Oakland Raiders Position Battles: Packers scorecards

Aug 22, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; Oakland Raiders running back Maurice Jones-Drew (21) scores on a 40-yard touchdown run in the first quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Maurice Jones-Drew by Knockout!

Maurice Jones-Drew has always been one of my favorite running backs but I thought he lost his burst and his shakes. I had his opponent, Darren McFadden, winning the first round 10-8 and the second round (Cowboys practices) even. Then Jones Drew took the third round 10-9 with some hard running and a nice catch-and-run on a screen pass.

So going into the last round for starting positions, Jones-Drew was behind by one point in a good battle. He then took the ball 40 yards early in the game Friday to pull out the win by knockout. It’s not just that he had a 40-yard run, it was that he did he did it that was most impressive to me.

He made two quick cuts, broke a couple of arm tackles the defenders had the nerve to try on him then was outta there. With Jones-Drew is back to his old self and McFadden healthy, it doesn’t matter who’s in first because they are both dynamic. Then put that together with fullback Marcel Reece to make the most dynamic backfield in the NFL by far.

It’s crazy how they were both my two favorite running backs before and they are both Raiders now.