Oakland Raiders: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly vs. Chargers
By Kevin Saito
The Ugly: Nowhere To Run
You can’t really fault anybody. It’s not Mike Tice‘s fault, nor is it the fault of the injured linemen, nor is it really the fault of the fill-ins. Because injuries have absolutely ravaged Oakland’s offensive line, Tice has been forced to juggle, switch, and hold it together with bailing wire and bubble gum.
And through the first four games of the season, the line has held. They’ve been masterful in blowing open holes for their three-headed beast in the backfield, well as protecting Carr and giving him plenty of time to operate.
But on Sunday against San Diego, the line struggled mightily in both run and pass protection.
Coming into the game, the Raiders were one of the best running teams in the league, averaging nearly 130 yards rushing per game. San Diego limited Oakland to just 89 rushing yards on the day.
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Of course, not having Latavius Murray available to play hurt the team as they were left without a big, brusing back. DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard though, filled in admirably and did a nice job for what they were asked to do. But Oakland’s running game managed a very pedestrian 3.6 yards per carry average on the day.
It was a tough road to travel, given that they were facing the league’s seventh ranked run defense coming into the game. And you can’t say that Washington, Richard, and Jamize Olawale didn’t contribute to the offense or the success of the team as a whole. They most certainly did.
But without Murray in the lineup, Oakland’s run game seemed to lack some punch and firepower.