Tag: Jakobi Meyers

What condition the position is in: Assessing Raiders level of need at wide receiver

We take a look at the Raiders wide receiver position as we head into the offseason and free agency.

With free agency a month away, it’s time to check in on the Raiders’ wide receiver position to give it a condition of either Strong, Stable, Unstable, Serious, or Critical.

Starters: Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker

Backups: Ramel Keyton, DJ Turner, Tyreik McAllister, Jeff Foreman, Kristian Wilkerson, Alex Bachman, Shedrick Jackson

Free agents: Terrace Marshall

This position looked like it was in good hands coming into last season. But three games in Davante Adams was already wanting out. Jakoby Meyers stepped up to be the team’s number one receiver, reaching 1000 yards for the first time in his career. But Tre Tucker never quite reached the ceiling they had hoped.

Condition: Critical

Should the Raiders manage to get their starting QB in free agency or via trade, they could turn to receiver atop the draft. Another option, of course, is to get that receiver in free agency. Though there aren’t a lot of good options there. Either way, they need a big X receiver to replace Adams. Meyers is a great receiver to have on the roster, but he is not a true number one who can help lift the play of whoever they get at QB.

Raiders 2024 season Ballers & Busters

Rounding up the best and worst aka the Ballers & Busters from the 2024 season.

We’re now a week since the final Ballers & Busters of the Raiders 2024 season. So, let’s round ’em up and put a bow on it with my season Ballers & Busters.

Ballers

Top Baller: TE Brock Bowers

No show here. The Raiders bread and butter on offense set all kinds of rookie, NFL, and franchise receiving records. And along the way was a Baller eight times and Top Baller twice.

DE Maxx Crosby

Even missing five games this season and being hobbled by his ankle injury ins several others, he was still named a Baller six times and a Top Baller twice.

DT Adam Butler

Butler stepped up big time in the absence of Christian Wilkins and proved himself quite valuable both against the pass and the run. Thus, he was named a Baller seven times and was never once a Buster.

WR Jakobi Meyers

He had his first ever 100-yard game, his second ever 100-yard game, and his first ever 1000-yard game this season. All while still doing his dirty work. Thus he was named a Baller six times and thrice a Top Baller. He had fans not missing Davante Adams all that much.

S Tre’von Moehrig

His best season was also his contract year. The Raiders played him up closer to the line of scrimmage a lot and sent him on a fair amount of blitzes. It turned out to suit him very well. He was named a Baller four times, three of those times he was Top Baller.

RB Ameer Abdullah

Injuries knocked out Zamir White and Alexander Mattison and it turned out to not be so bad for the Raiders. Abdullah carried the load and had a nose for the end zone. As a result, he was a Baller in five of his last six games of the. season. Strong finish for him as he makes the case for year 11,

Continue to the Busters…

Ballers & Busters for Raiders Week 18 loss to Chargers

Breaking down the best and worst individual performances in the Raiders season-ending loss to the Chargers.

The 2024 NFL season came to a close for the Raiders on Sunday. Not for the Chargers, however, they had already punched their ticket for the playoffs. But they were playing for better seeding and the game played out very much like these two teams had very different fates.

Ballers

WR Jakobi Meyers

This game saw Meyers have his second career 100-yard game and, in turn, his first career 1000-yard season.

The Raiders had three scoring drives in the game. The first gave them a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. That drive saw Meyers catch three passes for 35 yards.

The second scoring drive he had a 22-yard catch and then the touchdown from 26 yards out. He had a 24-yard catch in the fourth quarter that put him over 1000 yards on the season and put the Raiders in field goal range, but they needed a touchdown and the drive ended with a turnover on downs.

DT Jonah Laulu, DT Zach Carter

The Chargers’ first drive ended in a three-and-out with Laulu making the run stuff for no gain on third and one. A couple drives later, Laulu got pressure up the middle to force an incompletion and the Chargers settled for a field goal to tie it up at 3-3.

Late in the second quarter, Carter got in the passing lane to bat a pass down on a drive that went for a field goal. He would then end the first drive of the third quarter with consecutive run stuffs for no gain from the one yard line. Laulu had a couple run stuffs early in the drive, including a tackle for loss.

Each of them would have run stops in goal to go on the Chargers’ final scoring drive, though the Chargers would eventually get in on third and goal from the two to put the game away.

LT Kolton Miller

The one sack that came from his man was not his fault. Aidan O’Connell was attempting to escape pressure up the middle and ran into the sack. Miller had a flawless game in protection.

Continue to the Busters…

Raiders team celebrates ‘dirty work’ WR Jakobi Meyers career milestone

The ultimate team guy Jakobi Meyers saw his team behind him as he reached 1000 yards in a season for the first time in his career.

It’s been a rough season for the Raiders. With not much to celebrate. That played out right to the end, with the team losing the season finale to the Chargers to finish 4-13. But in the midst of it all, they got to celebrate their ultimate team guy get a well deserved accomplishment. 

Jakobi Meyers is a beloved player on this Raiders squad. Having spent last season in the shadow of Davante Adams while catching a career-high eight touchdowns. To this season, watching the team fall into turmoil three weeks into the season and Adams force a trade to the Jets.

He took the hand he was dealt and went on to set several other career bests. He came into the season finale needing 96 yards to get to 1000 yards for the first time in his career. He finished the game with 123 yards to finish the season with 1027 yards. No one was more happy for him than his head coach, Antonio Pierce.

“To me it’s just the ultimate compliment for this player,” said Pierce. “He’s done all the dirty work, right? The crack blocks, the run blocking, reverses, throw the ball. Whatever we ask him to do. Now he gets the opportunity to showcase himself as a premiere or legit number one receiver and he put himself kind of in that category. And what I love about it is he didn’t really talk about that. He wanted to win. He understood. We all knew what was there and when we threw the ball to him, he made plays. But if you talk about a pro that’s been consistent since the day he walked in last year, it’s been Jakobi Meyers. He’s a team guy, he’s a tough guy, he’s an AP guy, he’s a Raider. I’m glad he’s on our team.”

After all the work Meyers put in these past two seasons, his team was determined for him to reach this milestone.

“This was a group effort,” said Meyers after the game. “This ain’t just me going out there running routes, asking for the ball. A lot of people wanted me to get there. So, it’s for all of us and we’re going to celebrate this whenever we can.”

Meyers finished the game with 123 yards on nine catches. His teammates couldn’t have been more happy for him, several of whom congratulating him, including Maxx Crosby who rolled over on his knee scooter to show him some love. 

Meyers was still in his pads, having been called to TV interviews immediately after the game “I haven’t even had a chance to breathe,” he said.

It is nice to have a bit of a silver lining on the dark cloud that hung over this team this year. You root for guys like Meyers to see some production in the form of stats to go along with all the value they bring and work they put in that doesn’t show up in their stat column.

Raiders winners and losers in 34-20 defeat vs. Chargers

The Raiders season ended with another loss. Which players and coaches stood out more than others?

The Raiders kept the Chargers quiet early but couldn’t hold them down for long, losing 34-20 on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.

Las Vegas had a 10-3 advantage in the second quarter but the Chargers scored 17 straight points to take control, led by quarterback Justin Herbert. Raiders QB Aidan O’Connell threw an interception just before halftime, allowing LA to notch its first touchdown.

The Raiders clawed to within one score of the Chargers (11-6) at 20-13 just before the fourth quarter, but LA again pulled away before a late touchdown from Raiders tight end Brock Bowers provided the final tally.

Here are the winners and losers after the Raiders closed the season with a disappointing 4-13 record.

Winner: TE Brock Bowers

Bowers’ special rookie season wrapped up with him setting another record, although it’s a record he’s already had. After Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers passed Bowers’ record-setting catch total from last week, Bowers regained the record with four catches for 50 yards and one touchdown against the Chargers.

Bowers ended his season with 112 catches, 1,194 yards, and five touchdowns. Once the Raiders get some stability at quarterback, Bowers figures to become even more potent as an offensive weapon.

Winner: WR Jakobi Meyers

After ex-Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams abruptly requested a trade (back when Las Vegas was 2-2), the team needed its pass catchers to step up. Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers did just that, registering his first 1,000-yard season after grabbing nine receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown against the Chargers.

In fact, Meyers ended up with more catches than Adams this season and nearly as many yards. Meyers’ touchdown was on a beautiful double move and gave the Raiders an early 10-3 advantage.

Winner: DT Jonah Laulu

Defensive tackle Jonah Laulu continued his late-season surge. He stopped a Chargers running back for a loss on 4th-and-1 on the Chargers’ first drive of the day. He also had a QB pressure on a key 3rd-and-5 play, holding LA to a field goal that tied the score at 3-3. Laulu had seven total tackles (two solo) on the day. He’s rejuvenated his young career during his time in Las Vegas.

Winner: LB Robert Spillane

The Chargers had 473 total yards of offense. So, the Raiders defense had a lot of tackles to make. Still, linebacker Robert Spillane deserves a hat tip for his 16 tackles. However, he also missed his fair share of stops, most notably in the open field on a 42-yard run by Herbert.

Loser: QB Aidan O’Connell

The Raiders defense had just held the Chargers to a field goal to preserve a 10-9 lead, giving the ball to the Raiders offense with more than a minute left on the clock and one timeout. Las Vegas needed to mount a drive because the Chargers would get the ball after halftime.

Instead, O’Connell threw a pass while he was off balance in the pocket, attempting to connect with running back Alexander Mattison. The Chargers picked it off and were in the end zone for their first touchdown a few plays later.

O’Connell’s blunder turned the game in the Chargers’ direction, much like turnovers plagued the Raiders during their 10-game losing streak. Winning the turnover battle will be vital for the Raiders next season, regardless of who is coaching.

Loser: Raiders secondary

Herbert was on fire throughout this game, ending up with 346 yards on 28-for-36 passing and two touchdowns. The Raiders defense held LA to field goals early despite a 39-yard connection with WR Quentin Johnston on one drive and a 47-yard throw to WR Ladd McConkey on another.

But the Chargers kept firing. Cornerback Jack Jones appeared to let up on the Chargers touchdown right before halftime, and CB Kyu Blu Kelly was called for pass interference in the end zone in the third quarter. CB Decamerion Richardson was flagged for a special teams penalty and allowed a 39-yard reception to Johnston late in the game, and safety Isaiah Pola-Mao missed an open field tackle on McConkey’s 47-yard catch and run.

Herbert’s field day provided an overwhelming advantage in time of possession for the Chargers for most of the game.

Loser: OC Scott Turner

While the Chargers offense was having its fun, the Raiders offense only amassed 225 yards, including a paltry 39 rushing yards. Offensive coordinator Scott Turner’s unit went three-and-out twice to start the game and didn’t get the ball to Bowers enough early.

In Turner’s defense, Bowers was open in the end zone on a 3rd-and-5 play in the first quarter and O’Connell just missed him. Plus, Bowers had a drop on another big third-down play in the second quarter. Turner was probably the happiest person on the team after Bowers’ garbage time score, as scoring just 13 points to close his interim campaign in Las Vegas could have damaged his career prospects.

Loser: DE Tyree Wilson

I saw Raiders defensive end Tyree Wilson on the field a lot on Sunday. He had at least a couple of pressures but it would have been big for his career prospects had he been able to do more. He finished with just one tackle.

Loser: Raiders coaching staff

The Raiders coaching staff, led by head coach Antonio Pierce, really wanted this one. They had a shot, too, but failed against the Chargers staff, led by the formidable Jim Harbaugh.

The players played hard, but the execution wasn’t up to par. Which of these coaches will be back, if any? That includes Pierce and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.

At least the defeat solidified the Raiders NFL Draft status. They’ll select sixth overall after another disappointing season. Now Raider Nation will wait and see what the franchise does next, hoping to see the Raiders’ winning culture of the past rise from the dead.

Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers has first career 1000-yard season

In his sixth NFL season, Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers finally surpassed the 1000-yard mark.

Jakobi Meyers was already having his best season after 16 games. He surpassed 900 yards (904) and 75 catches (77) for the first time in his six-year career. The next milestone was to become a 1000-yard receiver.

That is now a title he can claim.

He had already caught four passes in the first quarter. Then two minutes into the second quarter, he added two more catches for 47 yards, with a 25-yard touchdown catch.

That catch put him within ten yards of 1000.

He would hit that number and then some early in the fourth quarter with a 24-yard catch.

Congrats to Jakobi Meyers on his career milestone. Well deserved for the Raiders top wide receiver this season.

Ballers & Busters for Raiders Week 17 win over Saints

Who stood out among the individual performances in the Raiders win in New Orleans?

It’s too little, way too late, but the Raiders had their best overall game of the season on Sunday in New Orleans.

After falling behind 7-3 early in the second quarter, they came back to take a 13-10 lead before the half and never looked back. The offense added 12 points in the second half while holding the Saints scoreless for the 25-10 win.

Ballers

QB Aidan O’Connell

O’Connell passes were the catalyst for both the Raiders’ touchdown drives. The first pass was a gorgeous, perfect throw to Jacobi Meyers, who made an over-the-shoulder grab for 29 yards to put the Raiders in scoring range. He connected with Brock Bowers for 17 yards on the next play. Then after a run to mix it up, the found Meyers again for the touchdown from three yards out.

The other touchdown drive, O’Connell found Bowers again on third down for 13 yards. A few plays later, on third and six, he bought some time, and while falling away, launched a pass, finding Tre Tucker in the back corner of the end zone for the clincher.

He also had a deep completion to Terrace Marshall on the Raiders’ second scoring drive, and a tight window completion to Meyers on the first scoring drive of the second half.

LB Robert Spillane

Spillane terrorized the Saints in the third quarter. The first possession he had a run stuff and a pressure on third down to force an incompletion. Next drive he ended by nearly intercepting a pass that may have been a house call. He was frustrated he didn’t get the pick, so he took it out on Spencer Rattler by breaking up another pass and then sacking Rattler to end the next possession.

He led the team with eight tackles (four solo), with two for a loss, a sack, and two pass breakups.

RB Ameer Abdullah

Abdullah had his first career 100-yard rushing game. He finished with 115 yards on the ground and added three catches for 32 yards for a total of 147 yards from scrimmage.

He was the main factor in the first drive, rushing seven times for 41 yards and catching a 12-yard pass that looked for a moment like it might be a touchdown, but was ruled just short of the end zone. Unfortunately the Raiders couldn’t get that extra few inches and settled for a field goal. But the run was established.

Abdullah added an 11-yard run on the next scoring drive that put the Raiders in field goal range. Then his 13-yard run set up the Raiders with first and goal at the three and they retook the lead before the half.

He would get over the 100-yard hump late in the third quarter on an eight-yard run that led out a field goal drive that gave their their first two-score lead.

TE Brock Bowers

Not only did he lead the Raiders in receiving with seven catches for 77 yards, he set three huge records along the way.

Late in the second quarter, he made a 13-yard catch that broke Mike Ditka’s rookie tight end receiving yards record that had stood for 63 years. He added a 17-yard catch a few plays later and the Raiders went on to get their first touchdown of the day to take a 13-7 lead.

Late in the third quarter, he caught two passes for 26 yards and broke the rookie receptions record which was set last year by Puka Nacua. Of course, Nacua set it in 17 games and Bowers just broke it in 16. But who’s counting. The Raiders went on to add another field goal to take a two-score lead at 19-10.

On the next drive, Bowers would catch a 13-yard pass on third and five and break the Raiders franchise single-season receptions record. Three plays later, the Raiders scored the touchdown to put the game out of reach.

CB Jack Jones

Jones led the team with three pass breakups. He also had a diving interception off a deflection and the Raiders scored the game-clinching touchdown on the ensuing drive.. Then he nearly had a second interception to end any chance the Saints might try and come back.

WR Jakobi Meyers

The first touchdown drive saw Meyers get behind his defender and Aidan O’Connell drop on in his bread basket for a 29-yard completion. Meyers tracked the ball over his shoulder to make a nice grab. Three plays later, he went on a quick out from three yards out and caught the touchdown.

Meyers also had a tight window 19-yard grab on the Raiders scoring drive to lead out the third quarter.

DT Adam Butler. DE Tyree Wilson

Butler’s run stuff for no gain ended the Saints first possession. And he made the stop to end their first drive of the second quarter.

At the end of the second quarter, the Saints drive into scoring range. It stalled with Wilson getting a QB hit and then a pressure to force an incompletion.

Late in the fourth quarter, on the Saints last gasp, Butler led a three-and-out with a tackle on a short catch and Wilson teamed up for the sack to clinch the win.

LT Kolton Miller

Not only did he give O’Connell plenty of time to throw, but he was also several times opening holes and getting the second level to help Abdullah have his career day on the ground. Best game of the season for Miller.

K Daniel Carlson

Carlson scored 13 of the Raiders 25 points in the game. He was four for four on field goals including a 54-yarder in the third quarter that put the Raiders up 16-10.

Busters

None

While there were mistakes made, none were glaring and no one had a particularly bad day. Any Busters from this one would be reaching.

Fantasy football sleepers to play in Week 16

Taking a look at some potential sleepers to play in Week 16 for fantasy football.

Just two weeks remain in the fantasy football season as the playoffs have gotten underway in the majority of leagues.

Whether you’re looking for a boost to help your playoff lineup or simply looking for some dart throws in daily fantasy, we’ve got you covered on potential sleepers at every position.

Be sure to check out The Huddle’s weekly PPR projections and rankings as well as the start/bench list to help formulate the best lineup possible.

Jaguars vs Raiders Week 16 injury report: Aidan O’Connell practices FULL

All the latest updates and news on Raiders injury report ahead of a Week 16 game vs. Jaguars.

The Raiders are back at it on a short week preparing to face the Jaguars this Sunday. The bad news was placing Maxx Crosby and RB Sincere McCormick on injured reserve. But the injury report saw the team get their starting quarterback on the field.

Raiders, Jaguars injury report

QB Aidan O’Connell injury update

O’Connell returned to practice and was a full participant after missing Monday Night’s game with a bone bruise in his knee. Desmond Ridder had started in his place.

G Jordan Meredith injury update

Meredith missed practice with an ankle injury. He is the team’s starting left guard. Should he be unable to go, Cody Whitehair would replace him in the lineup.

WR Jakobi Meyers injury update

Meyers was limited by an ankle injury.

RB Alexander Mattison injury update

Mattison suffered a neck injury on the team’s first drive against the Falcons. He returned to the game and appears to be good to go.

Busters for Raiders week 15 loss to Falcons

Where things went wrong for the Raiders in their loss to the Falcons.

The Ballers were made up mostly of defensive players. It was the offense and special teams that doomed the Raiders in this one. So, the makeup the Busters may not surprise you.

Busters

QB Desmond Ridder

This offense was severely hampered by the limitations of Ridder. He had several opportunities in this game, provided by the Raiders defense, on which he couldn’t capitalize.

Only once in the first three quarters did the Raiders get past the 50-yard-line. And even the one that did move into Atlanta territory ended with two bad throws by Ridder. Both were for Brock Bowers, the first was too low and the other was an overthrow and the Raiders settled for a long field goal.

Just before the half, he finally connected for a decent gain to Bowers. Then followed it up with another bad overthrow to Bowers and then took a sack to send the two teams to the locker room with a 9-3 Falcons lead.

The third quarter saw the Raiders offense convert one first down. One. The first possession, Ridder was sacked twice, neither were the fault of his Oline. Then after the only first down — on an Alexander Mattison run — he overthrew Tre Tucker, nearly threw an interception, and rolled out right and threw the ball away. He had one more three-and-out in the quarter.

To lead out the fourth quarter, the Raiders possession ended with two incompletions — one on an overthrown screen pass — and Ridder getting sacked. Again, it was not the fault of his Oline. Next series lasted two plays with Ridder throwing an interception, giving the Falcons the ball already in scoring range. It was just luck that they missed the field goal.

Most of Ridder’s completed passes came on the final two drives. But being flagged for a delay of game on fourth and three certainly didn’t help matters. It meant it would take an amazing play by Ameer Abdullah to keep hope alive.

STC Tom McMahon, S Chris Smith II

When’s the last time you saw three blocked kicks by one team in one game? I can’t recall ever seeing it before. But that’s what happened in this game.

Two of the blocked were on punts. Chris Smith was the personal protector and was blocking no one while a free runner got to AJ Cole. One of the blocks was a deflection that caused a punt to travel just 30 yards. The other was a full on block. Both gave the Falcons great field position.

The other block was on the extra point after the late touchdown. In this case, Michael Mayer was left to try and block two players on his own and that didn’t work out well.

Smith also missed the tackle on a 38-yard return to the 45-yard-line.

OC Scott Turner

Four times the Raiders offense started a drive inside their own ten-yard-line. And despite being backed up against their own end zone, Ridder lined up in the shotgun each time, often times handing the ball off. That’s a dangerous play as it mean the runner basically has three yards they have to run with the ball before they even reach the line of scrimmage.

The first time they did this was on a drive that started at their own three-yard-line. It led to consecutive tackles for loss and a safety to give the Falcons a 9-3 lead.

They did it again from their own three in the third quarter. Similar result. This time it was a run for no gain to start things off followed by two short catches and a punt.

The final time, they led out with another run for a loss. And the next play Ridder threw an interception to give the Falcons the ball in scoring range.

CB Jack Jones

The Falcons’ only touchdown was from some easy film study. Last week Jones bit on a sluggo off a pump fake for a long completion. So, with the Falcons at the Vegas 30-yard-line, they said ‘hey, let’s do that too’. And, so they did. And Jones bit, leaving Drake London wide open for the long touchdown.

On their second scoring drive, he gave up an eight-yard first down run and on their third scoring drive, he gave up a five-yard catch on third-and-four that put them in field goal range.

WR Jakobi Meyers

The first drive of the game, Meyers was given the ball on an end around and set up to pass the ball. But his target was double covered, so he instead took the sack for a ten-yard loss.

The next time they looked to Meyer, was to lead out the third quarter. He made the catch but pushed off and was called for offensive pass interference.

Next pass for him, he couldn’t get to it and it was knocked away. His first catch didn’t come until there was just over five minutes left in the game. To his credit, he had three catches on the drive for 26 yards and the Raiders would score the TD on the drive.

The final drive, he had a couple more catches. But also had one in his hands get knocked out on the way down. And on the hail mary on the final play, he let Jesse Bates high point him to make the interception.

C Jackson Powers-Johnson

JPJ gave up run stuffs for a loss on each of the first two possessions. The second leading to a three-and-out. Even on the field goal drive, he found himself blocking no one while the run was stuffed at the line.

The Raiders running backs averaged 2.17 yards per carry in the game on 17 carries. And while that certainly doesn’t fall on him alone, there weren’t any instances in which he was the key block on a run

T DJ Glaze

Overall, he seemed to have a decent game. But his holding penalty on the final drive was a killer. He was completely beaten on the play and his hold was about as obvious as you’ll see. It would take the Raiders four plays to make up for it, taking 44 vital seconds off the clock. Which ultimately meant the game hinged on Hail Mary passes, which is never a great bet.

See the Ballers