Week 5 showed another sign of regression for Latavius Murray, who only recorded 57 yards on 16 touches, good for his lowest total of the year. There were a ton of different faces popping up in the Raiders backfield in this contest, as Murray, Jamize Olawale, Roy Helu and fullback Marcel Reece all managed more than five touches.
This is a bit worrying for Murray owners, as the back's main strength this year has been his high level of touches and relatively small amount of competition in the backfield. Head Coach Jack Del Rio alluded to some sort of injury to his starting tail back after the game, saying that Murray was "banged up". This is surely a situation worth monitoring over the next few days. Needless to say, Murray is still locked in as starter if healthy. The Raiders will have a Week 6 BYE.
Yet again, Melvin Gordon was unable to get much going on the ground against the Steelers on Monday night. His 15-42-0 line has become fairly standard, regardless of the competition. However, he salvaged his night in the passing game, adding another 52 yards on seven receptions, which all together created a solid night for the rookie.
Danny Woodhead was slightly less effective than usual, accounting for only 76 yards on nine touches. Both backs are poised for success in their next outing against Green Bay and a defense that was just shredded by Todd Gurley. I guess we'll finally find out how Gordon and Gurley stack up.