Running back Darren McFadden was an integral part of Oakland's offensive game plan in the Raiders' 22-14 loss to the Chargers on Monday. His rushing numbers left something to be desired, as McFadden gained just 32 yards on 15 carries, but he supplemented that by catching 13 passes for 86 yards.
Levi Damien, of Silver and Black Pride, took notice of McFadden's effort and gave him credit for bearing so much responsibility in the offense:
McFadden was nearly the entire Raiders offense. His number was called 33 times in this game out of 64 plays. That means he had more plays than the rest of the offensive players combined. He was targeted 18 times in the passing game and had a Raider running back record 13 catches. It was once shy of tying the Raiders record at any position-set by Tim Brown in 1997. Granted the Raiders should have spread the ball around more but McFadden deserves credit for being the workhorse in this game. He was far more featured in the passing game because the Chargers were allowing underneath passes all day.
The fifth-year back out of Arkansas will be more explosive with those touches in the future if his past is any indicator. McFadden has averaged 4.7 yards per carry and 9.9 yards per catch in his career. It remains to be seen if the heavy workload will take its toll, as McFadden has yet to play a full 16-game NFL schedule since coming to the Raiders in 2008.
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