Raiders receivers: What we learned in win over Dallas Cowboys

In the first three games after the release of wide receiver Henry Ruggs III, the Las Vegas Raiders had a difficult time getting their wide outs involved in the offense.

The team lost all three games and averaged just 12 points a game in the stretch. In Week 12, however, Raiders’ quarterback Derek Carr was able to get his receivers more involved and the offense soared, in a 36-33 overtime win at the Dallas Cowboys.

Let’s take a look at the details of the production of the Raiders’ receivers in the game:

Hunter Renfrow:
He is always Carr’s favorite target among receivers and his role became more important when star tight end Darren Waller departed the game with a knee injury in the second quarter. As usual, Renfrow came through with eight catches on nine targets for 134 yards. He was the engine of the offense.

Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images

DeSean Jackson
In his third game with the Raiders, Jackson gave the team exactly what it hoped when he was signed — a speed element that left with Ruggs, He had three catches for 102 yards on the four targets. The Raiders wouldn’t have won without his contributions. We need to see more of this down the stretch.

Zay Jones
This was encouraging. Jones, a starter, had just one catch each in the three previous games. Against Dallas, though, he had five catches on seven targets for 59 yards. Those numbers look more like a starting receiver and they need to continue.

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Bryan Edwards
Now this was discouraging, however. Edwards had just one catch for 12 yards at Dallas. The 2020 third-round pick has great ability, but he has not produced consistently. He has four catches in the past four games, which is not good for a starter. In his career, Edwards had 33 catches in 23 games. He has to find a way to become more consistent.

Conclusion:
There was a lot to like here. The key is for Jackson and Jones to continue to contribute and Edwards to find a way to get involved regularly. We know Renfrow will continue to deliver.