Latavius Murray is one of the more promising players on the Raiders' improved roster, but Sunday was a day to to forget for the second-year running back.
Murray finished Oakland's Week 4 loss to the Bears on the bench after fumbling a pitch from Derek Carr. Earlier in the game, Murray couldn't hold on to a pass that turned into a Pernell McPhee interception. Murray averaged just 3.1 yards per carry on 16 attempts.
Roy Helu finished the game as Oakland's primary ball-carrier, but Jack Del Rio disputed the characterization that Murray was benched. The coach believes Murray will respond well to the tough day.
"I remain confident. We have some good young players. None of us our perfect. We all are capable of making mistakes," Del Rio said. "I think the sooner you own up to mistakes, the quicker you can put them behind you and move forward. I know we have some really good, young, talented football players that are not going to be.
"We're going to put them in situations, expecting them to play well. If they don't, they'll learn from it, we'll move forward."
Don't expect Murray to get C.J. Anderson'd just yet. After years of subpar play in Oakland's backfield, Murray stands out as a solid option with Pro Bowl-level upside.
