By Jordan Long
The Oakland Raiders are preparing to take on the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, looking to improve on their 1-5 record. Oakland will be without the services of running back Marshawn Lynch who is sidelined with a core muscle injury. The Raiders placed him on injured reserve. Lynch might be able to come back in 8 weeks.
This is a big loss for the Raiders. Lynch is one of Oakland’s top offensive players this year. He carries the football which opens the passing game. This season he has rushed for 376 yards and 3 touchdowns. His average yards per rush is 4.2 yards.
The Raiders use him in the passing game. Lynch sneaks out of the backfield and is wide open for passes. In the open field he can make defenders miss and gain yards. Lynch totaled 84 passing yards.
He is also valuable when quarterback Derek Carr is dropping back to pass. Lynch blocks and make sure that a defender can’t sack Carr. It buys more time for Carr to throw the football and find the open man. When this occurs, Carr will pass to a wide receiver who gains a first down or longer.
The Raiders are hoping Lynch can come back in 8 weeks. With him out, Oakland will use their backup running backs. The Raiders will rely on veteran Doug Martin and Jalan Richard. Martin hasn’t been able to carry the rock that much for the Oakland offense this season with a total of 99 yards on the ground. His average yards per rush is 3.7 yards. Martin isn’t the pass catcher Lynch is with 5 receiving yards. The Raiders are hoping he can carry the load. Martin needs to block when defenses blitz so Carr has time to throw the football. If he can’t pick up the blitzes, Carr will be sacked and it might be a long afternoon for the Raiders’ offense.
Jalen Richard is not as experienced as Martin. He totaled 32 rushing yards this season with a disappointing average yards per rush of 2.9. That is not a number that will help Oakland establish a running game.
What will help Oakland while Lynch is out is Richard’s numbers in the passing game. He is able to catch the football and gain yards for first downs. His total this season is 253 yards receiving.
The Raiders are hoping Martin and Richard are the answer to replace Lynch in the lineup. It will take both of them to produce Lynch type numbers. If they aren’t able to run the football or catch passes out in the field, it might be a long 8 games without Lynch.
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