Tag: Daniel Carlson

Auburn in the NFL: Week 16 Recap

Auburn alumni are making waves with the NFL regular season nearing a close.

The NFL regular season is coming to a close in two short weeks.

As we do every week, Auburn Wire will look at some of the most notable performances from Auburn Alumni across the League.

With the season nearing an end, plenty of Tigers are major cogs in key storylines.

[autotag]Derrick Brown[/autotag]’s fantastic season continued despite another loss, [autotag]Owen Pappoe [/autotag]played his most snaps as a pro, [autotag]Darius Slayton[/autotag] scored a touchdown on the longest play of the Giants season, and [autotag]Daniel Carlson[/autotag] helped the Raiders upset the Chiefs.

Here is a look at several headlines from Week 16 that feature Auburn’s top NFL players.

Auburn in the NFL: Week 10 Recap

Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean helped his team get the best of Roger McCreary and the Tennessee Titans, Daniel Carlson made 3 key field goals to help the Raiders move to 2-0 under interim coach Antonio Pierce, Braden Smith returned from injury across the pond, and Derick Hall’s Seahawks bounced back after a tough loss.

The NFL season is officially reaching the home stretch,

As we do every week, Auburn Wire will take a look at some of the most notable performances from Auburn Alumni across the League.

NFL Week 10 was yet another quiet week for former Tigers, but there were some noteworthy storylines nonetheless. Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback [autotag]Jamel Dean[/autotag] helped his team get the best of [autotag]Roger McCreary[/autotag] and the Tennessee Titans, [autotag]Daniel Carlson[/autotag] made 3 key field goals to help the Raiders move to 2-0 under interim coach Antonio Pierce, [autotag]Braden Smith[/autotag] returned from injury across the pond, and [autotag]Derick Hall'[/autotag]s Seahawks bounced back after a tough loss.

Here is a look at several headlines from Week 10 that feature Auburn’s top NFL players.

Ballers & Busters for Raiders Week 10 win over Jets

Ballers & Busters for Raiders Week 10 win over Jets

The way this one played out was pretty much exactly as everyone expected. In the lead up to the game, I basically kept thinking to myself ‘first to 16 wins’. That’s because ain’t nobody was gonna be scoring more than one touchdown and if either team did, that would be the deciding factor.

That team was the Raiders, who beat the Jets 16-12.

Ballers

LB Robert Spillane

Even if you remove his late game clutch interception, Spillane might still have been the best player in this contest. And that’s saying a lot.

Spillane was on a mission. At least four times in this game, plays he made were the deciding factor in stopping a Jets’ drive.

Come the second quarter, the Jets had scored on their first three possessions to go up 9-3. Thanks to Spillane, they wouldn’t score again until the fourth quarter.

Their next three possessions ended with Spillane making the play. A run stuff for no gain on third and two, a sack on second and two, and forcing a hold on third and 21 then making the stop on third and 22.

Then with the Jets within four at 16-12 and driving late in the fourth quarter, he stepped in front of the Zach Wilson pass for his third interception of the season. This one with a cast on his right hand. Unbelievable.

TE Michael Mayer

It was a back-and-forth game with the Raiders failing to take the lead once in the first three quarters. That ended on the first play of the fourth quarter when Aidan O’Connell escaped pressure and put a ball up high where only Mayer could get it and Mayer leapt in the air, plucking it from over the top of the defender to the go-ahead score.

It was Mayer’s first touchdown as a pro and it was a beauty. And in a game like this, it proved to be enough to get the W.

DE Maxx Crosby

This game started poorly for the Raiders, with a 41-yard catch and run that put them in scoring range. It would go no further thanks to Crosby. He flew in for what should be credited as a sack. And when I say that, I think a rule change is in order, which states that if you have the player wrapped up and he is flagged for intentional grounding, that should be a sack. For the purposes of the game, it was the same. The Jets lost ten yards and a down and couldn’t make it back up, settling for a field goal.

It was big plays on each drive that put the Jets in scoring range. Their third one came off of an interception and moved them into first and goal at the three. A touchdown here may have been devastating in a game this close. So, Crosby wrecked it. He forced a holding penalty that backed them up to the 13. Then was in on the run stop on second and goal and the Jets would settle for a third field goal.

DT Jerry Tillery, DT John Jenkins, DT Adam Butler

Jenkins had a run stuff on the Jets’ first drive. Tillery upended the second drive when he forced a holding penalty. Butler ended the third drive on third and goal when he batted the ball down at the line.

The next possession, Jenkins had another run stuff for no gain. Then the drive after that, he got one of his big mitts on a pass to bat it at the line. Come the third quarter, Butler had a tackle for loss on a three-and-out.

The first drive of the fourth quarter ended with Tillery getting all the way out to the left boundary to help Divine Deablo lead Zach Wilson out of bounds to end the drive. And on the Spillane interception, it was Tillery who got around his man to get pressure in Wilson’s face and force the throw.

RB Josh Jacobs

His two fumbles in the game really had me thinking whether he deserved to be on this list. In the end I decided that because his hard running was such a key factor in the Raiders scoring 16 points in the first place, he deserved more credit than blame.

His first fumble came on the tail end of a 40-yard burst and it bounced out of bounds. The run put the Raiders at the 13-yard-line. The next play he ran for five yards to the eight. Two plays later, they scored the touchdown.

In the early going, yards were tough to come by for Jacobs against a stout Jets defensive front. Even so, his running was a major factor in several scoring drives. Their second scoring drive came near the end of the second quarter and featured runs of six yards and eight yards — both of which the Raiders made the first down on the next play.

The third scoring drive saw Jacobs convert a third and two and a fourth and one along with the longest play of the drive that went for 12 yards on a catch in the left flat. That drive tied the game at 9-9.

Just prior to his lost fumble late in the fourth, Jacobs showed he is still a strong runner late in games, when broke several tackles and carried defenders the final five yards of a seven-yard first down run. He also had a nine-yard run and converted on third and one on that drive.

Jacobs finished with 116 yards rushing — his first time going over 100 yards this season — and added two catches for 11 yards.

K Daniel Carlson

The Jets have the man once known at ‘Greg the Leg’ and ‘Legatron’. And the Raiders have the best in the game today in Carlson. Both kickers were doing work in this one, with Carlson splitting them from 40, 41, and 54 yards.

Honorable Mention

WR DeAndre Carter — Had a 32-yard kick return to the Jets 45 that helped lead to the game-tying field goal. Later had a 15-yard run on fourth and one.

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Auburn in the NFL: Week 9 Recap

Daniel Carlson helped secure a win for his new head coach, C.J. Uzomah and the Jets couldn’t complete a Monday Night comeback, Roger McCreary has been cleared to return in week 10, and Anders Carlson was shaky again in the Packers win.

The NFL season is already over halfway over as we approach the holiday months.

As we do every week, Auburn Wire will take a look at some of the most notable performances from Auburn Alumni across the League.

NFL Week 9 was a very quiet week for former Tigers, but there were some noteworthy storylines nonetheless. Las Vegas Raiders kicker [autotag]Daniel Carlson[/autotag] helped secure a win for his new head coach, [autotag]C.J. Uzomah[/autotag] and the Jets couldn’t complete a Monday Night comeback, [autotag]Roger McCreary[/autotag] has been cleared to return in week 10, and [autotag]Anders Carlson[/autotag] was shaky again in the Packers win.

Here is a look at several headlines from Week 9 that feature Auburn’s top NFL players.

Raiders vs Lions final injury report: K Daniel Carlson, CB Nate Hobbs Questionable

K Daniel Carlson, CB Nate Hobbs Questionable, Divine Deablo OUT.

For the first time in a month Raiders starting nickel corner Nate Hobbs practiced this week. He was limited all week with the ankle injury that had caused him to miss the past four games and is officially Questionable for the game.

Joining him among the Questionable is kicker Daniel Carlson who suffered a groin injury just prior to last week’s game in Chicago, causing him to miss a 41-yard field goal he normally makes with ease.

Officially OUT is starting weak side linebacker Divine Deablo.

Deablo will likely be replaced by Luke Masterson.

If Hobbs can’t go, he will once again be replaced at the nickel by either Amik Robertson or Tyler Hall. If Daniel Carlson can’t go he will be replaced by recent practice squad addition, James McCourt.

Raiders vs Lions Friday injury report: QB Jimmy Garoppolo upgraded to full practice

QB Jimmy Garoppolo upgraded to full practice

A day ago, Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels said he was “very hopeful” Jimmy Garoppolo would be able to play Monday Night when the team travels to Detroit to face the Lions. Friday, his hopes look to be fulfilled as Garoppolo was upgraded to full participation in practice.

This puts him in line to start the game, giving the Raiders their best chance to be competitive against a hot Lions squad.

Starting cornerback Marcus Peters, who missed practice on Thursday with a back issue, returned to practice Friday. He was limited.

Nate Hobbs returned this week after missing four weeks with an ankle injury. He was limited the past two days.

Still missing from practice was kicker Daniel Carlson (groin) and linebacker Divine Deablo (ankle).

The team signed K James McCourt to the practice squad earlier this week in case Carlson is unable to go. Should Deablo not play, Luke Masterson would start in his place.

Auburn in the NFL: Week 5 Recap

The Carlson brothers faced off in primetime, former Tigers Roger McCreary and Braden Smith battle in Indianapolis, C.J. Uzomah delivers speech before Jets vs. Broncos, and Montravius Adams sees an uptick in snaps.

The NFL season is steadily marching on and each week throughout the season, Auburn Wire will take a look at some of the most notable performances from Auburn Alumni across the League.

It was a quiet week for former Tigers, but there were some interesting storylines that stood out this week, including a pair of brothers facing off, a fiery pregame speech, two former Tigers facing off in a tightly-contested divisional match and a former defensive lineman continuing to carve out a role for himself.

Here is a look at several headlines from Week 5 that feature Auburn’s top NFL players.

Auburn in the NFL: Week 4 Recap

Touchdowns, field goals, and defensive storylines defined Auburn Alumni in NFL Week 4.

Each week throughout the NFL season, Auburn Wire will take a look at some of the most notable performances from Auburn Alumni across the League.

It was a busy week for former Tigers filled with touchdowns, notable performances, and highlights.

Here is a look at several week four headlines from Auburn’s top NFL players.

Auburn in the NFL: Week 3 Recap

From sacks to scores to milestones, here’s a look at how former Tigers performed in the NFL in week three.

Each week throughout the NFL season, Auburn Wire will take a look at some of the most notable performances from Auburn Alumni across the League.

It was another quiet week for former Tigers, but there were a few notable performances nonetheless.

Here is a look at several week three headlines from Auburn’s top NFL players.

How the Jets beat the Bills and if Raiders have the firepower to do it too

How did the Jets beat the Bills Monday night? Do Raiders have the firepower to do it too? Let’s take a look.

Four plays into the Monday night matchup between the Jets and Bills, the Jets lost their great hope. That when Aaron Rodgers — the biggest acquisition of the 2023 offseason by any team — was lost to an injury.

At that point most of the NFL world thought the Bills would trounce the Jets. You know, the. 13-3, reigning AFC East champion Bills?

And yet, the Jets hung around, took the game to overtime, and then sealed it on a huge punt return for a touchdown.

There are two questions that arise from this.

1. How?

2. Can the Raiders do it too?

The first question is easier to answer than the second one. As to whether the Raiders can do it too, the answer is cliche, but true — anything’s possible.

What we *can* do is lay out how the Jets did it and tell you what the Raiders have to offer should they wish to replicate the Jets’ success.

1. Interior pressure

The Jets sacked Josh Allen five times. No easy task considering how elusive Allen can be. Three of those five sacks came from interior defenders including two from former Raiders DT Quinton Jefferson.

Keep in mind the Bills were without Carl Lawson for the game, so the interior DL did much of this without a strong edge rusher to help out.

Can the Raiders do it?

It’s interesting to note that a former Raiders DT had two sacks in the game, because they never should have let Jefferson walk and they haven’t done a great job of replacing him. The Raiders interior DL is one of the least threatening units on any team, let alone the Raiders.

Like the Bills, the Raiders will be without a pass rusher as Chandler Jones is still away from the team dealing with his personal issues. The Raiders do have Maxx Crosby, but he may be once again going at it with little or no help.

2. Ball hawking safety

Strong safety Jordan Whitehead may as well have been Josh Allen’s VISA card cuz he was everyone he wanted to be. Whitehead had not one. not two, but THREE interceptions in the game! Not many quarterbacks can survive that.

And, sure, Whitehead probably had some help from the aforementioned DL pressure, but you don’t pick off three passes by accident. You have to have some tremendous instincts, smarts, and hands to be that opportunistic.

Can the Raiders do it?

The man lining up at the strong safety spot for the Raiders these days in Marcus Epps. He was one of the team’s priority free agent signings this offseason after his first full season as a starter in Philadelphia.

Can Epps ball hawk like that? If he can, it would be a real first. Epps has as many career interceptions (3) as Whitehead had Monday night alone. And Epps had none of those picks in his 17 starts last season.

In last week’s season opener, Epps would have had a forced fumble, but it was wiped away by a Marcus Peters illegal contact penalty. Epps also gave up a 21-yard catch and one of the Broncos’ two touchdown catches. Fellow safety Tre’von Moehrig gave up the other one. Moehrig has just one career interception and had none last season.

So, the answer, again, is not likely.

3. Big time receiver making big time plays

Garrett Wilson is a certified stud. He made Aaron Rodgers’ replacement Zach Wilson right on a pass with one of the most unreal catches you’ll ever see. Wilson threw for him in the end zone with Pro Bowl cornerback Tre’Davious White all over him. The ball was right at White, but Garrett Wilson reached back and batted the ball away, tipping it to himself to make the TD catch.

Can the Raiders do that?

To answer this question, you need only listen to Aaron Rodgers, who put a post on social media this offseason touting how much he loves his number 17 receivers. Currently that’s Wilson. But for several years that was Davante Adams.

So, yeah, the Raiders can absolutely do that. Adams has often done that. He makes his QB look right a lot and makes their job easier with his ability to get open either via his superb route running or his long speed.

4. Explosive run game

Breece Hall had a big night, first breaking off a 23-yard run and later bursting for an 83-yard run. He finished with 127 yards on 10 attempts. Toss in the 33 yards on 13 carries by Dalvin Cook and the Jets backs put up 160 yards on the ground, while averaging seven yards per carry.

Can the Raiders do that?

Well, the Raiders *do* have the NFL’s reigning rushing title holder. Josh Jacobs easily had the most rushing yards last season. Though, you may not have known it by how he was running last week.

Not to say that was all his fault. He had a few plays where he broke a tackle at or behind the line of scrimmage and made something out of nothing. But after missing all of training camp while refusing to sign the franchise tender, he didn’t really look like he was in the form he was last season.

I would expect Jacobs will be more like the back he was last season now that he’s been hit a few times. After all, he had his great 2022 season after playing significant minutes during the preseason, so we know he does his best work when he’s seen some live game action.

5. Clutch special teams play

The Jets got the win in dramatic fashion. After forcing a punt quickly in overtime, return man Xavier Gipson took it to the house for the walk-off win.

It was a great return, but it’s important not to give *all* the credit to the man with the ball. He had ten guys blocking as well.

The drama on special teams actually started before that. The game made it to overtime on a 50-yard field goal from Tyler Bass that hit the left upright and still went through.

Can the Raiders do that?

The Raiders have arguably the best kicker in the league in Daniel Carlson. And there is no question they have the best kick squad in the league when you factor in punter AJ Cole.

It was lack of clutch special teams play from Broncos kicker Wil Lutz that helped the Raiders escape Denver with a win last week. Lutz missed an extra point and a 55-yard field goal. The Raiders won the game 17-16.

Carlson missed just one field goal inside 50 yards last season and nailed 11 field goals of 50 yards or more. And Cole has averaged at or near 50 yards per punt for the past two seasons.

As for punt and kick returns, the Raiders don’t threaten much. Ameer Abdullah returned 26 kicks last season. He averaged 20.9 yards per return with a long of 33 yards. The longest punt return was Hunter Renfrow for 17 yards.