Upset in Oakland; Russell & Defense Improve

The statements from Antonio Pierce after the 44-7 beat down of the Raiders really must have given Oakland the intensity they needed to finally pull of this upset win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Pierce, who said that the game between the Giants and the Raiders seemed like a scrimmage, definitely was a reason why the Raiders stepped up there game, and fought through the whole game to finish on top.
This is a huge upset win for them, especially when no one expected the Raiders to win this one in the first place; The Raiders had to regroup as a unit and execute in every way they could. The 80+ yard touchdown catch by Zach Miller was the game changing performance because it seems as if the team's intensity level rose and knew that they had a chance in this game.
Last weeks entry about Jamarcus Russell is still a discussion that people should talk about, because even though he put up steady numbers throughout the game on Sunday, he was still a little shaky throwing those two interceptions.
The defense saved Russell from those mistakes as linemen Jay Richardson, Richard Seymour, Trevor Scott and linebacker Thomas Howard all sacked Donovan McNabb for a total of 6 sacks throughout the game. What is even more impressive is the fact that the defense was playing without team captain Nnamdi Asomugha because of an eye injury.
You see these second year quarterbacks that have grown and matured as superstar players, for example, Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco; they both understand their offense and have excelled tremendously in the careers so far, changing the whole outlook of their teams. However, three years in the league, Jamarcus Russell has had some up and down battles, where he is streaky in his good and bad performances. In Russell's defense, he is still in his learning stage as a starting quarterback, however, unlike Ryan or Flacco, Russell does not have the weapons like the Falcons or Ravens have on their roster.
Week 7 game against the New York Jets will be a huge game for the Raiders to win at home, although with more things to improve on this team, to come together and beat a decent team, with rookie Mark Sanchez and a great defense, would be a great turnaround for this Oakland Raiders team.