Oakland Raiders to improve against Baltimore Ravens

September 13, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders running back Latavius Murray (28) runs against Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam Jones (24) and outside linebacker Vincent Rey (57) during the second quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Latavius Murray

Last year, after his breakout performance against the Kansas City Chiefs, I pronounced running back Latavius Murray a star. Then after seeing him play a couple of more times, I thought he was too easy to tackle to be called a star. You have to able to make guys miss, break tackles and get yards after contact to be a star running back.

But that Marcus Allen type of vision and speed made him look special at times last year. Then Sunday, he showed Raiders fans that all the work he showed himself putting in on Instagram this offseason is paying off. The hills Murray posted himself running gave him that extra leg drive he’s using.

Unlike last year, he’s pushing the pile, dragging multiple defenders and gaining yardage after contact. Also unlike last year, he made a defender miss out in space on Sunday. But he only had only 44 yards on 11 carries because the Raiders had too many three-and-outs and were down 17 in the second quarter. Expect Bill Musgrave to go back to his bell-cow running back this week after passing it on first down killed the Raiders first half drives against the Bengals, which should give Murray more yardage while giving the team more success on offense.

Next: Marcel Reece