Las Vegas Raiders at New York Giants: 5 Things we learned in Week 9
Las Vegas Raiders at New York Giants: 5 Things we learned in Week 9
5: The Raiders Run Game is Alive
We have talked a lot about the Giants being able to run the ball and the Raiders not stopping it but the shoe fits on the other foot as well. The Raiders have begun to put together a solid run game in recent weeks and had one of their best performances of the season against the Giants.
A combination of Josh Jacobs, Kenyan Drake, and Marcus Mariota rushed for 112 yards on 18 carries and were the clear strength of the offense. Jacobs in particular was dynamite until he was forced out of the game yet again due to injury. These niggling injuries are becoming a major concern for the third-year back and is something the Raiders will have to account for when discussing his upcoming extension.
The run game was so good that it was extremely frustrating to watch the Raiders abandon it when they got down inside the 5 or 10-yard line. Part of their struggles there came down to the offensive line not holding up in pass protection but they were able to physically dominate the Giants in the run game.
Las Vegas Raiders: Game by game predictions after the 2021 bye week. dark. Next
The Raiders made 6 red zone trips and came away with touchdowns on just one of those trips which is inexcusable. At least they have some momentum on the ground going in against Kansas City who are currently ranked 21st against the run. If they can pound the Chiefs physically that would take a great deal of pressure off the offensive line and Derek Carr in pass protection.