In barely beating the winless Jets last weekend, many of the Raiders had subpar performances, mostly on the defensive side of the ball. On offense, wide receiver Henry Ruggs III hurt his team on multiple occasions before coming through at the very end of the contest, with a miraculous game-winning 46-yard touchdown catch.
Now, as the Raiders attempt to qualify for the playoffs down the stretch run of the 2020 season, one question of many for Las Vegas is this: can Ruggs, the team’s speedy, first-round selection, finish the season strong as he finished the game strong in New York? Perhaps starting with Sunday’s pivotal matchup against the Colts?
Offensive coordinator Greg Olson said he’d hope that Ruggs’ big play last week, after dropping a pass that led to an interception and also fumbling, would boost the rookie’s inner confidence, though coach Jon Gruden already believes in the Alabama product.
“For Jon [Gruden] to have the confidence to go to him on that final play, it’s huge as well,” Olson told reporters on Friday. “So, we know that he didn’t play his best game by any means and I know there is a lot riding on his shoulders from the miscues that happened earlier in the game, but we have a lot of confidence in him. That’s why we drafted him where we did.
“He’s still developing. He’s a young player, he’s developing and we’ve got high expectations for him, and high standards for him. So, we expect him to meet those going forward and hopefully like you said that was a big step in the right direction and we’ll see more of that here in the final quarter of the season.”
The expectations for Ruggs start with his 4.27-second time in the 40-yard dash, a factor that compelled Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock to make Ruggs the first WR selected in an incredibly deep class at that position.
And he’s shown well above average ball skills, save for a few rookie mistakes. Still, he has just 20 receptions for 396 yards on the campaign, on 35 targets. His big-play ability is evident though, with eight plays of more than 20 yards, tied for the team lead with WR Nelson Agholor.
For Ruggs to have an impactful “fourth quarter” of the season, however, an abundance of catches isn’t necessary. And that’s a good thing because the Raiders don’t throw to their wide receivers much at all, making opportunities rare for the wideouts. Hunter Renfrow leads that group in receptions with 42 at this late stage of the season, for instance.
Ruggs’ speed is already shifting the gravity of the defense, and with tight end Darren Waller on a hot streak and Agholor an increased presence for defenses to account for, Ruggs will certainly have opportunities to impact the season’s final four games.
He must play mistake-free football when he gets those chances, and Gruden still has to find ways to get him the ball, especially as the season comes to a close. It’s the fourth quarter of the campaign now, and just like the waning moments against the Jets, it’s time to utilize Las Vegas’ most talented players.
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