It’ll be hard to move the sticks without Cooper or Crabtree on Sunday.
While the victory over the Broncos was excellent, Oakland might be depleted in the receiving corps on Sunday. Given that Raiders receiver Michael Crabtree got into a fight with Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib, both could be suspended for the next game. Gabe Jackson did bump into an official, so keep an eye on that situation as well.
Another starter for the Raiders that left the game early was No. 1 wide receiver Amari Cooper. He suffered a head injury on a brutal hit by Broncos safety Darian Stewart. If Cooper is in concussion protocol, he might not be able to play on Sunday versus the New York Giants.
New York has been all sorts of banged up at receiver this season. Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall have been out for the season for a while now. Sterling Shepard has missed some time, too. Could the Raiders be as depleted as the Giants on Sunday at wide receiver? Potentially.
If that’s the case, Oakland will have to get creative with how it moves the sticks. Derek Carr had success on a couple of passes deep when he targeted Johnny Holton and Cordarrelle Patterson. Maybe that’s in the mix for next week’s game plan? Marshawn Lynch has run the ball well of late. Maybe getting tight end Jared Cook more involved in the passing game could help offset the potential losses of Cooper and Crabtree for this game?