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NEW ORLEANS -- Even if the Oakland Raiders latest visit to the Superdome wont go down as their most memorable triumph in New Orleans, it certainly has the potential to be a pivotal moment in the apparent resurgence of a proud franchise that hasnt won much for more than a decade.The Raiders have been so annually lousy since 2002 that coach Jack Del Rios 7-9 record in his first season with the club a year ago was widely seen as a promising development. And because a number of the Raiders top players are young, Oakland is becoming a popular dark horse pick to contend for an AFC playoff spot.Given the resolve and guts the silver-and-black demonstrated in a dramatic, season-opening 35-34 victory over the Saints on Sunday, why not?The Raiders not only erased a 14-point, second-half deficit on hostile ground. They also overcame another one-touchdown deficit in style, marching 75 yards in the final minutes for a touchdown and a bold, do-or-die, 2-point conversion from Derek Carr to Michael Crabtree with 47 seconds left.Thatll never measure up to the 1980 Raiders Super Bowl triumph in the Big Easy, but its the kind of victory that can give a young squad a psychological edge.Today really helps them with finding a way to get a win, Del Rio said after Sundays triumph. This year, we are talking about learning how to win, learning how to close these games, sticking together and making plays at the end. I am really proud of our guys, really happy for them.The Saints are also coming off of a 7-9 record last season. They showed potential to improve, but ultimately lost for much the same reason as last year -- their defense couldnt make what Drew Brees and Co. produced hold up.Theres a point where you have to dig down and get off the field, coach Sean Payton said of his defense, noting the unit did not have any sacks or turnovers. We werent able to do so. From then on, youre just hanging in there, and we didnt make enough plays.Other key developments from the Raiders-Saints season opener:BALANCED ATTACK: As much as the Raiders might lean on Carr and his top receivers -- Crabtree and Amari Cooper -- to produce, their running game made the difference in New Orleans. The Raiders rushed for 167 yards, including touchdown runs of 75 yards by rookie Jalen Richard , 6 yards by Latavius Murray and 2 yards by Jamize Olawale.BETTER BLOCKING: The Saints offensive line struggled during an 0-4 preseason, but generally gave Brees the time he needed against Oakland. Brees blamed himself for his fumble on a sack, saying he held the ball too long, and applauded his protection during a 423-yard, four TD performance.Well be fine, said veteran right guard Jahri Evans, who was re-acquired last week to shore up the unit. Drew felt comfortable back there. We got some long passes.OPPORTUNISTIC DEFENSE: While the Raiders defense sometimes struggled to stop the ever-prolific Brees, they made a number of promising plays, highlighted by Bruce Irvins sack and strip of the Saints star QB for a turnover. The Raiders forced another fumble by Saints receiver Willie Snead, but werent able to pounce on it. Meanwhile, Oakland held the Saints to 88 yards rushing.EXPERIENCE DEFICIT: The Saints started the game with a lot of youth and inexperience in the secondary and ended it with even more after second-year starting cornerback Delvin Breaux was taken to the locker room with an undisclosed lower leg injury. With newly acquired veteran cornerback Sterling Moore inactive, the Saints had several defensive backs with no prior regular season NFL experience on the field for Oaklands winning drive. That included undrafted rookie Ken Crawley, who was covering Crabtree on the winning conversion.QB PROFICIENCY: The Saints neednt worry about the 37-year-old Brees age and the Raiders can be confident that Carr continues to develop into one of the NFLs best as he enters his prime. Brees opened his 16th season by eclipsing the 400-yard mark for the 14th time in his career, tying for first all-time with Peyton Manning. He also set personal and team records for longest passing play on a 98-yard TD to Brandin Cooks . Car passed for 319 yards, one TD and a pair of clutch 2-point conversions, first to Cooper to tie the game at 27 and later to Crabtree for the win.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL A.J. Brown Jersey . Burke is expected to miss two to three months after breaking a finger in the teams third preseason game. Tinsley, a 10-year veteran, spent the last two seasons in Utah, where the point guard averaged 3. Derrick Henry Youth Jersey .com) - Richie Incognito has reportedly been admitted to a psychiatric care unit in Arizona. http://www.titansstoreonline.com/Black-17-Ryan-Tannehill-Womens-Jersey/ . Breaking three of his own world records on his way to winning in Paris, Chan silenced the critics and left the audiences standing in appreciation and awe. Amani Hooker Youth Jersey . -- For the first time in two months, an opponent was standing up to Alabama. Kevin Byard Womens Jersey . -- There were so many positives from the Orlando Magics first victory of the season that it was hard for coach Jacque Vaughn to stop praising his players. For the sixth season in a row, ESPN.com is ranking the top players in the NBA. Who will be the best player this season?To get the final ranking, we asked our expert panel to vote on pairs of players.LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry. Russell Westbrook vs. Kevin Durant. Damian Lillard vs. Chris Paul.We asked, Which player will be better in 2016-17? To decide, voters had to consider both the quality and the quantity of each players contributions to his teams ability to win games.Well roll out the rest of our top 200 players over the next week. If you want to get involved in the discussion or just follow along, #NBArank is the Twitter hashtag to use. You also can follow along @ESPNNBA and on Facebook.On to the list ...39. Derrick FavorsJazz | PF?| @dfavors14Last years rank: 482016-17 projeected RPM: 1.dddddddddddd89Insider profile:?Already a six-year NBA veteran at age 25, Favors has established himself as a solid 16-point, eight-rebound per game contributor who has the ability to play both frontcourt spots effectively. Favors still has two years left on his contract, and since hes making just $23 million over that span, he could be a candidate for a renegotiation and extension that would lock him up past the summer of 2018 at a below-max rate.?Read more ?#NBArank 31-4031: Carmelo Anthony32: Hassan Whiteside33: Kristaps Porzingis34: Gordon Hayward35: Marc Gasol36: Steven Adams37: Rudy Gobert38: Kemba Walker39: Derrick Favors40: Dwyane Wade ' ' '