Boy, that was an entertaining Sunday, wasn't it?
After the rain had cleared, tempers had cooled, and the clock hit triple zero, the Oakland Raiders had held off the Denver Broncos 21-14, improving their record to 5-6, and vaulting themselves squarely back into the AFC playoff conversation in the process.
Sunday's win over the Broncos certainly wasn't lacking sparks, so with the victory now in the rearview mirror, let's look back at the playtime percentages, and see what we can learn from the numbers.
Offense
Carr was clinical– Without his top, two targets on the outside, Derek Carr put together a very solid Week 12 outing for the Silver and Black. The Raiders franchise quarterback played all 68 offensive snaps, completing 18 of 24 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns. With his pair of scores, D.C. has now found the end zone in 12 consecutive games, a streak that dates back to last season. Carr's strong day at the office is even more impressive when you take note that not only was he without Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree for most of the day, he was also without the services of starting right guard Gabe Jackson as well.
Rocket Richard takes off– The dynamic, second-year running back didn't see a ton of run on offense, just five snaps (7%), but he was no doubt impactful in the limited time he was on the field. Richard carried the ball twice for 18 yards, and also hauled in two passes from Carr for 13 yards and a touchdown, his first receiving score of 2017.
Patterson paces the wide receivers– Before the first half came to a close, Todd Downing's offense was without the services of both Amari Cooper (concussion), as well as Michael Crabtree (ejection). The pair's absence forced the other three, active wide receivers on the roster to step up, and that's precisely what they did. Patterson in particular enjoyed a nice day at the office, playing 37 offensive snaps (54%), hauling in three passes for a team-high 72 yards. His 54-yard reception in the final minutes also proved to be the nail in the coffin for the Broncos Sunday afternoon.
Defense
Bowman ends the drought– In what had become an oft discussed statistic, headed into Sunday's game, the Raiders had not yet tallied an interception in 2017. However, veteran linebacker NaVorro Bowman officially snapped that streak in the second quarter of Sunday's win, securing a deflected Paxton Lynch pass in the end zone. Not only did Bowman secure the team's first pick of 2017; he played all 59 defensive snaps, finishing with a team-high seven tackles, as well as a pass defensed.
Autry feasts against the Broncos– The powerful defensive linemen enjoyed an outstanding day against the Broncos offensive line. Autry played 39 snaps (66%) in Sunday's win, totaling three tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss, and two quarterback hits. His Week 12 performance also served as No. 96's first multi-sack game of his career.
Carrie and Smith step up out wide– With David Amerson once again unable to go, the Raiders base cornerbacks for their divisional matchup against the Broncos were TJ Carrie and Sean Smith. Both defensive backs played 57 snaps (97%), totaling nine tackles between them. They provided tight coverage all afternoon as well, as the Broncos quarterbacks tallied less than 200 passing yards in the Week 12 loss.
