Can Raiders ride running game all the way to playoffs?
OAKLAND – There were two ways Latavius Murray could have responded when the Oakland Raiders started reducing his carries.
A Pro Bowler last year after his first 1,000-yard season, Murray could have pouted. Or he could have embraced the Raiders adding two young running backs. Murray chose the latter, and now he’s healthy, fresh (with just 89 carries through nine games) and leading what is now one of the most ferocious running games in the NFL.
“He’s the same way I am, he just wants to win. Sometimes he will have seven or eight carries and we win, and he’s the happiest guy in the locker room,” quarterback Derek Carr said Sunday night after the Raiders’ 30-20 win against the AFC West-rival Denver Broncos.
That’s why when Murray delivers the type of performance like he did against Denver, with 114 rushing yards and three touchdowns, the rest of his teammates couldn’t be happier.
“Some guys all want it for themselves, but he takes a step back and likes to see the rotation. Some guys would be mad about that, but Latavius is grasping that role,” left tackle Donald Penn said.
Carr is the Raiders’ most valuable asset, but the running game might be what ends up powering them to their first playoff appearance since 2002. It was clearly the difference Sunday night against the Broncos, thanks to a dominant performance by Oakland’s offensive line and a relentless rushing attack from Murray and backups DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard. The trio combined for 211 rushing yards as the Raiders averaged more than 5 yards per carry.
The way the Raiders ran the ball, over and over, demoralized the Broncos. The Raiders’ 43 rushing attempts neutralized Denver’s pass rush and wore down a thin defensive line.
“Just to pound on those guys, again we’re capable of doing that. We have a physical front. We have physical backs, physical receivers and so that’s the way we need to play,” Murray said. “That’s the way we’re capable of playing.”
The linemen were dominant, just as general manager Reggie McKenzie and head coach Jack Del Rio intended after spending about $35 million to lure free agent linemen like Penn, center Rodney Hudson and guard Kelechi Osemele to Oakland.
How much were those big men enjoying Sunday night’s romp? When Murray scored his third touchdown of the game, a score that put the Raiders up 30-13, he handed the ball to right tackle Austin Howard to handle the celebratory spike. Or when Carr made his only big mistake, an interception by Broncos safety T.J. Ward that was ultimately overturned upon review, Penn screamed at the coaching staff that the offensive line wanted to keep running the ball.
“I’m certainly very proud of our front. We’ve invested a lot in our front. We’ve committed to being a physical team. That was a great opportunity to illustrate that,” Del Rio said.
The young Raiders have proved they can win close games (four of their first six wins were decided by six points or fewer) and they’ve proved they can win on the road (5-0 away from Oakland Coliseum), and now they’ve shown they can win when Carr doesn’t have massive production as a passer.
And with crucial December and January road games at Kansas City and Denver that could determine the division champion and wild-card spots, having that diverse – and dominant – offense could prove to be Oakland’s trump card.
“It shows us that we should be able to run the ball against anybody,” Carr said. “The way that we continue to trust and believe in our system is cool.”
Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones.
PHOTOS: Best of NFL Week 9