Center Rodney Hudson, Running Back Latavius Murray, and Tackle Austin Howard
The Oakland Raiders were back on the road Sunday, and once again, they took care of business away from home, beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 33-16 at EverBank Field.
The Silver and Black now boast an overall record of 5-2, and are 4-0 on the road this season. Next on the docket is yet another road matchup – this one against Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – but before we look ahead to the Week 8 rumble at Raymond James Stadium, let's look back at the playtime percentages from the win over the Jaguars, and see what we can learn from the numbers.
Offense
Murray Makes His Return– One of the biggest storylines heading into the Week 7 matchup against the Jaguars was the availability of Latavius Murray. The Pro Bowl running back had missed the past two games recovering from a toe injury, but after practicing all last week, No. 28 made his return to the gridiron in Jacksonville. In total, Murray played 42 offensive snaps (58%), finishing the game with 18 carries for 59 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Crabtree Enjoys Another Strong Day– Week in, and week out, wide receiver Michael Crabtree has made big plays in the biggest moments for the Silver and Black, and Sunday's win over the Jaguars was no exception. The veteran wideout played 50 snaps (69%) at EverBank Field, finishing the Week 7 win with eight receptions for 96 yards and one touchdown.
"Michael Crabtree made some incredible plays today for us," said Head Coach Jack Del Rio postgame. "There was one early in the game on third down where the ball was out way before he turned his head around and he made a tremendous play there for a third down conversion. Throughout the game he came up big for us and I thought he play really, really well for us."
Crabtree has been stellar since his arrival in the Bay Area, and Sunday's game in Jacksonville was just business as usual for No. 15.
Carr Finds The End Zone– While Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars may not have provided the type of impressive statistical day that fans have become accustomed to seeing from Derek Carr, the Raiders signal-caller was efficient with his throws, and was able to put the team in position to put points on the scoreboard. Carr played all 72 offensive snaps against the Jaguars, finishing his day 23 of 37 for 200 yards and one touchdown. He also added four rushes for four yards as well.
Defense
Mack Brings Down The Quarterback, Again– As they say, sacks come in bunches, and after taking down Blake Bortles in the third quarter of Sunday's win over the Jaguars, the All-Pro defensive end now has sacks in back-to-back games, and three in his last four outings. Mack played 60 defensive snaps (90%) at EverBank Field, and he filled up the stat sheet during his time between the hash marks, ending the game with three total tackles, the aforementioned sack, two tackles for loss, and one quarterback hit.
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Malcolm Smith Paces The Defense **– Smith was inserted back into the lineup for the Raiders Week 7 clash with the Jaguars, and not only did the veteran linebacker earn the start, but he led the team in tackling as well. In the 63 defensive snaps (94%) that Smith was on the field for, he was constantly around the football, totaling a team-leading six tackles, and two passes defensed as well.
Irvin Forces Another Fumble– Bruce Irvin forced yet another fumble Sunday – his fourth of the season – and the dynamic linebacker was a disruptive force all afternoon along the Raiders defensive line. Irvin played 57 snaps (85%) in the win, tallying one tackle, two quarterback hits, and a forced fumble during his time on the field, and not only are Irvin's four forced fumbles the most by any player in the NFL this season, the Silver and Black's team total of 10 is also tied for tops in the league.
