Tag: Las Vegas Raiders

NFL Next Gen Stats shared concerning factoid about Chiefs OL Wanya Morris

NFL Next Gen Stats shared a concerning fact about #Chiefs OL Wanya Morris’ performance against the #Raiders in Week 13.

The Kansas City Chiefs punched their ticket to the playoffs last night with a 19-17 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, but not all is going well for the defending Super Bowl champions.

The Chiefs’ offensive line has underperformed this season, and Patrick Mahomes has taken a beating in Kansas City’s last two games.

Mahomes was sacked five times in the Chiefs’ win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 12, and Las Vegas managed to bring him down four times on Black Friday.

Left tackle Wanya Morris has borne the brunt of criticisms from fans and pundits, and an NFL Next Gen Stats graphic from last night’s broadcast on Amazon Prime highlighted just how poorly he performed against the Raiders:

 

Given Morris’ struggle to effectively block for Mahomes against Las Vegas, fans can expect newly-signed offensive lineman D.J. Humphries to take over the former Sooner’s starting spot when Kansas City faces off against the Las Angeles Chargers on December 8.

Brock Bowers continues his unprecedented dominance on Black Friday

Raiders rookie TE Brock Bowers continues his unprecedented dominance on Black Friday

Widely considered one of if not the best player in the 2024 NFL Draft, Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers has put together an unbelievable rookie season as he has emerged as the top weapon on the team and as one of the best tight ends in the entire league. On Friday night against the Kansas City Chiefs, Bowers continued his stretch of dominance in a close loss in a divisional matchup in which he could not be stopped.

Bowers was unguardable against one of the league’s better defenses, hauling in 10 catches, for 140 yards, and a touchdown. This has become a fairly consistent stat line for the star rookie who now ranks among the elites in the league when it comes to his receiving totals. Leading the league with 84 catches, Bowers lands 3rd overall in receiving yardage with 884 yards through the air, which puts him in elite territory in his first season.

We don’t see performances like this from rookie tight ends hardly ever, so to say the Raiders hit the jackpot with Bowers might be an understatement. With Bowers already established as a top 3 tight end in the league, the future looks bright for the young star and this Las Vegas offense.

Raiders Week 13 snap counts vs Chiefs: Sincere McCormick sees big jump in snaps, carries

Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce kept his word and Sincere McCormick saw his snaps and carries increase week 13 vs the Chiefs.

This time last week, Sincere McCormick had never taken an NFL field. Then he took his eight snaps week 12 and made the most of them. He picked up 33 yards on five carries (6.6 yards per carry) and afterward head coach Antonio Pierce said McCormick had earned more playing time.

Pierce kept his word and McCormick’s snaps jumped to 26 Friday against the Chiefs (38%). He didn’t disappoint with his increased snaps, rushing for a team high 64 yards on 12 carries (5.3 yards per carry).

Both Zamir White and Alexander Mattison were inactive week 13 with injuries, which has led to McCormick’s emergence. The 2023 undrafted free agent could end up being a key part of the Raiders plans even when White and Mattison return to the lineup and beyond.

Offense Spec Tms
Player Pos Num Pct Num Pct
Kolton Miller T 68 100% 6 19%
Jordan Meredith G 68 100% 6 19%
Dylan Parham G 68 100% 6 19%
DJ Glaze T 68 100% 6 19%
Jackson Powers-Johnson C 68 100% 6 19%
Aidan O’Connell QB 68 100% 0 0%
Tre Tucker WR 66 97% 0 0%
Jakobi Meyers WR 63 93% 0 0%
Brock Bowers TE 61 90% 0 0%
Michael Mayer TE 43 63% 10 32%
Ameer Abdullah RB 42 62% 5 16%
Sincere McCormick RB 26 38% 8 26%
Terrace Marshall Jr. WR 16 24% 0 0%
DJ Turner WR 15 22% 12 39%
Thayer Munford T 6 9% 6 19%
Kana’i Mauga LB 1 1% 17 55%
Justin Shorter TE 1 1% 13 42%
Defense Spec Tms
Player Pos Num Pct Num Pct
Maxx Crosby DE 71 100% 6 19%
Isaiah Pola-Mao FS 71 100% 5 16%
Decamerion Richardson CB 71 100% 5 16%
Jack Jones CB 71 100% 0 0%
Robert Spillane LB 71 100% 0 0%
Tre’von Moehrig FS 71 100% 0 0%
Adam Butler DT 60 85% 6 19%
Divine Deablo LB 51 72% 4 13%
John Jenkins DT 43 61% 8 26%
Darnay Holmes CB 43 61% 0 0%
Jonah Laulu DT 37 52% 8 26%
Thomas Harper FS 34 48% 19 61%
Tyree Wilson DE 34 48% 7 23%
K’Lavon Chaisson DE 25 35% 0 0%
Charles Snowden DE 15 21% 6 19%
Zachary Carter DT 6 8% 0 0%
Amari Burney LB 5 7% 25 81%
Janarius Robinson DE 2 3% 3 10%
Special Teams Spec Tms
Player Pos Num Pct Num Pct
Tommy Eichenberg LB 0 0% 25 81%
Amari Gainer LB 0 0% 22 71%
Christopher Smith SS 0 0% 17 55%
Dylan Laube RB 0 0% 13 42%
Trey Taylor SS 0 0% 13 42%
Sam Webb CB 0 0% 12 39%
AJ Cole III P 0 0% 10 32%
Daniel Carlson K 0 0% 10 32%
Jacob Bobenmoyer LS 0 0% 10 32%
Andrus Peat G 0 0% 6 19

Raiders PFF grades: 5 highest rated Week 13 vs. Chiefs

The Raiders lost in spectacular fashion against the Chiefs on Black Friday, but who played the best for Las Vegas despite the defeat?

The Raiders and Chiefs put on a show for a national audience on Black Friday, but Kansas City escaped with a win as Las Vegas was left to wonder what could have been.

The Raiders were in position to kick a game-winning field goal but ran one too many plays, resulting in a miss-timed snap, fumble, and a crushing last-second defeat.

However, some Raiders had a productive day. Tight end Brock Bowers was spectacular, catching 10 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown. He’s the highest-graded player on the team this week, according to Pro Football Focus.

The No. 2 player on the list is graded 10 points below Bowers’ impressive 90.6 rating. Defensive tackle Jonah Laulu earned playing time on Friday and rewarded his coaches with three tackles and a pass breakup. He helped the Raiders’ strong run defense on Friday.

Three more players on offense — quarterback Aidan O’Connell, running back Sincere McCormick, and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers — complete the list this week.  That’s no surprise, as the Raiders offense outgained the Chiefs offense by a healthy margin, 434 to 329.

But at some point, it would be nice for the Raiders to earn grades from PFF after a victory. Las Vegas has lost eight straight, and coach Antonio Pierce probably has to win a game or two to save his job, regardless of how hard his team plays on gameday. They’ll try for a win aginst Tampa Bay in Week 14.

Ballers & Busters for Raiders Week 13 heartbreaker vs Chiefs

A hard-fought game in Kansas City yielded some very conflicted results in this weeks tally of the best and worst performances.

This team put up a hell of a fight in Kansas City. They nearly pulled off a repeat performance to their Christmas Day upset last season. And very well should have done it if not for a botched snap on the final play.

Both teams started slowly, with the score just 10-3 at the half. Then the Chiefs pulled away, adding a couple field goals to make it a 16-3 game. But just when you thought the game was out of reach, the Raiders went on two touchdown drives to take the lead.

In the end they had the chance to win it on a field goal, but watched it slip through their fingers.

Ballers

TE Brock Bowers

Bowers just keeps upping his game. He put up double digit catches again, this time for a career-high 140 yards and a touchdown. He even had a ridiculous one-handed grab in the game. And on the final drive into field goal range, he made a 25-yard catch to midfield.

DE Maxx Crosby, DE K’Lavon Chaisson

Last week it was Tyree Wilson sharing the spotlight with Crosby. This week it’s Chaisson who routinely got into the backfield. Chaisson got to Patrick Mahomes three times, for 1.5 sacks and a pressure that led to Crosby’s sack. In total, Crosby had four QB hits and two tackles for loss. While Chaisson had a tackle for loss and three QB hits.

WR Jakobi Meyers

Meyers had two huge catches of 43 yards and 24 yards to lead out the Raiders first scoring drive. He added a ten-yard catch on the final drive that put the Raiders at the KC 40-yard-line. He finished with six catches for 97 yards.

RB Ameer Abdullah

His 69-yard kick return in the third quarter came just in time. The Raiders were down 16-3 at the time and it put the team in business at the KC 26-yard line. They would score their first TD two plays later to make it a one-score game. He would add two catches for 14 yards on the final drive, including the seven-yard catch to put the team in field goal range for what would have been the game winner.

QB Aidan O’Connell

If the Raiders could have closed the deal, O’Connell may have been Top Baller for this game. He threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, led the Raiders from down 16-3 to the lead early in the fourth quarter, and then down the field for what would have been the game-winner. But his clapping confused the line on the final play, causing the ball to be snapped early and costing them the win. He was superb other than that. Hence him getting credit for it despite his big mistake at the end.

Honorable Mention

DT Adam Butler — Second on the team in tackles (6) and had a half sack and a tackle for loss.

WR Tre Tucker — got open deep up the left sideline for the go ahead touchdown to open the fourth quarter.

RB Sincere McCormick — Had 12 carries for 64 yards (5.3 yards per carry)

Continue to the Busters…

Busters for Raiders Week 13 heartbreaker vs Chiefs

How it started out poorly and then went wrong in the end for the Raiders in their week 13 matchup with the Chiefs.

A valiant effort by the Raiders, but alas they were unable to come away from Arrowhead with a W. This is where I am looking for why that may be.

Busters

S Isaiah Pola-Mao, CB DeCamerion Richardson, CB Jack Jones

Let’s talk about how the Raiders found themselves in a 16-3 hole in the first place.

The second play of the game, Richardson gave up a 14-yard catch. Later Jones was flagged for pass interference to put the Chiefs in field goal range.

The next drive me gave up a catch and missed the tackle for a ten-yard gain. And. few plays later, Pola-Mao gave up the longest catch to that point of 24 yards to put the Chiefs in field goal range.

The first Chiefs’ touchdown, Pola-Mao was out of position to give up a wide open 27-yard catch to the tight end — a new long for the game. That catch put them in scoring range in one play. But it was Jones who would give up the touchdown catch from six yards out.

And on the next drive, Jones it on the double move and Pola-Mao was late getting over to give up *another* 24-yard catch to midfield.

The first drive of the third quarter, Richardson gave up an 11-yard catch to make for an easier field goal to make it a 13-3 Chiefs lead. And then on the next drive, in third and ten, he allowed a 30-yard catch to put them in field goal range again. And there you have that 16-3 lead.

After the Raiders scored two quick touchdowns to take the lead, the Chiefs drove right down to take a back. They did so in part because Jones gave up a a 15-yard catch on second and 20 and on third and five Pola-Mao was late helping again to give up a 19-yard catch to put the Chiefs in first and goal.

LT Kolton Miller, RT DJ Glaze

There were several opportunities for the Raiders to close that 16-3 well before they actually did it. In the second quarter a drive began with a two runs for 28 yards. But it ended three plays later with Glaze giving up a sack.

The first drive of the third quarter began with a 12-yard run and a 25-yard catch and run to put the Raiders in field goal range. But when they went for it on 4th and one, Miller gave up the run stuff for no gain for the turnover on downs.

The next drive, the Raiders got as far as the KC 22-yard line off a crazy Brock Bowers one-handed grab. Then Miller gave up the sack for a 15-yard loss and Daniel Carlson missed the 55-yard field goal attempt wide left.

Miller was called for holding on the next Raiders drive which threatened to spoil a 69-yard return. But this time a long TD pass from O’Connell to Bowers dug them out of it.

After the Chiefs re-took the lead in the fourth quarter, the Raiders picked up a first down, but got no further when Glaze gave up pressure on third and nine, leading to an incompletion and a punt.

HC Antonio Pierce

Aidan O’Connell took the blame for the errant snap on the final play. And, yeah, it was his fault. He was clapping to hurry things up and right guard Dylan Parham took that to mean he wanted the ball snapped, so he tapped Jackson Powers-Johnson’s leg to get him to snap it. But here’s my bigger issue — they never should’ve been in that situation in the first place.

There was too much to lose and not enough to gain from calling that play. He shouldn’t have been in shotgun. He probably shouldn’t have been running a play at all. They were in field goal range with 11 seconds left. That should be the game winner. And instead the team was a panicky, discombobulated mess.

Even if there hadn’t been a botched snap, there would’ve been an illegal shift penalty that wiped out whatever they did and backed them up because they weren’t set when the ball was snapped. They simply have to be more poised in crucial moments like that. Or they shouldn’t be put in that position in a hostile environment like that.

We should be talking about *another* huge come-from-behind, improbable victory in KC. But instead we’re talking about a massive missed opportunity.

See the Ballers.

Andy Reid sent Chiefs players a clear message in locker room speech after close win vs. Raiders

In his locker room speech after the #Chiefs’ Week 13 win over the #Raiders, HC Andy Reid sent a clear message to Kansas City’s players.

The Kansas City Chiefs are 11-1 after narrowly defeating the Las Vegas Raiders on Black Friday. Despite their outstanding record, the defending Super Bowl champions have looked dysfunctional in recent weeks on both sides of the ball.

After a 9-0 start to the regular season, Kansas City fell to the Buffalo Bills in Week 11, and the Chiefs haven’t looked like the same team since.

Patrick Mahomes, who was particularly turnover-prone early in Kansas City’s 2024 campaign, hasn’t thrown an interception in weeks.

But the Chiefs’ defense, which was among the NFL’s best to start the season, nearly let Raiders backup quarterback Aidan O’Connell lead a two-minute drill that could have handed Kansas City its second loss in three games.

In his postgame locker room speech after Friday’s game, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid sent a clear message to Kansas City’s players; that he expected to see improvement, and for the team to get through its upcoming mini-bye week without any off-field incidents.

The Chiefs punched their ticket to the playoffs in Week 13, but Reid will need to make sure his players clean up their mistakes if Kansas City intends to earn a third consecutive Super Bowl title.

‘Worst 11-1’ trends on Twitter after controversial penalty leads to Chiefs win vs. Raiders

Football fans made the term ‘Worst 11-1’ trend on Twitter after a controversial penalty helped the #Chiefs beat the #Raiders in Week 13.

The Kansas City Chiefs became the first team in the NFL to clinch a playoff berth after defeating the Las Vegas Raiders 19-17 on Black Friday.

However, a controversial penalty at the end of the game left a bad taste in the mouths of Raiders fans, who won’t be keen to congratulate the Chiefs on their impressive accomplishment.

Friday’s AFC West matchup was decided by an illegal shift penalty against the Raiders that occurred just before Las Vegas got a chance to kick a game-winning field goal in the final seconds of the fourth quarter.

After what was arguably one of Kansas City’s worst performances this season, Raiders fans were less than pleased that Las Vegas had bungled its comeback attempt. The Raiders faithful were so incensed about the loss that they got the term ‘Worst 11-1’ to trend on Twitter.

Take a look at the play that caused the online uproar:

Take a look at what fans on Twitter had to say about the Chiefs’ win over the Raiders:

Top reactions:

Raiders winners and losers in 19-17 defeat vs. Chiefs

The Raiders had a chance for an upset win but a bizarre late blunder cost them dearly. Which players stood out, for better or for worse?

The Raiders had a chance to upset the Chiefs in Kansas City but a huge last-second blunder cost them dearly, leading to a 19-17 defeat for Las Vegas on Black Friday.

After driving to within field goal range with a few seconds left in the game, center Jackson Powers-Johnson snapped the football before quarterback Aidan O’Connell was ready for the third-down play, resulting in a fumble that the Chiefs (11-1) recovered.

The miscue ruined a spirited effort from Las Vegas on national television. Here are the winners and losers after the Raiders lost their eighth straight game and fell to 2-10.

Loser: C Jackson Powers-Johnson and G Dylan Parham

Let’s get the losers out of the way first this week because many Raiders performed well in this one. The blunder of the game wasn’t all Powers-Johnson’s fault. Guard Dylan Parham tapped him on the knee, typically a signal to snap the ball.

 

After the game, O’Connell provided clarity on the fumble: He clapped for the snap too early, putting the wheels in motion for Parham and Powers-Johnson. But clearly, it was an awful look for the Raiders’ two linemen.

Coach Antonio Pierce could have kicked a field goal rather than running a third-down play at all. He said postgame that he planned to throw the ball away and waste a few seconds before trying to win with a field goal from kicker Daniel Carlson on fourth down.

Loser: K Daniel Carlson

Carlson was robbed of an opportunity to make up for three missed field goals. They were all long attempts, including a 58-yard try when the Raiders were down 19-17 the drive before the fateful late fumble.

Loser: OT Kolton Miller

One of Carlson’s long misses came after a sack surrendered by offensive tackle Kolton Miller. The play resulted in a loss of 15 yards and ruined a spectacular one-handed catch from tight end Brock Bowers earlier in the drive.

 

Winner: QB Aidan O’Connell

O’Connell returned from injury on a short week and balled out. He finished with 340 passing yards and two touchdowns, completing 23 of his 35 attempts. O’Connell provided a glimpse of what this offense could have become had he begun the year as the starter and didn’t get injured.

His part in the last-second fumble is a definite downer for O’Connell, but he played exceptionally overall.

Winner: TE Brock Bowers

Bowers took advantage of the national stage and turned in a spectacular performance. His 33-yard touchdown reception came after an impressive one-handed catch the drive before. He ended up with 140 receiving yards, catching 10 of his 14 targets.

 

Winner: WR Tre Tucker

The Raiders defense forced a three-and-out for Kansas City after Bowers’ touchdown and the offense responded with a 58-yard touchdown bomb from O’Connell to wide receiver Tre Tucker. The play gave Las Vegas a 17-16 lead just as the fourth quarter began.

 


Winner: RB Ameer Abdullah

Bowers’ touchdown grab was set up by a timely kickoff return by running back Ameer Abdullah. The Raiders had fallen behind 16-3 before Abdullah ran the kick back 68 yards to the Chiefs’ 26-yard line.

 

Winner: RB Sincere McCormick

The Raiders ran the ball well on Friday and finished with an impressive 116 yards on the ground. They couldn’t have done it without a recent practice squad call-up, running back Sincere McCormick. He had 64 yards on 12 carries, good for an average of 5.3 yards per attempt.

Winner: OC Scott Turner

The Raiders outgained the Chiefs in this game, racking up 434 yards compared to 329 for Kansas City. Offensive coordinator Scott Turner deserves a lot of the credit, especially as he quickly adapted to O’Connell’s skill set after the injury to QB Gardner Minshew last week.

Winner: DE K’Lavon Chaisson

The Raiders mixed coverages all afternoon on defense, and when they weren’t blitzing, defensive end K’Lavon Chaisson provided a ton of pressure. He had multiple QB sacks, a tackle for loss, and three QB hits. His pressures were sudden and impactful, as he flew by the Chiefs offensive line on several occasions.

 

Winner: DE Maxx Crosby

This game was promoted as a battle between Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby. Crosby was under pressure to perform and he came through in a big way. He had a QB sack, two tackles for loss, and four QB hits. He was a menace all afternoon, despite constant attention from the Chiefs’ pass protection; Crosby was even triple-teamed at one point.

 

Winner: DC Patrick Graham

No guts, no glory. Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham played a lot of man coverage and trusted his cornerbacks to play one-on-one as he called for the blitz early and often. He also mixed coverages, as Crosby dropped back to cover on at least one occasion. Altogether, his game plan worked exceptionally well.

Winner: HC Antonio Pierce

Despite the defeat and the late mistake from his offense, coach Antonio Pierce had a good day overall. His team played hard, and Turner unlocked the running game that Pierce planned to rely on this season.

In hindsight, he should have tried for a potential game-winning field goal on third down before the infamous fumbled snap. But it’s also easy to imagine the Raiders attempting a field goal and winning if they hadn’t fumbled. In the big picture, this effort will help Pierce’s job security tremendously.

At the end of this day, however, the Raiders keep losing. Will they win another game this season? They’ll have a long week to gameplan for a trip to Tampa Bay on Dec. 8 to face the Buccaneers.

Aidan O’Connell takes blame for Raiders debacle to end game vs Chiefs

If you’re searching for blame for the crushing ending that cost the Raiders to win in Kansas City, Aidan O’Connell says put it on him.

Everyone is still reeling from the ending to the Raiders vs Chiefs in Arrowhead today. With the Raiders in field goal range with 11 seconds left, looking to kick the game-winning field goal, they blew it.

Aidan O’Connell came out and lined up in shotgun to pass it. According to head coach Antonio Pierce, the reason for this formation was because O’Connell was to run some time off the clock and then throw the ball away before they came out to kick the field goal as time expired.

It was a risky play call for many reasons. And a bad snap was one of those risks. That’s what happened. Watch the full sequence as well as the confusion that ensued that took the game from a sure Raiders win to a defeat.

Kirk Herbstreit insisted in the broadcast that it wasn’t Aidan O’Connell’s fault. That Jackson Powers-Johnson simply snapped the ball too early. But O’Connell told a different story after the game, taking full responsibility for the miscue.

“It’s completely my fault,” said O’Connell after the game. “I was looking out to the right, making sure guys were set and I started clapping to…in my head I was thinking signal the ball to get the ball, but when I start clapping it tells Jackson to snap the ball. So, Jackson did exactly what he should have done and I clapped too early. That’s how the ball bounces sometimes. It didn’t go our way, so super tough, but there’s really nobody to blame by myself. That’s probably the hardest part to swallow.”

It’s hard to say, really, whether the blame falls completely on O’Connell or if he’s just doing the admirable thing and falling on the sword for his center.

Either way, it’s a good look for the young QB. He put the team in this position by completing several passes to get them in range for the field goal, and shouldn’t have been put in the shotgun on such a crucial play when the game was seemingly in the bag.