The Oakland Raiders convincingly beat the San Diego Chargers 37-29 at Qualcomm Stadium Sunday, bringing their record to 3-3 with a showdown against the 4-2 New York Jets on the horizon; now let's take a look at who played and for how many snaps, and see what we can learn from taking a closer look at the numbers.
OFFENSE
Offensive Line Keeps Carr Clean– At this point it's starting to sound like a broken record, but the Raiders offensive line once again did an outstanding job of keeping quarterback Derek Carr safe.
The five starting linemen played all 62 offensive snaps in Sunday's win over the Chargers, allowing just 1 sack of Carr on the afternoon.
Amari Cooper Steals The Show– The standout rookie played 55 offensive snaps (89%) and put together another impressive performance, catching 5 passes, gaining 133 yards and scoring 1 touchdown in the process.
Cooper showed his ability to be a multi-dimensional receiver, soaring high to catch a 50/50 ball, catching contested passes across the middle and also showing how truly dangerous he is when he gets the ball in space.
The Tay Train Gets Rolling– After being banged up in recent weeks, running back Latavius Murray got back on track Sunday, playing 33 snaps (53%) in the win over the Chargers.
He made the most of his time on the field, carrying the ball 15 times for 85 yards, averaging an impressive 5.7 yards per carry.
He also added 1 touchdown on the ground.
DEFENSE
Amerson and Hayden Continue Making Progress– Cornerbacks David Amerson and DJ Hayden put together an impressive performance Sunday against Philip Rivers and the San Diego offense. The pair each played 88 snaps (98%), and made life very difficult for the Chargers receivers.
Hayden finished the day with 10 tackles, 1 pass defensed, 1 forced fumble and 1 interception, and Amerson chipped in with 6 tackles, 1 pass defensed and nearly had an interception of his own.
Malcolm Smith Shines– Have a day, Malcolm Smith.
Smith played 85 snaps (94%) and led the team with 11 tackles Sunday, and was incredibly active around the football, adding 1 sack, 1 interception and two passes defensed in the win over the Chargers.
Armstrong Fills The Void– Rookie linebacker Neiron Ball left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury, but Ray-Ray Armstrong filled in in his absence, playing 55 snaps (61%), also adding 16 on special teams. Armstrong finished the contest with 6 total tackles and 1 tackle for loss.
