Oakland Raiders: 5 players to watch vs. New York Giants
By John Buhler
![DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 1: Running back C.J. Anderson No. 22 of the Denver Broncos is hit by strong safety Karl Joseph No. 42 of the Oakland Raiders during a game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on October 1, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 1: Running back C.J. Anderson No. 22 of the Denver Broncos is hit by strong safety Karl Joseph No. 42 of the Oakland Raiders during a game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on October 1, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Fjustblogbaby-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2017-2F10-2F856429494-oakland-raiders-v-denver-broncos-jpg-850x560-f54f2df12a9cbf23c6c56d610be0db07acdb67c4571c129b835a3e31e18696d4.jpg)
Marshawn Lynch. 2. player. 28. . Running Back. California Golden Bears
Ever since getting ejected from the Chiefs’ game back in Week 7, running back Marshawn Lynch has run the football with conviction like we all hoped he would in his first year back in the league. Lynch had over 100 all-purpose yards in the Week 12 win over Denver. He’ll need to come up big to help the Raiders beat the Giants on Sunday.
As stated before, the Raiders will be presumably without its two best receivers in Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. Derek Carr may have to force feed the ball to Jared Cook at tight end, but he may just want to hand the ball off to Lynch a ton so he can go Beast Mode.
New York does not have a prolific offense, so the Raiders don’t have to win a shootout to beat the Giants. However, the Raiders will need to win time of possession to ensure a Week 13 victory. If that means giving a volume-runner like Lynch more than 20 carries in this game, so be it.
Wearing down the Giants’ front-seven will be key in this game. The Giants do have excellent defensive backs with safety Landon Collins and company. Methodically attacking this defense is key to getting back to .500. Lynch is playing very well in the second half of the season, so let’s see if he can keep the good vibes going on the ground in Oakland.