Red Raiders in the pros: Jakeem living the dream

Anthony Lynn - HC, Los Angeles Chargers

Playing to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Chargers won a close one, 14-7, this past Sunday against the New York Jets. The west coast trip wasn’t pretty, but Lynn will be happy with the win either way. Next up on the schedule is division foe, Oakland Raiders (and two former Red Raiders). The Chargers still have a chance of making the playoffs. They simply need to win against the Raiders and for the Tennessee Titans to lose (or tie).

Danny Amendola - WR, New England Patriots

With an offense that focused mainly on Gronk and Dion Lewis, Amendola’s role was relatively small this weekend. To his credit, Amendola caught all three passes thrown his way on Sunday, totaling 28 yards during a Patriots 37-17 win over the Buffalo Bills. He also added two punt returns that averaged 9.5 yards per return.

Le'Raven Clark - OL, Indianapolis Colts

The injury situation on the front line in Indy did not get better during the long week. As a result, Clark not only started the game at right guard, but played 100 percent of the offensive snaps. The Colts fell to the Baltimore Ravens 16-23, but Clark had a good showing. Of the team’s 24 rushing attempts, nine were behind Clark’s position. Those nine attempts averaged four yards per carry, which was tied for best on the Colt’s line. Week 17 against the Houston Texans will be a good opportunity for Clark to prove his NFL worth, not just to the Colts, but to other teams across the league as well.

Michael Crabtree - WR, Oakland Raiders

ZERO. Yep, that’s how many catches Crabtree had on Christmas night. Given that he’s been the WR1 all season, it’s not surprising that an ineffective Crabtree meant an ineffective Raiders offense as they lost to the Wentz-less Philadelphia Eagles, 10-19. With the playoffs clearly out of the picture, it will be up to Crabtree and the team to respond next week against the Chargers and play the role of spoiler.

Jakeem Grant - WR, Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins dropped their second straight game since beating the New England Patriots, but Jakeem the Dream had his second big game of the season. He caught four passes for a whopping 107 yards, including the team’s lone touchdown on a 65 yard catch and scamper. Just for kicks, he also had one rushing attempt good for three yards and a kickoff return for 26 yards.

Branden Jackson - DE, Seattle Seahawks

All of our readers who are Dallas Cowboys fans can send Jackson a big ol’ thank you for eliminating the Cowboys from playoff contention on Sunday night. Jackson played 61 percent of the defensive snaps and recorded a tackle during the 21-12 victory. He has now recorded a tackle in three straight weeks. Jackson and his squad will be looking to figure into the playoff equation with a win next week over the Arizona Cardinals.

DeAndre Washington - RB, Oakland Raiders

Crabtree wasn’t the only former Red Raider to have a bad Christmas game. Crabtree may have been held out of the box score altogether, but Washington managed to perhaps out-do that trick by gaining a total of negative one yard during the matchup with the Eagles. He carried the ball once for a three yard loss and had only one catch for two yards. It’s safe to say that Washington has now been surpassed by Jalen Richard on the depth chart and will likely stay in a back up role even if Marshawn Lynch decides to retire again after this season.