The Raiders suffered yet another blowout defeat this week, this time at home against the Steelers. Handing quarterback Aidan O’Connell the keys to the offense didn’t help, and conservative play calling, turnovers, and penalties sealed Las Vegas’ fate.
But some players still had good days. Unsurprisingly, the two top-graded players by Pro Football Focus this week play on defense, led by linebacker Divine Deablo’s 88.6 score. Defensive end Maxx Crosby is No. 2 on the list at 84.5.
The highest-graded Raiders in Week 6 vs the Steelers:
🥇 Divine Deablo – 88.6
🥈 Maxx Crosby – 84.5
🥉 Brock Bowers – 80.6
🏅 Jordan Meredith – 79.5
🏅 Kolton Miller – 77.0(min. 25 snaps) pic.twitter.com/nR6Eb2D6od
— PFF Las Vegas Raiders (@PFF_Raiders) October 14, 2024
The Raiders’ top performer on offense is also no surprise. Tight end Brock Bowers continues to impress with his supreme pass-catching and elite run-after-the-catch ability. Plus, he had some good moments blocking.
The Raiders had just 57 rushing yards and struggled on offense overall, but the offensive line held up fairly well after guard Dylan Parham left the game with an injury. Guard Jordan Meredith graded highly after replacing Parham and offensive tackle Kolton Miller landed in the top five for the second consecutive week.
The Steelers offense isn’t special, but the Raiders defense held up well after losing defensive tackle Christian Wilkins to injury. Deablo’s performance helped, and it was nice to see a top defender on the Raiders return with an injury rather than head to the injured reserve or be lost for the season.
It will take a lot more to salvage this Raiders season, however. Coach Antonio Pierce and his staff have injuries and a disgruntled star receiver to deal with, but there are no excuses. They’ll be in dire need of a win this Sunday against the Rams in Los Angeles.