The Raiders entered the season with a solid backfield that includes Maurice Jones-Drew, Darren McFadden and Marcel Reece. But after Sunday's 19-14 loss to the New York Jets, the team could be facing some issues with the running game.
Oakland had a fairly poor showing on offense in Week 1, totaling 158 yards and averaging 3.2 yards per play. McFadden led the team in rushing yards with 15 followed by Jones-Drew with 11. The two carried the ball a combined 13 times with Jones-Drew fumbling once and then suffering a broken hand. He underwent surgery to repair the fracture earlier this week, but isn't expected to miss significant time.
Following Jones-Drew's hand procedure on Wednesday, head coach Dennis Allen said the back was listed day-to-day and is unsure if he'll be ready for Sunday. If he's unavailable, the team will put McFadden in the starting role, which is where he's been for the previous three seasons until this year. The team's primary concern at running back coming into 2014 was longevity because McFadden's health has been a big issue since Oakland took him in the first round back in 2008. The former Arkansas Razorback has never played a full 16-game season and only recorded one 1,000-yard rushing campaign.
The team went out and signed Jones-Drew to a three-year, $7.5 million contract to avoid further health issues. In eight seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jones-Drew only missed only 14 games (out of 128), with 10 of them coming in the 2012 season during which he suffered a torn meniscus. Now with his health in question, the bulk of the carries could fall into the hands of McFadden this week, which is likely something the team doesn't want based on his laundry list of previous injuries. Latavius Murray, who has never carried the ball in an NFL regular season game, would be McFadden's backup.
But there is some good news for Oakland. Despite rushing for only 25 yards on 15 carries in Week 1, they'll have a more favorable matchup this week. While the New York Jets have one of the best front sevens in the league, the Texans just lost Jadeveon Clowney for at least a month because of a torn meniscus and their defense allowed 131 rushing yards on 23 carries to the Washington Redskins.
Week 2 of the NFL kicks off tonight in Baltimore where the Ravens will host the Pittsburgh Steelers.
