It might not have been the prettiest game the Oakland Raiders have put on film, but pretty or not, the team took care of business Sunday afternoon, beating the New York Giants 24-17 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
With the win, the Silver and Black improve to 6-6, and with four games to play, Head Coach Jack Del Rio's squad is tied atop the AFC West. Next up for Derek Carr and Co., is a road tilt against the Kansas City Chiefs, but before we shift our attention to that critical Week 14 matchup, let's review the playtime percentages from the big win over the Giants.
Offense
The offensive line sets the tone– The Raiders offensive line (Penn, Osemele, Hudson, Jackson and Newhouse) enjoyed another strong day in the trenches, helping not only spring Marshawn Lynch for his first 100-yard game as a Raider, but keeping Derek Carr upright nearly all day too. Osemele, Hudson, Jackson, and Newhouse played all 65 offensive snaps, while Penn played 62, ceding the work at left tackle to rookie David Sharpe for three plays. The Raiders wanted to establish the tone early against the Giants, and thanks to the big fellas up front, they did just that.
Lynch eclipses the century mark– Over the past several weeks, Marshawn Lynch has been playing arguably his best football in Silver and Black. He kept that momentum going Sunday afternoon against the Giants, rushing for over 100 yards for the first time since he was acquired by the Raiders in April. In total, Lynch played 32 offensive snaps (49%), carrying the ball 17 times for 101 yards, and one touchdown. He also added two receptions for 20 yards.
Patterson paces the wide outs– Without the services of Amari Cooper (injury) and Derek Carr (suspension), Todd Downing's offense needed someone to step up out wide, and Cordarrelle Patterson no doubt answered the call. In his 34 offensive snaps (52%), Patterson hauled in four catches for a team-high 97 yards, carried the ball twice, and was also his usual, dominant self on special teams. Plain and simple, Patterson just makes plays, and it's a lot of fun to watch him play football.
Defense
Irvin comes alive– Bruce Irvin was a man on a mission Sunday afternoon at the OACC. The versatile linebacker played 50 defensive snaps (81%) against the Giants, and he filled up the stat sheet too, totaling eight tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss, one quarterback hit, and a forced fumble. Boy, talk about a productive day at the office, am I right?
McDonald tallies a pair of passes defensed– The Silver and Black's defense built on a strong performance last week against the Denver Broncos, delivering another good outing Sunday afternoon against the Giants. John Pagano's group limited Geno Smith to just a single touchdown, and aside from Evan Engram, no Giant could really get going outside. Give credit to the Raiders secondary for making life difficult for the New York receivers, in particular Dexter McDonald. The rangy cornerback played 43 defensive snaps (69%), finishing his afternoon with four tackles, and two passes defensed.
Mack puts on a show– Khalil Mack is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year for a reason, and he showed why Sunday against the Giants. No. 52 played 51 defensive snaps (82%) in the Week 13 win, totaling four tackles, one sack, one quarterback hit, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. Speaking of forced fumbles, you'd be hard pressed to find a better strip-sack/fumble recovery than his second quarter effort against Geno Smith.
