HENDERSON, Nev.--The Las Vegas Raiders (4-4) head to Santa Clara, California, this weekend to take on the team that, at this point, has to be one of the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl: the San Francisco 49ers (6-1).

But before we turn our full attention to the 49ers, let’s go back to the 38-33 win on the road this past weekend at the New York Jets and put it under the lights of the microscope and off you, my final report card from that enormous win.

The Report Card

I gave specific details about this win and what everyone is overlooking, but this article is different.

It isn’t even a winners-and-losers perspective; it is a report card at five levels, so let’s take a look.

Offense: A-

The Raiders weren’t perfect, but they scored 38 points, ran the ball effectively, and, when watching the film, the OL was better than I initially thought.

Mike Washington Jr. didn’t reach the century mark, but he did run the ball 25 times; QB Kirk Cousins threw 26 times, keeping the Kubiak offense balanced, which is what it is built on.

He ran unafraid, attacked defenders when necessary, and created separation when possible. Kubiak was very pleased with the rookie.

“I think it comes back to proving it in practice, having solid practice days, and being on point with his assignments. He’s continued to improve, and coming in as a young player, like all young players, there’s a lot to learn, and early, there are things you don’t want to expose them to. You want them to learn the meeting room."

"You want them to learn the hard way in practice, so that you’re not learning the hard way on Sunday. Everyone learns hard on Sunday, coaches and players. But it’s been a development process to get him to this point.”

Not only did the Raiders put up 38 points, but they also saw Kirk Cousins throw for three touchdowns and run for another. They were 64% efficient on third down and had 333 yards of offense.

Were there things that weren’t pretty? For sure, but the other team has a lot of talented players, and they were game-planning as well.

It was a great day for the Raiders.

Additionally, while no one in this league is perfect, Trey Zuhn III gave the Raiders their best RG play of the season. Kubiak was pleased with him and wasn’t afraid to say so.

“I thought Trey [Zuhn III] was calm in there. I thought he was well prepared. That was not a surprise, but I thought he played well. I think there’s things that he’s going to want to improve on. But I was pleased, along with the coaching staff, with the effort that he put on the field and what his future looks like for us.”

Defense: F

The defense wasn't bad all-around, but as a unit, it was. They allowed 33 points and 439 yards of total offense. They struggled to get pressure from the defensive end position outside of Maxx Crosby, and they got run at, around, and over.

That said, we need to address one big elephant in the room.

Eric Stokes is a very good CB in this league, and I was a major proponent of GM John Spytek resigning him. I still am. On Sunday, he was tasked with covering two elite WRs with essentially no pass rush. Any CB would struggle in that situation.

I am not saying he was perfect, but especially watching the film, I can tell you he was left on an island with a pass rush from the DE spot that looked like they stayed in Las Vegas unless their jersey said, “Crosby.”

Stopping the run was brutal.

Make no mistake: the Raiders offense, with very little help from the defense, won the game, and Kubiak addressed the ugly rushing defense head-on.

“It’s not going to happen overnight. Something that is going to take practices, it’s going to take experience, it’s going to take us putting our heads together and having a better product so that we’re not giving up those many yards on the ground. But the people that we have doing it together, our players and coaches, I believe in, and that’s a really important piece of it.”

Kubiak elaborated, “We have each other’s back, and the thing I love about our defense is that when things didn’t go well, we kept playing. We got key stops. Made a huge play at the end with [Jeremy] Chinn, and in the NFL, it’s not always going to be pretty. It’s not always going to be how you wanted it to happen. But at the end of the game, it’s who won the game, and I think as a team we found a way to win.”

We know the DBs are young; we know the Raiders are thin on the DL, and some well-paid veterans signed to free-agent deals aren't producing. That is factual. The Raiders need young players to grow up fast, another year of free agency and the NFL Draft to address some thin areas, and guys paid to do a job to do it.

There are some terrific players on the Raiders' D, but the sum of their parts is exactly why I told you all offseason that this was a rebuild, and why it will remain that all year, even with an overachieving offense.

Special Teams: A+

Joe DeCamillis, the Raiders STC, is a superstar, and joining forces with an aggressive young coach like Kubiak is a marriage made in heaven.

The analytics and the critics said he shouldn’t have taken Matt Gay out of a field goal attempt toward the end of the game. Kubiak couldn't care less about the critics or the analytics; he did what he's done all year, showed faith in his guys, and secured the win.

Some coaches fear losing; Kubiak loves to win. His players love it, and so do I. He talked about ignoring the critics and the analytics, and his answer was pure Kubiak.

“I just see him kick in practice. I’ve seen the clutch kicks that he’s made. We were at the line that we had confidence in on that yard line, and we’ve got to get the ball closer for him offensively. But we had confidence in that.”

Dylan Laube may be the size of a jockey at the Kentucky Derby, but he played like a rabid dog who won't back down on multiple plays, and it was the best collective effort of any Las Vegas Raiders team I have covered in a single game since they have been in the desert.

Coaching: B

Let’s start with the defense, where I am sure the same fans who attack Dylan Laube on social media after an early-season fumble are the same ones calling for Rob Leonard to be fired.

This is a rebuild; he doesn’t have nearly the weapons offense or the special teams do. That doesn’t mean the defense is void of talent, by any stretch of the imagination, but the Raiders knew the defense would be the proverbial Achilles' heel this season, and it is.

When the D looked good early in the preseason, I took heat for telling people to relax.

Leonard, like OC Andrew Janocko and Kubiak, is a first-time coach in their current position, and they've made mistakes and must learn. But he hasn’t forgotten how to coach; the young players are getting better, and he will be fine.

If some of these issues are going on next year, then he has a problem, but not now.

Kubiak was outstanding, and DeCamillis was his usual rock star.

Rick Dennison’s calming elite leadership of the OL showed as Spencer Burford looked exceptionally well, and his tutelage of Zuhn had the rookie making an immediate impact.

Miller and Glaze were both good considering the Jets' scheme, and Tyler Linderbaum, while satisfactory, is an elite C and didn’t play like one.

Raider Nation: A

As impressive as the road games have been, and I go to them all, not one Raiders road game in the entire seven years I have covered this team impressed me as much as Sunday.

This wasn’t the first time in the Northeast, but the Raiders took over MetLife and made life miserable for the Jets.

I may not be a Raiders fan per se, but I am a fan of the Raider Nation, and once again you made my dear friend Matt Millen look smart. He told me once, “There are 31 teams in the NFL who have a fan base that thinks they are part of the team, but there is one team, the Raiders, where the players and organization think the fans are part of the team.”

The fans deserve a game ball; my hat is off, and you were simply outstanding.

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