The Raiders are just a few hours away from taking on the Cleveland Browns on Monday afternoon. For the Raiders to stay alive in the playoff hunt in the AFC, they desperately need a win against a compromised Cleveland team.
To get that win, they are going to need a few players to step up and play their best game of the season. Here are three players that must bounce back in Week 15.
RG Alex Leatherwood
For the past two months, Leatherwood has been steadily improving at right guard for the Raiders. He hasn’t been great, but he’s been a good run blocker who was finding a rhythm inside at guard.
But he had one of the worst games of his career against the Chiefs in Week 14. Chris Jones handled him easily and it was a big reason the offense could never get going.
The first-round pick will need to have a strong performance in Week 15 against a talented defensive line. If he struggles again, the Raiders will have a hard time scoring on the road in Cleveland.
RB Josh Jacobs
Jacobs criticized the offense for not starting fast after a Week 13 loss. But in Week 14, he fumbled the ball on the first play of the game. Jacobs will run against an undermanned defense on Monday and should see several light boxes.
It’s been a tough year for the third-year back, but this should be a game in which he performs well. If not, the Raiders will be in some trouble.
LB Cory Littleton
The Raiders paid a ton of money for Littleton during the 2020 offseason and he has yet to prove them right. Littleton is coming off one of his worst games of the season and was limited to just 19 snaps against the Chiefs.
The Browns are going to want to run the ball, so Littleton will be tasked with bringing down Nick Chubb. If he can play well and limit the rushing attack of the Browns, they should have an excellent chance of winning this game.
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