With starters out, receiver steps up
The Raiders were going to be in a world of trouble against the New York Giants on Sunday at the Coliseum. That was the word. They were without their two starting receivers: Michael Crabtree was suspended and Amari Cooper was in concussion protocol.
But, surprise, surprise, the receiving corps came through. Eight players caught passes for 287 yards.
Perhaps the biggest reception came from Cordarrelle Patterson in the fourth quarter.
The Raiders clearly wanted to get Patterson involved in the game.
“Cordarrelle played a heck of a game,” head coach Jack Del Rio said. “He was impactful on special teams, as a receiver, as a blocker, as a ball-carrier. He played really well for us today.”
In the first quarter, offensive coordinator Todd Downing called three consecutive plays for Patterson, including two runs, but the series didn’t manage a first down.
Patterson made up for it in the fourth quarter. With the Giants having pulled to within 17-14, Derek Carr tossed a short pass to Patterson on first down. He sprinted downfield for 59 yards.
It was an improvised play, drawn up on the sideline with Carr, Downing, line coach Mike Tice and receivers coach Rob Moore.
“It was an adjustment we made on the sideline, based on how they were playing those kind of plays,” Carr said. “It was actually drawn up on the sideline. We all saw something and we liked it at the same time, so it was a good thing.
“When the call came in that that was what we were starting with, I was like ‘Aw yes, hopefully it scores.’ But we got close.”
Carr passed to his left, Patterson got the ball and sprinted up the sideline before finally being brought down at the Giants’ 9. Three plays later, Carr found Johnny Holton in the end zone for a touchdown. The score, which sealed the win, was redemption for Holton, who had fumbled a few series earlier.
“Those are some big shoes to fill,” Holton said of Cooper and Crabtree. “We had to step up.”
Patterson said that Crabtree texted the receivers before the game and told them to “ball out.”
It was the second big game for Patterson, who stepped up against Denver after Crabtree had been ejected and Cooper had suffered a head injury. With Denver looking for a defensive stop, Patterson came up with a big 54-yard catch-and-run on 3rd-and-8 late in the fourth quarter. Three kneeldowns later, the Raiders had won.
“We’re in this league for a reason,” said Patterson, who signed with the Raiders in March after four seasons in Minnesota. “Every guy on this roster can go out and make plays.”