Getty Las Vegas Raiders RB Latavius Murray.
After a solid 2-1 start, the Denver Broncos now appear to be in serious trouble.
In their Week 4 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, they lost starting running back Javonte Williams to an ACL injury for the rest of the season.
To replace Williams, the Broncos signed 32-year-old Latavius Murray off of the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad. Denver also has two-time Pro Bowl running back Melvin Gordon, but he has four fumbles in four games, which leads the league among rushers. Behind Gordon on the Broncos’ depth chart is Mike Boone, who has 78 rushing attempts in five seasons.
Raiders fans are familiar with Murray because he spent three seasons with the team after getting drafted in the sixth round in 2013. He quickly earned a prominent role in the offense, making his lone Pro Bowl appearance in his second season after rushing for 1,066 yards. In 2016, his third and final years with the Raiders, he rushed for 12 touchdowns in 12 starts.
Murray never came close to matching the output of his Pro Bowl season, failing to start more than 11 games after leaving the Raiders. But he has been productive for most of his nine-year career, rushing for an average of 643 yards and scoring six touchdowns a season since leaving the Raiders. He also played for the Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens and Saints.
In the Saints’ Week 4 loss to the Vikings, Murray had 11 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown.
Raiders Seemingly Solve Rushing Issues
While the Broncos’ run game is falling apart, the Raiders appear to have solved their issues. Josh Jacobs had a career day in Week 4, rushing for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Derek Carr added 40 rushing yards of his own. If the Raiders keep the ball moving on the ground, they could have one of the most potent offenses in the NFL.
It’s just one game where the running game looked good and they still need to prove they can be consistent. The Raiders face a Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5 that is only allowing 65.8 rushing yards a game, which is the best in the NFL. Las Vegas could be in for a long day if they can’t figure out a way to expose the Chiefs’ run defense.
Raiders Surpass Broncos in Power Rankings
Heading into Week 4, the Raiders had the worst record in the NFL at 0-3. They were widely considered the worst team in the AFC West heading into the season and that was validated through three games. Though the Broncos (2-2) still have a better record, NFL.com placed the Raiders at No. 15 in its weekly power rankings while Denver was ranked at No. 16.
“It starts with one. It has to start with one,” NFL.com’s Dan Hanzus wrote on October 4. “The Raiders finally cracked the win column on Sunday, opening the October portion of their schedule with a vitally important, potentially season-saving 32-23 win over the rival Broncos.
“The star of the day was Josh Jacobs, the former first-round pick who looked like a man reborn. Jacobs displayed speed, patience and power in a 144-yard, two-touchdown day. If he can keep this up, he’ll go from a summertime-cut candidate to the recipient of a contract extension. A Week 5 matchup against the Chiefs is another tough lever pull by the schedule gods, but the Silver & Black can at least go into that Monday night matchup feeling good about themselves.”