The Raiders got a huge win on Sunday, and while they might not be an AFC contender, they did make a statement by beating the Browns without Maxx Crosby and Davante Adams in the lineup.
It was a total team effort at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday afternoon, and there were a handful of players that took a step toward making a name for themselves this week.
Let’s look at five of those players in no particular order.
Charles Snowden
Once a longshot to make the roster, Snowden made the final play on Sunday and sealed the game with his 4th-down sack of Deshaun Watson.
Snowden has bounced around the NFL since he was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2021. He didn’t make the Raiders’ initial 53-man roster, but Snowden played a huge role on Sunday with Crosby and Malcolm Koonce out of the lineup.
Isaiah Pola-Mao
Pola-Mao was a player the coaches wanted to get on the field, but with Marcus Epps and Tre’von Moehrig firmly entrenched at the top of the depth chart, the Raiders had a crowded room at safety.
Sunday was Pola-Mao’s first start since Epps was lost for the season to an ACL injury, and the 25 year-old didn’t disappoint. He recorded a sack and made one of the biggest pass breakups of the season.
This 3rd-and-4 throw from Watson in the fourth quarter nearly went for a touchdown. Instead, the Browns were forced to punt.
Alexander Mattison
It will soon be time for the coaching staff to get Mattison on the field more.
In fact, the time has already come.
Mattison carried the ball five times for 60 yards on Sunday and he’s no averaging 5.1 yards per carry on the season.
Zamir White hasn’t been a great fit for Luke Getsy’s zone-blocking concepts, and he tallied only 50 yards on 17 carries against the Browns. Take away a 17-yard scamper from White and he ran 16 times for 33 yards with the remainder of his carries.
Tyree Wilson
The former first-round pick didn’t fill the box score on Sunday afternoon, but he continues to show progress.
This pass rush from Wilson (below) was, by far, the quickest get-off he has shown in his NFL career. He looked offsides in live action, but the replay shows he left after the snap.
Another play that could have been a touchdown, but instead, resulted in a punt.
D.J. Turner
Outside of Las Vegas, there aren’t many who know about Turner, and that makes sense because he only has one career reception.
Turner is another undrafted free agent on the list and if it wasn’t for an overthrown ball from Gardner Minshew, Turner would have been the player everyone was talking about on Monday morning.
He scored on a nifty reverse in the third quarter, but a much bigger play involving Turner was left on the table in the first quarter.
If the Raiders want to sneak into the playoffs this year, these throws need to be converted more times than not…
x: @raidersbeat
Big omission was not mentioning Glaze and Powers-Johnson, two rooks starting on the OL.
I like Pola Mao back there with Tre’von Moehrig. It gives up a faster pair of safeties. I think he can be good if given the time. He may take that job.
It was great to see backups get in there and prove themselves. They sure did a great job. Way to go guys!!