In Week 12, the Oakland Raiders got a needed win thanks to big plays from someone other than Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. In a streak-snapping win over the Oakland Raiders, it was not the team's two best offensive players that were responsible for the victory, but instead Seth Roberts who has become a go-to target for quarterback Derek Carr. Can the receiver keep the momentum moving as the Raiders remain in the hunt for the postseason?
Roberts had a career day on Sunday to the tune of six catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns. He was clutch for the Raiders when they needed him to be as the receiver sat just blew Cooper in stats at the end of the day. The Raiders had been suffering from a stagnant offense for a few weeks as Carr was relying heavily on just Crabtree and Cooper. However, the rise of Roberts gives him another strong weapon to work with. After being a practice player at the beginning of the season, Roberts' rise to the top has left a lot of his team inspired.
"He's like the hero story," Carr said, via the team website. "He's caught what, two game-winners now? He's a guy that's undrafted. The first day we throw routes, it didn't look as pretty as we wanted it too. The guy has consistently worked his tail off to make the practice squad, then to make the 53, to be the starting slot and now he's making game-winning catches. I think that Disney will write a movie about him some day."
Roberts along with Mychal Rivera have come up big when the Raiders needed them to which helped when Cooper was struggling with dropped passes. The first-round draft pick ranks near the top in dropped passes this season. Coming off one of his worst games of his career, Cooper rebounded in a big way for the Raiders with 115 yards on the day. Carr told the media that he was never worried about the receiver and remains confident the rookie will continue to progress in a positive direction.
"I'm not worried about him. He's 'Coop,' man," Carr said, via ESPN.com. "He makes a whole bunch of plays. We'll be all right. I'm always the encourager. I'm always trying to encourage him to get the best out of him. I know that these things happen and he'll be all right."
At 5-6 on the season, the Raiders remain in the hunt for the postseason, but they would need a lot of help to get there. If anything, this season proves the franchise is on the upswing. The rise of players like Roberts shows that the team has the talent moving forward. Big games against the Broncos and Packers remain on the horizon and the Raiders will need big plays from all the depth they can get.
