No question the Raiders have gone through a good deal of adversity this season. This game was no exception, with the team missing both starting tackles coming in and then losing starting cornerback Trayvon Mullen early in the game. And yet the Raiders still managed to come out on top.
Amidst the adversity in the football sense, and ultimately because of it, we learned of some truly tragic adversity which cornerback Isaiah Johnson is going through.
“I think it was Wednesday morning I found out that one of my close, close teammates that was like a little brother to me had passed away in Houston,” Johnson said following the game. “I played cornerback with him at U of H (University of Houston). He lost his life in Houston this past Wednesday.”
The teammate and close friend who Johnson is referring to is Ka’Darian Smith, who played four season for the Cougars, three of which he was teammates with Johnson from 2016-18.
Tragically, Smith was shot dead in Houston last Wednesday at the age of 22.
Thus Johnson practiced all week with a heavy heart. He came into this game not expecting to see the field much as the team’s fourth cornerback. But the injury to Mullen had his number called. Then in the final seconds of the game, with the Raiders up five points, the game would be put in Johnson’s hands.
With six second left, the Chargers came to the line one what figured to be the last play. At that point, Johnson knew the Chargers would be going after him as the Raiders’ least experienced cornerback.
“Knowing that I haven’t had the opportunity to put that many snaps on film and that they haven’t really seen me, it’s a rookie quarterback — he’s a great quarterback, by the way — then you got Mike Williams and their biggest tight end come line up on me, yeah, absolutely, within the red zone I know that’s coming,” said Johnson.
Justin Herbert dropped back and looked for his top red-zone target, Mike Williams on a fade along the right sideline. Johnson wasn’t able to turn around, so all he could do was stay tight on Williams, get his hands up, and play it all the way to the ground.
“When Mike Williams came to line up on second down, I was like ‘ok, he already beat me on a fade once, so I would think that they would try to go to him again,” Johnson said of the pivotal play. “When he ran the route, I think he may have initially caught the ball, but I just felt like fighting through to the ground was going to make the difference and that always makes the difference. Just fighting to the ground. When we were fighting to the ground, I pulled it, after I pulled it I was like here we go.”
It was a huge play for the second-year cornerback with just 44 career snaps on defense coming in. And he thought when the ball hit the ground, it was over. He had done it. But there was a second left on the clock. The Chargers would get another shot.
Where did the Chargers go with their final shot? Right back at Johnson.
This time, however, it was without Mike Williams, who had left the field injured after the previous play.
Taking the field instead was 6-8, 237-pound tight end Donald Parham. Johnson knew immediately, he would need to be up to the challenge again.
“I absolutely knew that was coming,” Johnson said. . . “They didn’t bring him out here for no reason. He’s huge, I’m our biggest corner so in my mind I got to either make this play or it’s the game.”
It was the exact same play and Johnson did the exact same thing. Except this time, it was initially ruled a touchdown, eliciting a huge celebration from the Chargers who thought they had just pulled out the last second win. Upon further review, it looked like the ball came out. The officials reversed the call, and the Raiders won instead.
Isaiah Johnson knocked it away for the win 👀 @_bigplayzay @Raiders
📺 #LVvsLAC on FOX pic.twitter.com/DUAQGEPeSG
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) November 9, 2020
Johnson said he knew it wasn’t a catch. But he wasn’t sure they would overturn it.
“I felt it [hit the ground]. I pulled it,” Johnson said. “I mean I pulled the ball out of his hands, especially on the second one, I was like there’s no way. In all honesty in my mind, I didn’t know if they would review it or not because it was the last play of the game.”
Even before the official ruling, Johnson saw the replay and knew it would be overturned and he began celebrating. He celebrated for his team. He celebrated for his accomplishment. And he celebrated for his close friend whose spirit he knew was with him on those plays.
“I feel like that play in that game, not to make it about myself whatsoever, but I feel like that moment was for him,” Johnson said of Ka’Darian Smith. “Just because I know that he would be with me in a situation like that.”
Smith’s death would have gone without notice by anyone by his family and close friends in Houston, but for this moment. His death brought despair to those who loved him while his life lifted up Isaiah Johnson when he needed it most.
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