Oakland Raiders: A Few Keys To Victory Over The San Diego Chargers

Rookies Must Step Up

So far this season, Oakland’s ground game has been a three headed beast. Latavius Murray along with rookies DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard have done a fantastic job of putting a solid spark into the offense.

Where as Murray has been the thunder, Richard and Washington have been the lightning. And their efforts have netted them one of the best running games in the league. With just under 127 yards a game, the Raiders currently have the fifth best rushing attack in the NFL.

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They ran into a buzzsaw last week in the form of the Baltimore Ravens. The second ranked run defense in the league, the Ravens made life miserable for Oakland’s running backs as they tallied just 62 yards on the day. Baltimore did a good job of clogging up the running lanes and not giving them any room to roam.

This week, the Raiders will be facing the league’s seventh best run defense. And on top of that, the lightning is going to have to flash without the thunder.

Murray has been ruled out with an injury, leaving Washington and Richard to shoulder the load. We may see Jamize Olawale get a few more carries in the game. But San Diego, for all of their problems, are giving up just 82 yards a game on the ground so Oakland’s running backs may have a little trouble finding room to roam.

Which is where the offensive line needs to step it up. They got pushed around a little bit by Baltimore last week and clean running lanes were few and far between. They’re going to need to knock the Chargers off the ball and win those battles in the trenches.

The Raiders are likely going to go with a pass heavy attack today, given the injuries to San Diego’s secondary. But they’ll still need the threat of a viable, perhaps even electric, running game to really make it work.

And that’s going to rely on Washington and Richard answering the bell.