OAKLAND — Michael Crabtree was finished. It was a nice run, but not much was expected from him anymore.

Next thing you know he was surging. Up the middle, through one last defender, into the end zone.

The 36-yard touchdown by Crabtree, in the Raiders’ 34-20 win Sunday over the New York Jets, was a metaphor for his career. Everyone thought he was down, but he wasn’t. It seemed as if his best was behind him, but he refused to settle for what he’d already accomplished.

Anyone who thought he’d reached the end of his glory years underestimated his drive.

“I’m 28 years old. I don’t know about no end,” Crabtree said when asked about people who thought he was done. “All I know is work, like I keep telling everybody. … Obviously you guys haven’t been watching film.”

Rookie receiver Amari Cooper has, rightfully, gotten all the attention this season. But Crabtree has been a rock for a Raiders offense that is rising up the NFL ranks. The guy whose ego had outgrown his production with the 49ers has become the prototypical veteran presence for the Raiders.

With Hall of Fame-bound cornerback Darrell Revis all over Cooper, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr leaned on Crabtree. And the veteran produced, playing with a fervor and determination that belittled a good Jets cornerback in Antonio Cromartie.

Crabtree finished with 102 yards receiving and a touchdown against a Jets defense that was allowing just 211.7 passing yards per game. Juxtapose that with the irony of the entire 49ers receiving corps totaling 94 yards Sunday.

Crabtree has turned out to be an excellent signing for the Raiders, while the team that didn’t want him anymore is crumbling apart.

“Michael has been a real pro,” Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said. “We love having him. He’s come in from Day 1 and really fit in our locker room. He’s been a great teammate. He does everything we ask. He works his tail off. He’s been a great example for Coop. He’s been a mentor in some respects that way. And he’s making plays. He’s doing more than just being a mentor, he’s a playmaker.”

Crabtree punctuated Sunday’s performance with his highlight of the season, a catch and run for a touchdown that revealed the resilience that has resurrected his career.

The pass was caught 17 yards downfield, Carr hitting Crabtree open across the middle. Crabtree turned upfield and was sandwiched by Cromartie and linebacker Demario Davis at the 7-yard line. It was a good pickup for a first down, putting the Raiders into the red zone.

But that wasn’t the end for Crabtree. Remember, he doesn’t “know about no end.”

He powered through the hit from the two Jets, stumbling right into cornerback Marcus Williams. He, too, was sleeping on Crabtree, had given up on the receiver’s progression.

No. 15 went right through him.

“I told him he played with daddy strength,” Carr said. “When you’re a father, there’s an extra strength that you have and I said that’s what he played with today.”

Makes sense, because Crabtree made the Jets defense, and his critics, his son.

The Raiders shredded one of the best defenses in the league Sunday. What was looking like a daunting challenge turned out to be a cakewalk. The Raiders are now averaging 25.4 points and 365.3 yards per game, which coming into the week would’ve been good for seventh and 10th, respectively, in the NFL.

And a big part of that is the productivity of Crabtree, a once-ballyhooed playmaker who we thought had lost a step and some adhesive in those legendary hands of his.

And unlike his reputation in the locker room, Crabtree has been regarded as an exemplary Raiders teammate.

“I guarantee you if you took a poll from our team,” Carr explained, “the top five just favorite teammates to be around … I guarantee you he’s in there. Everyone loves him. He’s someone that people gravitate towards.”

Seven games into the season, Crabtree has two games with at least 100 receiving yards. He hadn’t done that since 2012. He never topped 85 yards in a game in 2014, his final season with the 49ers.

Crabtree now has a team-high 40 catches and is tied for the Raiders lead with three receiving touchdowns. His 483 yards so far puts him on pace for just his second 1,000-yard season in seven years.

It’s exactly what the Raiders hoped for when they signed him to a one-year deal with a reported base salary of $3.2 million. They wanted a guy who played like he had something to prove.

Crabtree has done exactly that, proving wrong everyone who thought he was done.

Read Marcus Thompson II’s blog at blogs.mercurynews.com/thompson. Contact him at mthomps2@bayareanewsgroup.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ThompsonScribe.