Wide Receiver Amari Cooper
The 2016 Oakland Raiders are a team of firsts, and Sunday afternoon they did it again, becoming the first Raiders team since 2000 to win six consecutive games following their 38-24 win over the Buffalo Bills at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
The Silver and Black now own a 10-2 record, and remain atop the AFC West standings for another week, but there won't be much rest for Head Coach Jack Del Rio's team, as they'll now have to regroup and prepare for a Thursday Night Football matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, coincidently the last team they lost to this season.
While the matchup with the Chiefs is now just a little over 72 hours out, let's take a quick look back at the playtime percentages from the win over the Bills, and see what we can learn from the numbers.
Offense
Carr goes the distance– After suffering a finger injury in the Raiders Week 12 win over the Carolina Panthers, Carr was no worse for the wear against the Bills, playing all 71 offensive snaps in Sunday's win. While the Silver and Black had a hard time finding the end zone in the first half, Carr and the offense were masterful in the second half, rattling off 29 unanswered points to put away the Bills and secure the Raiders 10th win of the regular season. In total, the Raiders signal-caller – and legitimate MVP candidate by the way – finished the day 19 of 35 for 260 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Murray makes a little history– The Tay Train was cruising down the tracks Sunday afternoon at the OACC. The Raiders Pro Bowl running back played 50 offensive snaps (70%) in the Week 13 win, rushing the ball 20 times for 82 yards. Murray also scored a pair of touchdowns, giving him 11 on the season, which marks the most any Raider has rushed for since Marcus Allen's 12 in 1990.
Cooper hits another milestone– The Raiders standout wide receiver played 63 snaps (89%) in the Week 13 matchup, finishing his Sunday with a pair of catches for 59 yards and one touchdown. Cooper's touchdown – his fourth of the year – propelled the Raiders back in front of the Bills, and was also No. 89's fourth receiving score of 30-yards-or-more, which is tied for the most in the NFL. In addition to that, Cooper has now recorded more than 2,000 career receiving yards, which makes him the seventh player in league to history to hit that mark before turning 23.
Defense
Riley Returns– After missing last week's win over the Carolina Panthers, veteran linebacker Perry Riley, Jr., returned to action Sunday afternoon, playing 69 defensive snaps (96%) in the Week 13 battle with the Bills. Not only did Riley play every defensive snap save three, but No. 54 also paced the defense with 10 total tackles en route to the 38-24 win at the OACC.
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Allen records an interception **– After rookie safety Karl Joseph was sidelined with a foot injury, veteran defensive back Nate Allen entered the fold, playing 40 defensive snaps (56%) in the 38-24 win over the Bills. Allen finished his afternoon with three tackles, one pass defensed, and a fourth quarter interception of Tyrod Taylor that later resulted in eight points for the Silver and Black.
Mack is masterful yet again– While Derek Carr has deservedly found himself in the league MVP conversation, his teammate on the defensive side of the football Khalil Mack is making a legitimate case to be the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year. The All-Pro defensive end played 68 snaps (94%) in Sunday's win over the Bills, and once again, his stat line reads like a short paragraph, so here we go; in total, Mack secured seven tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit, one pass defensed, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. No. 52 is a bonafide superstar, and he once again looked the part Sunday afternoon at the OACC.
