PFF Recap: Grading the Oakland Raiders in Week 5
By Austin Gayle
Amari Cooper Explodes after Several Down Weeks
After watching his teammate Michael Crabtree put on a show in back-to-back weeks, Raiders second-year receiver Amari Cooper finally joined the party against San Diego.
Targeted a season-high 12 times, Cooper brought in six receptions for 138 yards and a touchdown — his first of the season.
"“They were giving us some blocks where we could get him (Cooper) the ball, and you’ve got to take advantage of those looks when we get him,” Carr said. “This game against San Diego we were able to, and so that’s a really good thing for our team. That’s a really good thing for him, to obviously get in the end zone. We were wanting that, and like you said we talked about it. We probably left two or three more out there, and whenever we get those opportunities we have to capitalize.”"
Cooper finding his rhythm five weeks into the season will pay dividends for Oakland down the road, but, as Carr highlighted, Cooper missed on several scoring opportunities.
Carr dropped two perfect passes to Cooper in the end zone along the sideline, both called incomplete because Cooper was unable to keep two feet in bounds.
Cooper’s bad luck continued into the fourth quarter, as another one of his touchdowns was called back because he failed to establish himself in bounds after being forced out of the back of the end zone.
Despite having some plays not go his way, Cooper still boasted the Raiders’ second highest offensive grade (82.2) behind Carr, via PFF.com.
With Cooper stealing the headlines in Week 5, look for Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters to call his number this Sunday, which, in turn, should give Crabtree the opportunity to reclaim the fame.