After the teams 24-17 victory to the New York Giants last weekend, the Raiders are at the 3/4’s mark of the 2017 season. Oakland is 6-6 and tied with the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers for the division lead. A long shot for the wild card, Oakland is only one game back of the #6 spot.
Offensively, the team is starting to get their rhythm on the ground attack and is limiting their turnovers. Big reasons to the Raiders success on offense are the new players they added via free agency/trades.
With that, let us look at each player stats thus far and review their play to this point.
Marshawn Lynch: 140 carries, 588 yards, 6 touchdowns, 12 receptions, 117 yards
BeastMode has had an up and down season so far for the Raiders. Marshawn Lynch started the season slow, averaging only 32 yards a game through the first seven games of the season. To make matters worse, Lynch sat for week 8, due to contacting an official during the Chiefs game.
Nevertheless, with Lynch’s recent play the last four games, it seems like Beast mode got his second wind after the suspension. Lynch has gained 371 yards of total offense and four touchdowns weeks 9-12. Last week versus the Giants, Lynch rushed for 101 yards. That was the first time he has been over the century mark since 2014. If the Raiders are going to make a run at the division the next few weeks, Lynch is crucial to that push.
Jared Cook: 43 catches, 546 yards, one touchdown
A tale of two seasons, similar to Lynch, Jared Cook started the year red hot but has cooled down the last few weeks. After nine games, Cook’s great play was earning himself some votes and serious consideration for his first pro bowl selection. That has fizzled some with only four catches in his last three games. Nonetheless, Cook leads the team lead in receptions and yards after 12 games. The Raiders hoped someone could take control of the tight end position this season. Cook exceeded their expectations.
Cordarrelle Patterson: 25 catches, 283 yards, 12rushes, 125 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns
If you asked me to predict Cordarrelle Patterson’s stats before the season, I would have never guessed the former All-Pro returner would have more rushing touchdowns than return/receiving touchdowns combined. That is exactly the case for Patterson this year. The former Viking player has two rushing touchdowns and is still searching for his first return and receiving touchdown this season. Regardless , Patterson averages 29.0 yards a return, providing a spark for the offense. Patterson is due for a big day in the next four games.
