BOX SCORE

CLEVELAND – The Raiders have been pelted with unflattering facts about recent futility on the road. Head coach Jack Del Rio didn’t care about any of it.

The franchise that had lost 16 straight in the Eastern Time Zone and beyond wasn’t related to his group. Neither was the team that lost 11 straight road games and 22 of the last 24 regardless of location.

As far as Del Rio was concerned, the Raiders didn’t have a road record heading into Week 3.

Now they do. It’s 1-0.

The Raiders earned it with a 27-20 victory over the Cleveland Browns at FirstEngery Stadium they dominated from the outset. They took a 14-point lead into halftime and expanded it early in the second. They took a 14-point lead into halftime and expanded it early in the second and weathered a late Browns surge to get the win.

It was a complete performance, with contributions on both sides of the football, until the Browns added some drama to proceedings with 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to make it a one-score game.

The Browns were threatening to tie the game in the final two minutes, but safety Charles Woodson intercepted a Josh McCown pass with under a minute to go and managed to get both feet in bounds to seal the win for the Raiders.

Quarterback Derek Carr has found a groove the past two games, with a strong performance against the Browns. He completed 20-of-32 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns, good enough for a 115.9 passer rating. He continues to make plays downfield, something he didn’t do much during a rookie season spent without many playmakers.

Running back Latavius Murray had a career-high 139 yards and a touchdown. Khalil Mack, playing linebacker for most of this game, couldn’t be corralled in a performance that included two sacks and a forced fumble.

The Raiders have won two straight games for the first time since 2011, and are over .500 for the first time since that season.

While the offense put together its second-straight quality performance, the defense looked much better than it had in the first two games. While the Browns offense is terrible, the Raiders were able to generate quarterback pressure, contain the running game and tackle with far greater efficiency.

The Raiders went up 27-10 with Murray’s 6-yard touchdown run, but the Browns responded with 10 unanswered points that made it a one-score game late.

TJ Carrie at safety:

The Raiders shuffled their secondary during the practice week in an attempt to strengthen the secondary. They moved cornerback TJ Carrie to safety alongside Charles Woodson.

The team used Larry Asante and Taylor Mays as a fill in for injured starter Nate Allen last week, but went a different direction in Cleveland.

With Carrie playing deep and playing well, the Raiders used DJ Hayden and Neiko Thorpe at cornerback. Recent waiver claim David Amerson was the No. 3 cornerback in his Raiders debut. Amerson played some in the base defense as well.

Murray sets career high:

Raiders running back Latavius Murray seemed set for a big day against the Browns, who sport the NFL’s worst run defense. He certainly did, totaling 139 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries.

That’s the highest total of his young career, and a sign that he could be impactful in this offensive scheme. Murray had some big plays, including a 54-yard jaunt in the third quarter.

Cooper’s quick start:

Rookie receiver Amari Cooper has been targeted with Carr’s first pass in all three games this season. For the first time, Cooper caught it. And several more after that in a dominant first-half performance while being shadowed by stout Browns cornerback Joe Haden.

Cooper made some big plays early and went over 100 yards in the first half. The Browns paid extra attention to him as the game went on, forcing Carr to throw in other directions.

Injury update:

Raiders cornerback DJ Hayden was helped off the field following a big collision trying to stop a rushing play, but he was able to return to the game.

Defensive tackle C.J. Wilson suffered a calf strain in the third quarter and did not return to the game.

Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio should update the team’s injury situation in his post-game press conference.

Sitting it out:

Receiver Rod Streater was a healthy scratch for the second straight week. He is clearly the team’s No. 5 receiver behind reserves Andre Holmes and Seth Roberts. The Raiders rendered six players inactive, including injured starting defensive tackle Justin Ellis. He missed his second straight game with an ankle sprain.

Edge rusher Benson Mayowa, offensive linemen Jon Feliciano and Matt McCants and cornerback Dexter McDonald were also inactive.

What's next:

The Raiders have another road trip upcoming, with a game at the Chicago Bears next week. That’s certainly a winnable game, especially with quarterback Jay Cutler expected to be out with injury.