Almost every week, the Raiders go into a game hoping they can get their running game on track.
And almost every week the Raiders eventually wind up flinging the ball with quarterback Derek Carr.
It’s not that the running attack has been bad – Latavius Murray ranks No. 7 in the NFL with 765 yards and averages 4.3 yards per carry. Six times, he’s broken loose for runs of 20 or more yards.
It’s just that more often than not, the running game takes a back seat to a more efficient Raiders passing game. Oakland ranks No. 8 in the NFL in passing and 23rd in rushing.
Murray has just three games this season of 20 or more carries. In his first two, against the Browns (26) and Jets (20), Murray rushed for 139 and 113 yards, respectively. In this past Sunday’s victory over the Titans, Murray got the ball 22 times but rushed for just 59 yards.
Perhaps this Sunday, when the 5-6 Raiders take on the 6-5 Chiefs at O.co Coliseum (1:05 p.m. kickoff), will be the game Murray breaks out again. Certainly, the sight of Chiefs uniforms should be a comforting sight for him. In two games against Kansas City in his career (both in 2014), Murray has 171 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns.
Murray, however, doesn’t believe past peformance will have anything to do with Sunday’s game, which the Raiders need to win to stay alive in the hunt for the AFC’s second wild card.
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“I know the history but this is a new year, a new game and both (teams have) new groups,” Murray told reporters Thursday.
And yet, the Raiders would like nothing better than to successfully run the ball against Kansas City and have a more balanced attack Sunday, taking the load off Carr while forcing the Chiefs defense to pay attention to both aspects of Oakland’s offense. Raiders offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave says it continues to be a priority, even if the passing game has been much more productive.
“We’re continually looking to strike that balance because we have really good people on offtense that have a lot to contribute,” Musgrave said. “To be our best we want to be balanced. That’s the best way to win.”
The Raiders this season have thrown the ball on 62 percent of their offensive snaps this season. Yet they have rushed for 584 yards in their five victories and just 473 in their six losses.
The Chiefs, however, will be a tough hurdle. After starting the season 1-5 they’ve won five straight, with victories over Pittsburgh, Detroit, Denver, San Diego and Buffalo. Kansas City also has gone five straight games without a turnover, and quarterback Alex Smith has gone 283 straight pass attempts without an interception. Second-year running back Charcandrick West has been a threat in both the running and passing game, averaging 119 yards from scrimmage over the past four games.
Oddsmakers have made the Chiefs 2½-point favorites.
