A disappointing season came to a close for the Oakland Raiders on Sunday afternoon, as the group fell to the Los Angeles Chargers 30-10 at StubHub Center.
In front of a Raiders dominated crowd, the Silver and Black just couldn't get the offense going, or find the defensive key to slow down Philip Rivers and Co.
With the loss, the Raiders finish 2017 with a 6-10 record; a far cry from where they all thought they'd be at this point in the year.
The coming months will certainly be interesting for the Raiders, but before we shift our focus to the offseason, let's take a look at the playtime percentages from the regular season finale, and see what we can learn from the numbers.
Offense
The Beast hits a milestone– There isn't a lot that Marshawn Lynch hasn't accomplished in his illustrious NFL career, and Sunday afternoon, he became the 31st player in league history to reach the 10,000-yard mark on the ground. Lynch played 41 offensive snaps (76%) in the Week 17 loss, carrying the ball 19 times for 101 yards, the second time he reached 100 yards in a game this year. In total, Lynch finished his first year as a Raider with 891 yards and seven touchdowns.
Cooper strikes again– The Raiders offense struggled to find any sustained success Sunday afternoon, but give Derek Carr and Amari Cooper credit, they delivered one of the prettiest plays of the season in the second quarter of the Week 17 loss. Cooper's 87-yard touchdown was not only a career long for the third-year wide receiver, but it was the lone touchdown the Raiders would muster on the day. By game's end, Cooper played 42 offensive snaps (78%), finishing with three catches for 115 yards and the aforementioned touchdown.
Carr wraps up 2017 –In many ways, 2017 was a confusing year for the Silver and Black. However, one thing that is still clear is that Derek Carr is the quarterback of the future for the organization. Statistically speaking, 2017 was a down year for D.C. – his touchdowns were down and his interceptions were up – but I fully expect to see a resurgent Carr in 2018. In the season finale, No. 4 played all 54 offensive snaps, completing 19 of 28 passes for 243 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
Defense
Bowman paces the defense– Stop me if you've heard this one before; NaVorro Bowman led the Raiders in tackles. It's been a recurring theme since he was acquired mid-season, and that rule stayed true Sunday against the Chargers. The veteran linebacker played all 70 defensive snaps, and finished the afternoon with 13 tackles, and a half sack.
Irvin fills up the stat sheet– Bruce Irvin has been a man on a mission in the second half of 2017. The athletic linebacker has been getting after the quarterback even more, and has seemingly been around the football at all times the past month or so. No. 51 played 60 defensive snaps (86%) in the matchup with the Chargers, finishing his outing with four tackles, a half sack, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit, and one forced fumble.
Carrie goes the distance– There's an argument out there that TJ Carrie was the Raiders best, most consistent cover corner in 2017. The veteran cornerback played all 60 snaps against the Chargers, and recorded six tackles and a pair of passes defensed, albeit it in a losing effort. Give Carrie a lot of credit, he's done whatever the coaching staff asked him to do in 2017, and for the most part, he played pretty well.
