Hey, Amari Cooper is back!
Yes, the Raiders got the breakout game it needed out of its No. 1 wide receiver in Amari Cooper. He had struggled mightily in the Raiders’ first six games of the season. Cooper was dropping about a third of the passes thrown his way and the Oakland passing attack largely suffered because of that.
Well, that all changed on Thursday night, as Cooper had by far and away his best performance of the season. He had 11 catches for 210 yards and two touchdown receptions. Both of his touchdowns can in the first quarter, one for 38 yards and one from 45 yards out.
You could just tell that he and quarterback Derek Carr were on the same page all night. When Oakland needed a big play in the passing game, Carr would target his favorite receiver. Cooper’s ability to make plays allowed Carr to spread the football around to other targets like Jared Cook, Jalen Richard and Michael Crabtree.
Though the rushing attack only mustered 88 yards on the night, this was the best the Raiders passing game looked all year. Carr was excellent, but much of that has to do with Cooper stepping up in a big spot. If Cooper doesn’t have those 210 receiving yards, Oakland doesn’t win this game and its season is pretty much over.