ALAMEDA — Protect the passer, establish a running game and get good chunks through the air.

That’s the type of peak offensive performance the Raiders just showcased and hope to repeat often this season, starting with Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears.

The Raiders carved up the Cleveland Browns in their 27-20 win last weekend, building a 17-point lead and holding on. It wasn’t an immediate explosion of offense; they had only 10 points at the first half’s two-minute warning.

But a newly seen stubbornness by offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave to stick to the ground game paid dividends, as two big runs helped Latavius Murray produce a career-high 139 yards rushing.

“(We) just continued to run the ball,” Murray said. “Coach Musgrave gave us that chance to keep pounding it, and finally it opened up.”

Murray had just 26 carries in the first two games of the season before matching that total in the Cleveland game alone. His big yards came after he got stuffed early, with just 1 yard on his first seven carries and 34 through his first 13.

Musgrave said despite the early numbers, he was encouraged by what he saw from the running game on the opening drive.

“The stats might not have shown that we were having success. We had a big run that first drive all the way down to the 5, but we had a holding call on Mychal Rivera,” Musgrave said. “It looked like there were going to be some openings. We just had to keep searching for them and find them ultimately.”

Murray’s 20-yard run on a touchdown drive in the final minutes of the second quarter and a 54-yard run on his first carry of the third quarter were the rewards for sticking with the ground game.

“We had a plan, we stuck to the plan, and we were doing well enough as a football team to allow us to be in a situation where we could continue to run the ball,” coach Jack Del Rio said. “We weren’t coming from behind like how we started in the opener. It gives you an opportunity, and plus you have to make some third-down conversions so you have a chance to run it. I think all those things add up to more opportunities in the run game.”

Amari Cooper has played a big role in that third-down success, and his run after the catch ability — he leads the NFL with 178 yards after the catch — opens up the playbook. Quarterback Derek Carr has the option on third down to throw to Cooper in front of the sticks and have confidence he can get the first down.

“You see some of the best teams — New England sometimes — some of their short, flat routes, but then they have explosive guys,” Carr said. “You think of Green Bay doing that kind of stuff on third down. When you can do that kind of stuff on third-and-8, they have to play up. Then, those talented guys can run by guys.”

Perhaps forgotten in the joy of back-to-back wins is that the Raiders rank dead last in the NFL in total defense, allowing 414.7 yards per game. The Raiders will have an important cog back in the lineup this week when defensive tackle Justin Ellis returns from an ankle injury. “I’m finally to the point where I really can go,” Ellis said Thursday. Ellis was injured in the season opener and sat out of practice the past two weeks, missing from action for those two wins. The team’s success with him out made the absence even tougher on Ellis. “Really, it’s harder because you really want to be out there with them,” Ellis said. “It feels good to be a part of something, but it feels even better when you’re really a part of it. It was tough for me, but I’m back now.” The defensive line is the clear strength of this defense. The front four of Ellis and Dan Williams at tackle and Khalil Mack and Justin Tuck was already solid before adding Aldon Smith to the group. Ellis is a big part of the Raiders run defense, which is 13th in the league and coming off a stout performance against Cleveland. That’s going to be a tougher task against the Bears’ Matt Forte, the NFL’s second leading rusher. But having Ellis back helps immensely.

TJ Carrie worked with the safeties during the individual drills open to the media Thursday. He moved from cornerback play safety last, week and he and the coaching staff have been coy about if that’s a permanent move, but it looks as if he’ll see at least some action there again Sunday.