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5 season-defining games for the 2017 Oakland Raiders

By John Buhler

LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 24: Quarterback Derek Carr No. 4 of the Oakland Raiders talks with wide recievers coach Nick Holz during the closing moments of the Raiders 27-10 loss to the Washington Redskins at FedExField on September 24, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 24: Quarterback Derek Carr No. 4 of the Oakland Raiders talks with wide recievers coach Nick Holz during the closing moments of the Raiders 27-10 loss to the Washington Redskins at FedExField on September 24, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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MIAMI GARDENS, FL – NOVEMBER 05: Marshawn Lynch No. 24 of the Oakland Raiders scores a touchdown during a game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
MIAMI GARDENS, FL – NOVEMBER 05: Marshawn Lynch No. 24 of the Oakland Raiders scores a touchdown during a game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

Week 9: Win at Miami Dolphins on Sunday Night Football, 27-24

Oakland was 3-5 heading into its third primetime game of the season. The Raiders were completely humiliated by the Buffalo Bills in Week 8 up in Orchard Park. They had another AFC East opponent to take on in Week 9 against a reeling Miami Dolphins team on Sunday Night Football at Hard Rock Stadium.

This would end up being one of the better games for the Raiders all season. Even though Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler carved up the Raiders’ weak secondary at will, this game will best be remembered of the beginning of all the good stuff that came with running back Marshawn Lynch in the second half.

He was the best player on the gridiron on that Sunday evening. Rather than being zone-heavy in Downing’s offensive philosophy, the Raiders began to go back to some more power concepts that Lynch and the offensive line thrived on. While he may have been out of shape in the early part of the year, Lynch proved to be the best part of the Raiders offense down the stretch as a productive power runner.

Oakland would take that narrow 27-24 victory over the Dolphins in primetime and improve to 4-5 on the year heading into the bye. Of course, the Raiders would screw it up two weeks later in Mexico City versus the New England Patriots, but this game against the Dolphins gave us a sliver of hope that Silver and Black could at least be an AFC playoff pretender in 2017.

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