgraney connected Twitter.