Preview and Prediction: Oakland Raiders at Tennessee Titans
By Austin Gayle
Tay Train and Company Should Get Things Going on the Ground
In addition to the Raiders’ dominant passing attack, lead running back Latavius Murray and backups DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard have taken Oakland’s running game to new heights.
Murray, the Raiders leading rusher in 2015, is averaging 5.3 yards per carry on the season with 22 carries for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Also, he has seemingly improved significantly as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, already pulling in all seven of his targets for 57 yards.
Murray highlighted how he has managed to improve as a runner in comparison to his performance in 2015 earlier this week.
"“This year I’m just making sure I use my size to my advantage, breaking tackles, trying to run through guys,” Murray said, via Jerry McDonald of MercuryNews.com. “I guess who’s ever on the other side of the ball becomes the victim of `Angry Tay.”"
In addition to ‘Angry Tay’, Richard and Washington, Oakland’s two primary backups, have also made the best of their limited roles, combining for 161 yards and a touchdown on 21 attempts.
After having little to no help behind Murray in 2015, the Raiders’ backfield has developed into a lethal, three-headed monster, a monster that could only be outmatched by a beast of equal magnitude.
Meet Titans defensive tackle Jurell Casey.
Casey, a 6’1”, 305-pound behemoth, has wreaked havoc within the Titans’ interior defensive line in both of their games thus far this season, earning a top-ten grade (80.2) with PFF.com.
It will be up to the Raiders’ talented interior offensive line to dictate whether or not Casey is going to have a huge impact defending the run, but without much to worry about outside of Casey, Osemele, center Rodney Hudson, and third-year guard Gabe Jackson should have the edge.