The Raiders played well enough to win on Sunday, but a few costly mistakes and a highlight-reel touchdown pass from Josh Allen were just enough to push the Bills past the Raiders.
Veterans like Kirk Cousins and Nakobe Dean played at a high level (again) on Sunday, but some other notable veterans left the game with a lot to be desired from a performance standpoint.
Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter recapped the game on his Tuesday podcast and named three key veterans on the roster that turned in dud performances against the Bills.
Jalen Nailor: 3 years, $35 million
Carpenter on Nailor…
“This is a production league and… I thought Jalen Nailor, who signed a $12 million a year deal… he has six catches, six games, no touchdowns. And he’s making more money than Tre Tucker and he’s making more money than Brock Bowers… They needed him the last game. His skill set really fit against the Bills and I’m going to talk to him this week about getting that going. He’s too good of a player to not be producing more and he would tell you that.”
Nailor had been a disappointment well before his week, and it’s fair to wonder at this point if the Raiders should have given Nailor’s contract to Tre Tucker.
From the standpoint of opportunity, it’s hard to imagine Nailor signing with a team offering a better opportunity than the Raiders, but to this point, Nailor hasn’t outperformed anyone in arguably the weakest wide receiver room in the NFL.
Malcolm Koonce: 1 year, $11 million
Carpenter on Nailor…
“Malcolm has to play better. He’s making $11 million a year. $11 million a year. And there is no hatred in me at all. I love the kid. And he’s a hard worker, but we’re not hiring Sunday School teachers. We’re looking for football players.”
Koonce started off the season making a few big plays, but he came up short on a huge opportunity on Sunday and to be a difference maker in the NFL, you have to make plays when it matters.
Koonce made the big play against the Chargers in week 2 and had arguably his best game of the season in week 3.
But since New Orleans in week 3, Koonce has watched his Pro Football Focus game grades drop significantly in each of the last three weeks.
Tyler Linderbaum: 3 years, $81 million
Carpenter on Linderbaum…
“I thought Tyler Linderbaum was disappointingly bad [on Sunday] because he is a generational talent, and even those guys have bad games. I’ve lost no respect for him as a player at all. I still think he’s an elite talent, and they’re not sitting here today at three and three without Tyler Linderbaum.
In the first four games, he was excellent. He had not as bad of a week last week, but this week was just really bad. What I loved about Tyler is he stayed in the locker room, addressed it, man up, and I love that guy. I have not lost zero bit of faith in Tyler Linderbaum, and I don’t think any of you should. I know the respect he carries around the NFL, so he’s going to be fine.”
Linderbaum hasn’t been great in either of the last two games, but he wasn’t outstanding in weeks 2 and 3, either.
Pro Football Focus has given Linderbaum below average game grades in four of the Raiders’ six games this year, and that’s not the results the team was looking for when they made him the highest-paid center in NFL history seven months ago.
Rams coming up in week 7…
Once upon a time, the Rams looked like the most difficult game on the Raiders’ schedule, but after a flurry of injuries and underwhelming play from a few veterans of their own, the Rams (2-4) will be fortunate to wiggle into the playoffs as a Wild Card.
Even without Myles Garrett (knee) and Davante Adams (hamstring), the Rams are 4.5-point favorites at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, and the Raiders will need all hands on deck to drop this year’s Super Bowl favorite to 2-5 on the season.
On a side note, it was a “hamstring injury” that kept Adams out of the Raiders’ lineup exactly two years ago this week.
After being traded to the Rams in October of 2024, Adams’ hamstring quickly took a turn for the better and with a little good luck… maybe that will happen again for him this year?
