Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper says taking better care of his body is a priority this year. Falcons have won the last three games – 23-20 in Atlanta in 2012, 24-0 in Oakland in 2008 and 35-10 in Atlanta in 2004. The Raiders had to pass a lot last week so if the Raiders can get ahead early instead of playing catch-up, then Murray will be a solid RB2 this week. Atlanta rushed for 52 yards, 2.4 per carry, in opener vs. Tampa Bay.
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The Falcons, Sunday’s opponent, may not be as explosive offensively as the Saints, but they are no slouches, either. He’s become a much better route runner. Success in that area makes the Raiders a more unsafe team in terms of play-action passes.
It’s possible that Raiders cornerback Sean Smith could draw Jones.
How high? Well, just retired player turned ESPN Analyst Charles Woodson got a little too high with his preseason picks. And now New Orleans.
The Falcons’ run defense will face a stiff test. About the only positive you can take away from the performance of the defense was that they held Atlanta to under 100 yards rushing. Expect the duo to sack Ryan three times. “And that’s always been my mindset when I get into those situations”.
Jones, though, was 6-foot-3, 220 pounds.
The star corner came up with one of the biggest plays for the Falcons last Sunday. Either way, Smith can expect to have some safety help whenever Jones is on his side. Trufant, a first-round pick out of Washington in 2013, made the Pro Bowl as an alternate previous year despite having only one interception.
RAIDERS Defence – OVERALL (32), RUSH (14), PASS (32). He didn’t catch a pass against New Orleans, but had a role in a running game that had 166 yards – including a pancake block on Paul Kruger on Jalen Richard’s 75-yard run.
NOTES: RT Austin Howard returned to practice after missing the opener with a sprained right ankle. After missing practice, starting right tackle Menelik Watson (groin) and backup left tackle Matt McCants (knee) are doubtful to suit up Sunday.
Center Rodney Hudson (knee) and guard Gabe Jackson were limited in practice and questionable, although both are expected to play. The plus for Coleman is that he also led the team in receiving with 95 yards on 5 catches, while Mohamed Sanu hauled in 5 balls for 80 yards and a touchdown. He has two TD catches in two games vs.
The Derek Carr-to-Michael Crabtree two-point conversion against the Saints was nearly relegated to a footnote after Crabtree was called for unsportsmanlike conduct, a 15-yard penalty that meant Sebastian Janikowski had to kick off from the 20-yard line. The Raiders are the fourth team to score the winning points on a 2-point conversion in the final minute. Raiders committed 14 penalties for 141 yards in opener.
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“I appreciate the hard jobs the refs have with making so many judgment calls, but I can assure you that our team is highly discipline”, head coach Jack Del Rio told reporters on Wednesday.
