Oakland Raiders Still Have High Hopes in Playoffs

3 of 6

Dec 24, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders running back DeAndre Washington (33) carries the ball on a 22-yard touchdown run in the third quarter against the Indianapolis Colts during a NFL football game at Oakland-Alameda Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

The Running Game

The running game is coming along as the big, powerful O-line opens the lanes. DeAndre Washington has been inactive for much of the season but he looks good now. There wasn’t any consistency with Latavius Murray and Jalen Richard.

Richard is a slower scat-back type the runs well in space and out of the spread. Murray is an I-back that runs well going into the line of scrimmage but doesn’t run well in the open field. He makes all the wrong moves in the secondary and gets tripped up.

Washington seems to have it all, running out of the I and the spread. He has great vision, runs well through contact and will put the shakes on you in the open field. He also has the best hands of all the backs, especially Richard, who has had quite a few drops.

So this combination of talents may be the one that does it for the Raiders offense. Or he could have just been the hottest one against a bad Colts run defense. I believe his talents bode well for tough defenses too but either way, he’ll help.

Home/Las Vegas Raiders