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The Oakland Raiders have worked their way back in the playoff picture in a three-way tie atop of the AFC West standings after a 24-17 win over the New York Giants on Sunday afternoon.
Former Pro Bowl running back Marshawn Lynch led the way with his first 100 rushing yard performance of the season with 17 carries for 101 yards with a touchdown. His lone score came on a 51-yard dash just three plays into the Raiders' opening drive of the game.
Following the contest, Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Carr accredited Lynch for putting the team on his back for the crucial win over the Giants, according to Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.
“We talk about it all the time — the run game is my best friend,” said Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. “Whenever we can just get that going and have the run game rolling like that — any quarterback loves that. If you can hand the ball, under four minutes, three times in a row and just get a first down, that’s a lot less pressure on the quarterback and the receivers. I don’t know a quarterback that wouldn’t want that.
“Really, Marshawn is just taking over. Today he had 100 yards, which is awesome. Anytime you can do that, the ball is in your hands. Anytime you can run the ball efficiently, you’re moving the chain — so that just helps us in the pass-game element of it.”
The 31-year-old has played a huge part in the Raiders turnaround over the last four games experiencing a spike in his production rushing for 292 yards on 68 carries while averaging 4.3 yards per attempt. It has put Oakland back at a .500 mark at 6-6 in a three-way tie with the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers heading into the final month of the season.
The Raiders will need Lynch to remain a significant factor in the running game over the last four games in the season that include a pair of AFC West divisional meetings against the Chiefs in Week 14 and a season finale matchup against the Chargers.
