The Oakland Raiders have quickly become one of the most disappointing teams during the 2017 NFL season. After going 12-4 during the 2016 NFL campaign, the Raiders are currently 4-6 and out of playoff position.
Marshawn Lynch was thought to be the missing piece for an explosive Oakland offense that had been missing a legitimate every-down running back. Even at 31 years old, Lynch’s arrival in the offseason sent waves throughout the rest of the league that the Raiders were serious about a Super Bowl run.
However, the veteran came out of the gate relatively slow but has started to come on in recent weeks. According to Matt Schneidman of Mercury News, Jack Del Rio is looking to get Lynch more involved:
I’d like to push him and get him a little more,” Del Rio said. “Obviously, that’s a matter of us doing things that I spoke to earlier in the week with getting the possessions offensively, converting on third down which allows more possession, more snaps and opportunities. That’s a big part of it.”
Lynch has begun to resemble Beast Mode the past couple of games and has definitely earned more work going forward. However, game script has limited him to less snaps because Oakland has found itself trailing in most games.
Their Week 12 opponent, the Denver Broncos, has been good against the run this year and it will be interesting to see if Lynch can establish a ground attack. In a big AFC West divisional game, this matchup may be make-or-break for the silver and black.
