RADIO
There was good news Thursday at the Oakland Raiders practice on Thursday as rookie wide receiver Amari Cooper and running back Latavius Murray returned.
Murray suffered a concussion on Sunday during the Raiders’ 38-35 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The running back was three yards shy of the 100-yard mark when he was forced to leave the game early with the concussion. Luckily for the 4-4 Raiders, the 25-year-old is symptom-free and ready to get out there against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
He is sixth in the league in rushing (630 YDS), which helps make second-year quarterback Derek Carr’s life easier at QB. The solid run game helps Carr get the ball to the likes of Michael Crabtree and Cooper. The Vikings defense has allowed running backs to rush for more than 100 YDS twice this season. It’s going to be a gritty matchup in the trenches on both sides.
The up-and-coming offense of Oakland has made it a legit contender for the postseason. It’s going to be tough to catch the Denver Broncos for the AFC West title but there’s still a chance to get in through one of the two Wild Card spots. The Raiders are 4-4 and will face a Minnesota Vikings team that will likely have Teddy Bridgewater back at quarterback after leaving their last game with a concussion.
The good news for Carr is that not only will he have his lead running back, but he will also have his star rookie receiver. Cooper was dealing with a quad issue as late as Wednesday, which forced him to miss practice. The Alabama product was back out there with his teammates on Thursday and appears ready to battle a tough Vikings defense on Sunday.
Cooper has caught the ball 35 times for 653 YDs and four TDs--he’s lived up to the hype in his first year. The Minnesota secondary has been inconsistent this season, which means it could shut down the banged-up receiver or let him catch the ball over the field. Either way, a win and the Raiders are surely back in the hunt for a playoff spot. That’s great news to a fan base that hasn’t seen this team in the playoffs since 2002.
