The 10 Most Impactful Plays From Week 1
4. Who the Heck Is Jalen Richard?
Win Probability Added: +19.32
NEP: +6.87
The Oakland Raiders said all offseason that they wanted to find a talented running back to help take some of the workload off of bell cow back Latavius Murray in 2016. Many thought a veteran was coming in, but the Raiders ended up settling on undrafted rookie out of Southern Mississippi, Jalen Richard.
Until the fourth quarter of Oakland’s Week 1 tilt against the New Orleans Saints, Richard had taken a backseat to Murray, earning just one target in the passing game. Midway through the final quarter and down 19-27, Oakland finally called a rushing play for Richard up the middle of the line. On 2nd-and-10, it was clearly designed to pick up a few yards and make their upcoming third down conversion an easier attempt.
Richard had other ideas, though, slipping through a pinching line and putting on the jets to get by four diving New Orleans defensive backs before cruising into the end zone for 75 yards and the eventual game-winning score. No one’s going to forget his name now.
