As week five comes to a close, the Oakland Raiders find themselves tied with the Denver Broncos for first place in the AFC West at 4-1. The Chargers made it a game, but as they say, history repeats itself. The Raiders found a way to win, and San Diego found a way to lose, in hilarious fashion. Here are the Oakland Raiders week five takeaways.
Oakland Raiders Week Five Takeaways
The Young Bucks
With Latavius Murray sidelined by injury, it was up to DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard to carry the load on the ground. Not only did they do an exceptional job, but they even helped contribute to the passing game. The two rookies combined for 149 total yards on 28 touches.
Raider Nation has been begging for Murray’s benching since before the season even started, and after this game, they might get their wish. Washington displayed a toughness that Murray simply doesn’t have, and Richard was electric after the catch. Murray will likely return in the coming weeks, but the rookie rushers have cemented their roles in the offense.
The Sleeping Giant
The much maligned defense was hot and cold in this game. While it’s true that they did give up some huge plays and unnecessary points, they made some plays by themselves.They made the stops when it counted, and they forced four turnovers.
Rookie Karl Joseph balled out, recording his first interception, a fumble recovery, and several hard hits. While the secondary still has some issues to sort out, it’s clear that the young safety will play a big part in Oakland’s future.
It seemed like the Raiders were really good when they could keep the ball in front of them. It wasn’t until defenders got down the field that the Raiders started having problems. Rookie Hunter Henry had a good game, and it really seems like Oakland has an issue covering tight ends.
However, the team played well. They were able to occasionally get to Philip Rivers, and while he didn’t register a sack, Khalil Mack was still a force in the backfield. Only three weeks removed from a Raider team that saw four defensive backs lead the team in tackles, a pair of new linebackers made some big plays. The recently acquired Perry Riley and rookie Cory James both had really good games.
While the defense was still sloppy and gave up some unnecessary plays, they’re really starting to gel. As a unit, they’ve improved drastically, and they should only get better with the returns of Mario Edwards Jr. and Aldon Smith.
“Coooooooop”
Believe it or not, members of the Raider Nation have been speculating about what was wrong with Amari Cooper. The second year receiver came into the game leading the team in yards, but he hadn’t registered his first touchdown yet. Especially following a game where his teammate, Michael Crabtree, had three touchdowns, it was disconcerting.
Thankfully, the sophomore wide out showed up. At first, Bill Musgrave and the coaching staff forced Cooper the ball, but as the game went on, he started making plays naturally. He caught six passes for 138 yards and a touchdown, and he looked every bit the first round pick we thought he was.
Next week, the Raiders play against the Kansas City Chiefs in a massive game that has divisional implications. If the Raiders head off to Florida at 5-1, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where they don’t make the playoffs.
