Tag: Charles Snowden

Ballers & Busters for Raiders Week 16 win vs Jaguars

Rounding up the individual performances after taking a detailed look at the tape from the Raiders week 16 win over the Jaugars.

It’s been a while since this piece was put together without the focus being more on the Busters than the Ballers because it was coming out of yet another loss. To be exact, it had been nearly three months!

As has been the case a lot this season, the defense carries the day for the Raiders. Only this time, it was enough to get the win.

Ballers

S Isaiah Pola-Mao, S Tre’von Moehrig

Moehrig’s pass breakup helped lead to the Jaguars’ second punt of the game. Then after the Raiders tied the game at 7-7 in the second quarter, he made the tackle on third down to force another punt.

The Raiders had two takeaways in the game. Both were Pola-Mao forced fumbles. The first came early in the second quarter and Moehrig was there to pounce on it for the recovery at the Jacksonville 45-yard line. They would get a field goal out of it to take a 13-7 lead.

The second turnover came late in the second quarter and it stopped what would have been a scoring drive by the Jaguars, sending the two teams to the locker room with the Raiders maintaining their six-point lead.

On the final Jaguars drive, Moehrig came flying in on the blitz to force Mac Jones to throw the ball into the turf to avoid the sack. Then on fourth down, Moehrig made the tackle short of the sticks to give the Raiders the win.

DE Charles Snowden. DE K’Lavon Chaisson

A week ago Snowden was inactive because of his DUI arrest. He returned to his regularly scheduled breakout season on Sunday, wreaking havoc on Mac Jones and the Jaguars offense.

Snowden made the stop on a catch in the right flat on third down to force the first punt of the game.

Two drives later, Chaisson made an almost identical play to the one he made last week against the Falcons, when he perfectly played a screen pass. That time, he batted the pass to himself for the interception. This time, he looked to have the interception outright, but couldn’t quite hang onto it. Still a well-played ball by Chaisson.

In the second quarter, Chaisson got pressure on the edge on third down, forcing Mac Jones to step up and throw where Snowden was there to bat the pass down at the line.

The first drive of the third quarter was stopped when on consecutive plays, Chaisson set up a tackle for loss and then made the sack for an 11-yard loss.

Snowden led out the first Jaguars’ possession of the fourth quarter with a tackle for loss that led to a three-and-out. Then on fourth-and-one with the game in the balance, he drew a holding penalty to make it fourth-and-11 instead. They couldn’t make it up and turned it over on downs.

RB Ameer Abdullah

Abdullah made the play of the game. Early in the fourth quarter, with the Jaguars having just taken a 14-13 lead, Aidan O’Connell was under pressure, and threw up a prayer ball Abdullah’s way and he came back to make the catch for the first down at the Jacksonville 35.

The next play, Abdullah made an 11-yard catch to put them in easy scoring range. Two play later, he took the ball up the gut from seven yards out for the touchdown to give the Raiders the lead. That 19-14 lead would hold the rest of the way.

He also had three runs for 24 yards to put the Raiders in field goal range for a 13-7 lead just before the half.

TE Brock Bowers

He made the first catch of the day for the Raiders. He was open on the right side and shot up the sideline for 32 yards. As it happens, he was exactly 32 yards from 1000 on the season and that play landed him right on the milestone.

On the game-winning drive, Bowers had three catches for 29 yards, including the 17-yard catch that put them in first and goal. His final two catches helped the Raiders eat up clock to preserve the win and give him 11 catches for 99 yards in the game.

DT Adam Butler, DT John Jenkins

The first tackle of the day was a run stop for no gain and it was set up because Butler shot through the gap to force the run elsewhere. Jenkins helped to end the drive with a punt with a run stuff on first down followed by a batted ball at the line.

Jenkins led out the second Jaguars possession with another run stuff. And he added another on the next drive.

Butler drew a holding penalty in the second quarter that led to a three-and-out. Then he drew another holding penalty in the third quarter that also stopped a drive. On the play prior to that second drawn holding, Jenkins got pressure up the middle to force and incompletion.

Butler is a perfect example of why the game is played outside the stats. He had no stats in the game. But affected the game greatly just the same.

RT DJ Glaze

Didn’t give up any QB hits, sacks, or run stops in the game. That’s just flat out doing his job.

Honorable Mention

QB Aidan O’Connell — The offense wasn’t great. But he led them on two TD drives and made some gritty plays along the way.

Continue to the Busters…

Raiders DE arrested for DUI

In the midst of a breakout season, Raiders DE Charles Snowden was arrested and is facing DUI chargers in Las Vegas.

You hate to see this. Raiders defensive end Charles Snowden has been arrested for Driving Under the Influence after he was found unresponsive inside his Jeep Grand Cherokee hanging over a retaining wall Tuesday in Las Vegas.

Snowden’s blood-alcohol limit was more than twice the legal limit at time of arrest.

Snowden entered the league in 2021 as an undrafted free agent and saw action in two games for the Chicago Bears.

He was having a breakout season this year, making it all the more sad. Snowden came on strong in preseason for the Raiders, earning him a spot on the roster. He has appeared in 13 games this season with seven starts. In that time he’s put up 1.5 sacks three pass breakups, six QB hits and three tackles for loss.

Ballers & Busters for Raiders Week 11 loss to Dolphins

Singling out the individual performances for the Raiders week 11 vs the Dolphins.

Despite the lopsided score, things weren’t all bad on Sunday for the Raiders. And when you’re in the midst of a six-game losing streak, it’s important to try and find the little positives to suggest things won’t always be this way.

So, as always, let’s start there.

Ballers

TE Brock Bowers

Bowers set single game records for catches by a rookie tight end (13) in a game while going over 100 yards (126) for the first time in his young career. He just seems to get better and better all the time. Which is saying a lot considering he was already on pace for some record numbers on the season.

His first catch of this game went for 14 yards to put the Raiders in first and goal at the ten and they added a field goal on their opening drive. The second scoring drive, he had three catches for 38 yards, including an 11-yard catch on third and ten to the 18 and they added another field goal to make it a 10-6 game at the half.

In the third quarter, with the Raiders in third and nine from the Miami 23, he went in motion, Gardner Minshew saw single coverage, threw it to him in the flat, and Bowers did the rest. He shot out of a cannon for the end zone, breaking a tackle and scoring to make it a five-point game at 17-12.

After falling behind 24-12 in the fourth quarter, Bowers went to work again, making three first down catches, including a third down conversion, fourth down conversion and the final catch that put them in first and goal at the ten. Three plays later, they were in the end zone to bring it back to a one score game at 24-19. Things got out of hand after that.

LT Kolton Miller

His primary job is protecting Gardner Minshew’s blindside and he did that flawlessly in this game. No pressures or penalties on his part and I saw no instances where his man made a run stop either. Just a nice clean game for Miller which he needed in a rough season.

DT Adam Butler, DT John Jenkins

Jenkins had two run stuffs on the Dolphins’ first drive; one for a loss and the other on first and goal from the five, forcing them to have to end up going for it on fourth and goal to get the touchdown.

The first actual stop by the Raiders defense was made by Butler. The Dolphins drove to first and goal. On the Dolphins’ second drive, they were once again in first and goal. Butler got containment and Jenkins made the stop for one yard. Two plays later, Butler made the sack on third down to force the Dolphins to settle for a field goal.

The next full drive, the Dolphins were in first and goal yet again and Jenkins beat his man at the line to draw a holding penalty.

Butler would add two more tackles for loss in the game in the fourth quarter. He finished with five combined tackles, two for a loss, a sack, and a QB hit. Jenkins had four combined tackles, two for a loss.

DE Charles Snowden

Snowden got into the backfield to make a tackle for loss on the second play of the game. It was a preview of the kind of day he was going to have.

The next full drive came in the third quarter, and he forced an incompletion in coverage and on another play got pressure that led to a tackle for loss. He added a pass breakup later.

Honorable Mention

LB Robert Spillane — Led the team with 11 tackles, four of which were on runs of three yards or less.

WR Jakobi Meyers — Had key third down plays on each of the Raiders first two scoring drives. His 20 yards on one run led the Raiders in rushing.

Continue to the Busters…

Raiders PFF grades: 5 highest rated Week 11 vs. Dolphins

The Raiders lost their sixth straight game on Sunday against the Dolphins. Which players had a good day despite the defeat?

The Raiders lost again on Sunday, this time against the Dolphins. Despite the defeat, many NFL observers were talking about Las Vegas’ rookie sensation, tight end Brock Bowers.

But Bowers’ 13 catches for 126 yards and touchdown weren’t enough to top this week’s list of top-rated players from Pro Football Focus. That honor goes to linebacker Robert Spillane. He recorded 11 total tackles, including five solo stops. They added up to an 81.5 grade from PFF. Bowers has to settle for the No. 2 spot with an 80.7 score.

Offensive tackle Kolton Miller and defensive linemen Charles Snowden and John Jenkins fill out this week’s list.

Bowers didn’t earn the Raiders top grade this week but as this season crosses the midway point, it’s clear that he’s not a future superstar; he’s a superstar right now. New offensive coordinator Scott Turner used Bowers as his primary weapon on Sunday in Miami and will likely continue to do so, so look for Bowers to be on this list most weeks, if not every week for the rest of the campaign.

Raiders PFF grades: 5 highest rated from Week 5 vs. Broncos

Raiders PFF grades: 5 highest rated from Week 5 vs. Broncos

The Raiders lost in blowout fashion on Sunday in Denver, but it wasn’t all bad.

Though in reality, there isn’t much for Raiders fans to be excited about after quarterback Gardner Minshew’s 100-yard pick-6 interception ruined a promising start, prompting the Broncos to score 34 unanswered points.

However, there’s at least one beacon of hope for Las Vegas: rookie tight end Brock Bowers. He had his first career touchdown Sunday, an incredible 57-yard catch and run.

Bowers took the top spot on Pro Football Focus’ weekly list of highest-graded Raiders, earning an 82.7 rating.

Linebacker Robert Spillane took the No. 2 spot, though even he looked lost on a handful of plays against the Broncos. Offensive tackle Kolton Miller also graded well, earning the No. 3 spot this week. He’s struggled in pass protection since missing most of the preseason with injury, so that’s a great sign for Las Vegas.

Defensive end Charles Snowden and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers close out the list this week. Snowden followed his game-winning QB sack from last week with a solid day, playing 46 percent of the time on defense. Meyers stepped up admirably for injured and disgruntled star Davante Adams, though he did have a big drop as the Raiders were struggling to hold off the Broncos’ onslaught.

The Raiders got it right when they drafted Bowers. Now they have to start getting more things right, first in-season and then roster building in the coming offseason. First up: deciding who will throw to Bowers this Sunday against the Steelers, Minshew or QB Aidan O’Connell.

Ballers for Raiders Week 4 win over Browns

Sifting out the notable performances for the Raiders in their win over the Browns.

For the third week in a row, the Raiders went against the grain and shocked the world. Week two it was an improbably win in Baltimore. Week three they were trounced by the winless Panthers. And this week, despite a slew of injuries including to their two best players, they beat the Browns.

They did so by spreading out the Browns’ defense while the Raiders defense completely shut down the Browns offense after the first quarter.

We start with those who were most responsible for that big win.

Ballers

DE Charles Snowden

A month ago, Snowden was cut. Now he’s playing hero for a Raiders team desperate to replace both of the guys they were going to count on to be their starting pass rushers. His biggest play was the last one when he chased down Deshaun Watson on fourth and three to sack him and end the game.

How he even got there is the most impressive part. Snowden came around the right side on a stunt and Watson rolled left, running all the way to the left sideline and Snowden still caught him.

That wasn’t his only big play tho. Two plays before that, he got pressure and batted down a Watson pass. In total, he tied for the team lead with three QB hits and a tackle for loss.

S Isaiah Pola-Mao

That game-ending sack never would have happened if not for Pola-Mao. He made the tackle on the previous play, stopping it short of the sticks to force fourth down. Pola-Mao also made the big play on the Browns’ previous drive, flying over from center field to knock the ball out of the hands of Jerry Jeudy on what was actually a long catch for an instant. He also made the drive stalling tackle on the Browns’ second drive to hold them to a field goal.

WR Tre Tucker

Tucker had a hand in both of the Raiders touchdowns in this game. The first touchdown drive, he made a 14-yard catch on third and seven to keep the drive alive. Then finished it off with an end around from three yards out for the touchdown.

The second touchdown, he laid the final block near the goal line, driving his man out of bounds to ensure DJ Turner could get the final few yards to get in the end zone.

DT Adam Butler

With the leadership void due to the absence of Maxx Crosby, Butler stepped up. He gave a speech to the team inspired by his military upbringing. Then brought that passion to the field. The first third down of the game, he came flying into the backfield on a pass to absolutely bury Deshaun Watson. He was flagged for a horrible roughing the passer penalty, but so what. It wasn’t roughing and the message needed sent.

The next drive ended with a field goal in part because Butler got into the backfield again to make a run stuff for a loss and they couldn’t pick it back up.

The final play of the third quarter for the Raiders’ defense was a sack. Christian Wilkins and Janarius Robinson split credit for it, but Butler was in on it as well, coming right up the gut to ensure the sack sandwich from each side.

The final two Browns’ possessions at the end of the game, Butler had three tackles and a QB hit in which he had Watson wrapped up and off the ground right as the ball was released. The next play, the game was over.

Butler finished tied for second on the team in tackles (six) along with a QB hit (two really) and a tackle for loss.

RB Alexander Mattison

The running game came to life in this game. In part because of the use of jet sweeps and reverses to spread out the defense. But the only back on this team who was consistently making good use of it was Mattison.

He had three huge runs in this game on just five carries. All three of those runs was longer than any run the Raiders had had in the three game to start this season.

The first big run went for 24 yards — double the previous longest run coming in — and it set up the Raiders game-tying field goal before the half. His second big run went for 16 yards to the 19 and the Raiders scored the touchdown around the outside on the next play. His final big run went for 18 yards late in the fourth quarter to help take time off the clock and win the field position battle.

Mattison finished with 60 yards on five carries (12 yards per carry) and Antonio Pierce has said since then that he has earned more carries as a result.

LB Robert Spillane

Once again, Spillane led the team in tackles, putting up double digits for the fourth straight game this season. The first three of those tackles came on the Browns’ opening drive and all for three yards or less.

He made two stops on each of the Browns possessions in the second quarter, including a tackle for loss and a three-and-out.

S Tre’von Moehrig

He had the Raiders only takeaway, hauling in an interception off of Amari Cooper’s chest. It set up the Raiders final touchdown drive. Also on the final Browns drive, Jerome Ford burst for a 35-yard run that might have been a touchdown if not to Moehrig making the tackle at the 16-yard-line.

DT Christian Wilkins

Wilkins tied for the team lead with three QB hits. He also shared a sack and forced a holding penalty that called back a long touchdown that would have put the Browns ahead in the fourth quarter.

Honorable Mention

WR Jakobi Meyers — led the team with 49 yards on five catches and forced a pass interference.

WR DJ Turner — scored a touchdown on a reverse from 19 yards out and would have had a long catch as well, but the pass was overthrown.

TE Brock Bowers — Had a 12-yard run and made a huge block on two defenders that sprung Turner for his 19-yard touchdown.

TE Harrison Bryant — Had several nice blocks including on the 12-yard Bowers run and a 10-yard run that put the Raiders in first and goal on their first TD drive.

P AJ Cole — Two huge punts in the fourth quarter helped to keep the Browns from scoring and hold the Raiders’ 20-16 lead.

Continue to the Busters…

Raiders Week 4 snap counts vs Browns: Who got bulk of playing time replacing injured starters

How did the playing time shake out replacing Raiders injured starters vs Browns

Due to the string of injuries to Raiders starters, the lineup that took the field for them on Sunday was almost unrecognizable.

The offense was without several starters including WR Davante Adams, RT Thayer Munford, and TE Michael Mayer.

In their stead, WR Tre Tucker saw 50 snaps (85%), Harrison Bryant saw 45 snaps (76%), and DJ Glaze saw all 59 offensive snaps at right tackle.

Also making his debut on the offensive line was Jackson Powers-Johnson who played ever snap at guard.

On the defensive side, they were without both original starting defensive ends with Maxx Crosby being lost this week. They also recently lost safety Marcus Epps for the season and were without LB Divine Deablo as well.

The edge rushers were led by Tyree Wilson’s 42 snaps (71%) and K’Lavon Chaisson’s 41 snaps (69%). Then Charles Snowden got 29 snaps (49%) and Janarius Robinson had just eight snaps (14%).

Jack Jones was benched early in the game, giving Darnay Holmes 12 snaps (20%). While Jones would end up playing 39 snaps (66%).

Offense Spec Tms
Player Pos Num Pct Num Pct
Delmar Glaze T 59 100% 4 15%
Jackson Powers-Johnson G 59 100% 4 15%
Kolton Miller T 59 100% 0 0%
Gardner Minshew II QB 59 100% 0 0%
Andre James C 59 100% 0 0%
Jakobi Meyers WR 57 97% 0 0%
Dylan Parham G 51 86% 4 15%
Tre Tucker WR 50 85% 3 12%
Brock Bowers TE 48 81% 0 0%
Harrison Bryant TE 45 76% 5 19%
Zamir White RB 35 59% 0 0%
DJ Turner WR 25 42% 0 0%
Alexander Mattison RB 21 36% 0 0%
Cody Whitehair G 8 14% 4 15%
John Samuel Shenker TE 5 8% 12 46%
Tyreik McAllister RB 4 7% 6 23%
Andrus Peat G 4 7% 4 15%
Alex Bachman WR 1 2% 9 35%
Defense Spec Tms
Player Pos Num Pct Num Pct
Isaiah Pola-Mao FS 59 100% 3 12%
Robert Spillane LB 59 100% 0 0%
Tre’von Moehrig FS 59 100% 0 0%
Jakorian Bennett CB 56 95% 0 0%
Nate Hobbs CB 55 93% 0 0%
Christian Wilkins DT 53 90% 4 15%
Adam Butler DT 50 85% 4 15%
Tyree Wilson DE 42 71% 3 12%
K’Lavon Chaisson LB 41 69% 5 19%
Jack Jones CB 39 66% 0 0%
Luke Masterson LB 34 58% 22 85%
Charles Snowden DE 29 49% 0 0%
John Jenkins DT 24 41% 5 19%
Amari Burney LB 12 20% 19 73%
Darnay Holmes CB 12 20% 7 27%
Tommy Eichenberg LB 11 19% 19 73%
Janarius Robinson DE 8 14% 3 12%
Nesta Jade Silvera DT 6 10% 5 19%
Special Teams Spec Tms
Player Pos Num Pct Num Pct
Amari Gainer LB 0 0% 22 85%
Christopher Smith SS 0 0% 20 77%
Thomas Harper FS 0 0% 18 69%
Ameer Abdullah RB 0 0% 16 62%
Sam Webb CB 0 0% 11 42%
AJ Cole III P 0 0% 9 35%
Dylan Laube RB 0 0% 9 35%
Daniel Carlson K 0 0% 9 35%
Jacob Bobenmoyer LS 0 0% 9 35%
Jonah Laulu DT 0 0% 5 19%
Jordan Meredith G 0 0% 4 15

Raiders defense took Maxx Crosby absence as personal challenge in win over Browns

Proving you can perform without your best player is easier said than done. But the Raiders defense did just that without Maxx Crosby Sunday.

For the first time in five years, the Raiders defense took the field to start a game without Maxx Crosby. The last time that happened was October of 2019, which means there isn’t a player on this defense who has experienced it in a Raiders uniform. So, it was definitely an unfamiliar experience.

There was no choice in the matter. The Raiders had to figure it out. That goes for everything Crosby represents with this defense. Their emotional leader and keep the Browns from doing to them what the Panthers did last week.

Early on it, this one had a ‘her we go again’ feel to it. The Browns scored a touchdown on the opening drive and were up 10-0 at the end of the first quarter. But you could tell on that second drive, the defense was figuring things out. They gave up just one first down on the second drive and stalled the drive after that.

Then they went the rest of the game without giving up a point and went on to beat the Browns 20-16. The six points were scored off a fumble return for a touchdown.

The defensive line led the way in this effort. Including Christian Wilkins who had a sack and three QB hits.

Wilkins’ knew that stepping up to this challenge would start even before that first step onto the field. It began in the locker room. And with Crosby out, it was Wilkins’s duty to be the emotional leader.

He didn’t have to do it alone, though. Adam Butler took it upon himself to speak to the team and offer some words of inspiration as well.

Butler was raised in a military family, so he had a simple question for his teammates. 

“As the bullets are flying, what are you willing to put on the line?” Butler asked. “I just put that question up in the air and I made a deal with them, I said I won’t let you down if you don’t let me down. I’m going to fly to the ball and you fly to the ball. And we’ll come out victorious and that’s what we did.”

Butler held up his end. He made several key stops, finishing the game second in tackles (6) along with a tackle for loss and a QB hit.

In the end, it was one of those edge rushers tasked with filling in for Crosby who slammed the door on the Browns. 

In fourth and three, with the game in the balance, Deshaun Watson escaped out left, looking for a receiver or to take off and run for the first down. But Charles Snowden made sure neither could happen. He chased Watson down and sacked him to end the game.

Snowden said he and his fellow edge rushers took it as a personal challenge to step up in Crosby’s absence.

“We knew that not one of us was going to become Maxx Crosby overnight,” said Snowden. “We knew that would take the collective with his playmaking and his energy and just his presence. Maxx is always getting guys going with his energy out there so we knew we had to just collectively had to really do that.”

Snowden finished tied for the team lead with three QB hits to go along with his sack, a tackle for loss, and a batted pass. Janarius Robinson shared a sack, Tyree Wilson had two QB hits, and practice squad call up K’Lavon Chaisson added four tackles.

Deshaun Watson was held to 176 yards on the day with one TD and one interception. It looked for a moment like he might have a long TD to Amari Cooper, but a holding on Wilkins is what allowed him just enough time to get the pass off and thus wiped it away.

And the collective effort of those stepping up to fill the void left by Crosby’s absence is what eventually preserved the win.

Busters for Raiders Week 2 win vs Ravens

Those whose play required heroics to overcome.

There wouldn’t have been a need for heroics had the Raiders not put themselves in a hole in this game. And it was pretty obvious at times what the problem was.

Busters

LT Kolton Miller, LG Andrus Peat, RT Thayer Munford

Let’s be clear, no one on this offensive line was good. The run game was historically bad and that falls on everyone. But these three were SO bad, they get special mention.

Last week Kolton Miller had what seemed to me to be the worst game of his career. Well, that wasn’t a fluke. He had another brutal game in this one.

Miller gave up a sack on the very first play of the game. And it was a strip sack which he luckily fell on or the Raiders would have been looking at going down a score seconds into this one.

Getting the start next to him was Andrus Peat, taking the place of Cody Whitehair. Three plays in, he was shucked out of the way to give up a run stuff for a two-yard loss. The Raiders moved backward on two of their first three plays and punted it away.

Second drive, Miller didn’t block the end to give up a free sack on third down.

The second quarter, the Raiders finally got a first down. They even drove into scoring range. But it ended with Peat missing his block to give up a tackle for loss, leading to a 53-yard field goal.

They got into scoring range again later in the second quarter. But Munford was beat around the edge and since Peat was also beaten up the middle, Minshew had nowhere to go and was sacked, leading to a 51-yard field goal.

Peat was sent back to the bench for the second and Cody Whitehair took over.

Munford had a disastrous possession in the third quarter. Starting out by blocking no one to give up a run stuff. Then two plays later losing his block to give up another run stuff for no gain, following immediately be giving up a tackle for loss. They convert on third and long and ended up turning it over on downs.

The offense may have come up late in this one, but the run game never did. And Minshew still had to overcome poor pass blocking as well. Miller gave up another sack, as did Munford.

S Tre’von Moehrig, S Marcus Epps

Weird to think all the starting cornerbacks are Ballers and both starting safeties are Busters. Not sure I’ve seen that happen before.

The biggest play of the Ravens first drive of the game was a 19-yard catch given up by Epps on third and seven. And they got on the board with a field goal.

The next Ravens scoring drive started with Moehrig giving up a 17-yard catch. And the final scoring drive of the first half saw Moehrig give up an eight-yard catch that put them in scoring range at the 34.

They would go for a touchdown to open the third quarter and the big play was a 30-yard run by Derrick Henry on which Epps missed the tackle near the line. Two plays later, Moehrig gave up the touchdown catch from eight yards out.

To begin the fourth quarter, the Ravens would drive for another TD. They would drive into Vegas territory at the 48 and Epps would miss a tackle to give up a 15-yard run. Two plays later came the biggest play of the drive with Epps getting blocked to give up a 17-yard run and Moehrig tacking on a few more with a late hit out of bounds call. This put the Ravens in first and goal at the six-yard-line. They scored two plays later.

DE Charles Snowden

That first touchdown drive to start the third quarter saw Derrick Henry break off a 30-yard run. He got the edge to begin with because Snowden was blocked. Then Snowden tried to recover and chase Henry down only to embarrassed by a wicked stiff arm.

Their second touchdown drive, that 17-yard run mentioned a couple paragraphs back began with Snowden missing a tackle. He showed some pass rushing prowess in the preseason, but his tackling leaves much to be desired.

Also see the Ballers

Raiders DE Tyree Wilson suffered sprained knee in opener, could miss some time

Tyree Wilson could miss some time with his knee injury.

The hopes that Tyree Wilson might step up entering his second season took a hit Sunday. The 2023 seventh overall pick lasted just six snaps in the team’s season opener against the Chargers before leaving with a knee injury and not returning.

Following the game, he was sporting a brace on his right knee and walked gingerly with the brace trying to ensure minimal movement of the knee.

Monday morning brought the prognosis. He has a sprained knee. This means it’s not expected to be a long term injury, but how long he will be missing is not yet known.

https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1833199546408518083

The team had hoped Wilson would step up and help fill the void left by the loss of Malcolm Koonce to a knee injury this past week that landed him on injured reserve.

Instead it was Charles Snowden, who was just signed off the practice squad, who led the way along with Janarius Robinson. Maxx Crosby, of course, played every snap at the other defensive end spot.

“It got thin real quick,” Pierce said of the defensive end depth. “Telesco’s working on that as we speak.”