2.) Harris and Murray displayed toughness in between the tackles
Damien Harris was able to get seven carries for 33 yards and a touchdown. Latavius Murray managed to get six carries early on in the game for 22 yards and the Bills’ first touchdown of the afternoon. As members of a running back committee that is headlined by James Cook, it was important to see that both Harris and Murray could get carries and make the most out of their opportunities.
However, it was not the stats that stood out to the stat sheet.
If you watched this game, both Murray and Harris managed to display their physical toughness against this Raiders’ run defense in between the tackles. On Murray’s first touchdown of the game, he looked like a true north-and-south runner and bulldozed his way into the endzone to get the Bills on the board.
Having two backs that are not the starters be able to show that they can pick up the tough yards against the first and second level not only provides an easy flow to the offense, but it allows James Cook to not have to do the dirty work in the middle as a smaller back.