The Raiders saved their season in Week 15, defeating the Cleveland Browns on a last-second field goal. Sitting at 7-7, they are still in the playoff hunt in the AFC. They will need three more wins to get in, but that certainly isn’t impossible given their upcoming schedule.
So who were the best players in the team’s must-win game against the Browns? Not surprisingly, a lot of them were on defense as they limited the Browns to only 14 points and 236 total yards of offense.
Here are the five highest-graded players from the team’s Week 15 win over the Browns via Pro Football Focus:
CB Keisean Nixon – 81.6
DE Maxx Crosby – 79.2
LT Kolton Miller – 79
LB Divine Deablo – 78.1
SS Johnathan Abram – 75.4
The most surprising name on this list is linebacker Divine Deablo. He has seemingly replaced Cory Littleton in the starting lineup as he’s played 124 snaps over the last three games.
Deablo was not targeted in coverage on Monday and had two defensive stops and three total tackles. He’s been one of their best run defenders this season and it’s not hard to think that he and Denzel Perryman are the future at linebacker for the Raiders going forward.
It is worth mentioning that Deablo injured his shoulder in this game, but did return to the game. He made a key play on the final third down of the game, taking on the fullback and forcing Nick Chubb to cut back inside. He should be ready to go for the team’s Week 16 matchup against the Broncos.
Another player that stood out was Keisean Nixon, who started in place of Nate Hobbs. Hobbs tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday and was ruled out earlier in the day. Nixon has only appeared in two games this season but has allowed only 17 total yards on three targets. He’s been a quality player this season whenever the team has needed him.
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