The Raiders meet up with the Indianapolis Colts in Oakland this Sunday. Most fans are well aware at this point just how important this game is. And the run game will be featured yet again.
Last week Darren McFadden went over 1000 yards on his first carry of the game. By the end of the game, he had 119 yards rushing which brought his season total to 1112 yards rushing. The Raiders will continue to ride that horse this weekend for a number of reasons. And they all should result in big numbers for McFadden all around.
1. Stick with what got you there. The most successful part of this Raiders offense this season has been the run game and Darren McFadden in particular. The Raiders are 6-3 in games in which he has rushed the ball at least 15 times. Mainly because in those nine games he has had at least 15 carries, he has had at least 95 yards eight times, and had six 100 yard games. He also has 10 touchdowns on the season. His season has placed him among the greatest single season rushing performances in Raider history.
2. The Colts poor run defense. They have the 28th ranked run defense in the NFL; giving up over 135 yards per game on the ground. Opposing teams have had a 100 yard rusher 7 times this season including 231 yards by the Texans’ Arian Foster in the first game of the season. Two other times they gave up a 95 and 96 yards rusher.
3. The Colts great pass rush. They have arguably the best pass rushing tandem in the NFL in Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. The two of them have a combined 17.5 sacks on the season. The linebackers are a different story, though. Starting outside linebacker Clint Sessions is out for the season and their best tackling numbers among the linebackers comes from rookie outside linebacker, Pat Angerer, who is 35th in the NFL with 78 combined tackles.
This means the Raiders are not going to be passing the ball a whole lot. Even when the Raiders do pass, they will be mostly short drops, quick passes, and a lot of screens in the hopes of catching the two Pro Bowl defensive ends overpursuing. McFadden will see the ball a lot in the screen game as well.
You are a going to want to be there to see this pivotal game as the Raiders make their first late season playoff push in eight season. Head over to Dark Side Tickets to get the best deals on Raider tickets anywhere. To view the game tickets page on Dark Side Tickets Click Here.
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