One of the constants during the first six weeks of the Raiders season was subpar production from wide receiver Amari Cooper.
After two seasons leading the way for the Raiders passing game, Cooper was in a major rut. He had a three-game stretch with four catches for 23 yards and only had 18 catches for 146 yards overall heading into Thursday night’s game with the Chiefs. Right from the start, things were different against Kansas City.
Cooper caught a pass for 12 yards early and then reeled in a big play down the sideline on a flea flicker for the first Oakland touchdown of the night. He’d catch another touchdown later in the game, draw a pass interference penalty to set up a third score and finish the night with 11 catches for 210 yards as the Raiders broke a four-game losing streak.
“We have a lot of playmakers at the receiver position,” Cooper said, via the San Francisco Chronicle. “And we went into this week saying that we wanted to take more shots, more explosive plays. It was huge for me, it was huge for the team. Anytime that anyone can create some explosive plays, get first downs, we’re going to have more plays on offense. And eventually we’ll keep scoring.”
While talking about Cooper after the game, quarterback Derek Carr said “nothing changed in his demeanor or his mentality” heading into Thursday night and Cooper said he “went out there like I do every game.” The approach may have changed, but the results were a major step up for a player the Raiders need if they are going to make Thursday’s win the start of a better run.