The Oakland Raiders are still alive in the playoff race as they were able to overcome a late fourth-quarter deficit to topple the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7 of the 2017 NFL season. Derek Carr was brilliant, throwing for 417 yards and three touchdowns, including an end zone bullet to Michael Crabtree to seal the win for Oakland.
While the Raiders will happily take the win, there is still the matter of Marshawn Lynch’s ineffectiveness in the run game. The veteran was brought in to add another element to Oakland’s dynamic offense but has largely struggled to make an impact.
To make matters worse, Lynch was ejected from the game after making contact with an official. The NFL decided to suspend the former Seattle Seahawk for one game and according to Michael Signora of NFL, the league has decided to uphold the suspension:
Appeals officer James Thrash, jointly appointed by NFL & NFLPA, has upheld 1-game suspension of Marshawn Lynch
— Michael Signora (@NFLfootballinfo) October 24, 2017
Lynch appealed the punishment after the initial ruling was released, but now it is official he will serve his suspension during Week 8. Backups DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard will most likely split reps against their Week 8 opponent, the Buffalo Bills.
Even without Lynch to establish the ground game, the Raiders should feel confident knowing they were able to score against a relatively stout Chiefs defense. It will be interesting to see how their fare on the road against the Bills.
