Busters for Raiders Week 11 loss to Dolphins

Those Raiders who had the worst day against the Dolphins in week 11.

Enough with the little positives. Let’s look at the glaring negatives. And when you fail to stop a team to force a single punt or turnover, naturally there are going to be plenty of those.

Busters

LB Divine Deablo

The first play of the game, he was in the wrong gap to give up a five-yard run. Two plays later, on the first third down play of the game, Deablo ran into a receiver to give up a 17-yard catch then gave up a seven-yard catch on the next play to put the Dolphins in scoring range. they would go on to score an opening drive touchdown.

He was blocked on a ten-yard run to lead off the Dolphins second scoring drive.

In the third quarter, the Dolphins could go on another touchdown drive. Along with way, Deablo had missed tackles on consecutive plays. Then on first and goal from the four-yard-line, he was called for a facemask that offset a holding penalty on the Dolphins so they just replayed the down.

And finally, the game clinching touchdown, Deablo was supposed to be covering Jonnu Smith, but instead just let him go by him, where he was completely wide open for a 57-yard touchdown.

S Isaiah Pola-Mao

Pola-Mao gave up the first touchdown of the game when he was late getting over in coverage on fourth and goal from the two.

Their second touchdown was set up by a 30-yard run on which Pola-Mao missed the tackle to put them in first and goal at the four.

And on the final TD, Pola-Mao committed to the right side of the field and ended up covering no one while leaving the entire middle of the field complete wide open for Jonnu Smith all alone to go 57 yards for the score.

CB DeCamerion Richardson

With Jakorian Bennett lost on the second play of the game, the rookie was pressed into service. And he didn’t fair well to say the least.

Richardson gave up a 16-yard catch on the first drive that set the Dolphins up at the Vegas 12-yard line. Then on the next drive, he gave up a 24-yard catch that set them up at the 16-yard line.

The second touchdown of the game for the Dolphins was given up by Richardson from nine yards out.

The next drive, he gave up a 14-yard catch on third and four, and finally failed to keep containment on the edge to allow for an easy run around the left side for the touchdown.

RT DJ Glaze, RG Dylan Parham

The Raiders got a reprieve on their first drive of the game when Calais Campbell was flagged for roughing the kicker on their punt attempt. They too advantage and moved into goal to go at the ten. Then on second and goal, Parham gave up the sack to back them up to the 18. They gave up on scoring the TD after that and kicked the field goal.

The next drive, they again drove into goal to go. And again, it was pressure that killed their shot. This time it was Glaze giving up pressure that forced a throw short of the first down and they again settled for three instead of six.

The Raiders got the ball to start the second half, and promptly went three-and-out. Because Glaze gave up pressure on third down again, leading to a bad pass that fell incomplete.

They would finally punch it in in the third quarter, but when they went for two to try and make it a three-point game, Parham got shucked to give up a run stuff for a loss.

See the Ballers

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 Week 11 snap counts vs Dolphins: Cornerback depth stripped down

At one point the Raiders had no starting cornerbacks on the field and no reserves left at the position either.

Coming into Sunday’s game, the Raiders were down one starting cornerback. Nate Hobbs was OUT with an ankle injury. He was replaced by Darnay Holmes at slot corner. But very quickly the situation got far more dire.

On the second snap of the game, Jakorian Bennett was lost to a shoulder injury and didn’t return. He was replaced by DeCamerion Richardson, leaving Jack Jones as the only starter.

Then Jones left the game for a time, ushering in, which brought in Sam Webb, who was the only remaining cornerback on the roster. And for a time, the Raiders were not only fielding three reserve corners, but their ONLY available corners.

Those three reserves were on the field together when the Raiders gave up the wide open 57-yard touchdown catch to Jonnu Smith that clinched the Dolphins win.

If you’re looking for a glimmer of good news, the offensive line stayed healthy.

All season long, the Raiders have had issues with their offensive line staying healthy. It’s for that reason that they were fielding their sixth starting offensive line of the season on Sunday. And they didn’t have a lot of wiggle room should one of that starting five go down.

So it was with great relief that the Oline started played wall-to-wall, a rare and welcome sight this season.

From left to right LT Kolton Miller, LG Dylan Parham, C Jackson Powers-Johnson, RG Jordan Meredith, RT DJ Glaze all played 100% of the snaps in the game. This is just the fourth time this season that has happened.

Offense Spec Tms
Player Pos Num Pct Num Pct
Dylan Parham G 65 100% 3 13%
Kolton Miller T 65 100% 3 13%
Jordan Meredith G 65 100% 3 13%
DJ Glaze T 65 100% 3 13%
Jackson Powers-Johnson C 65 100% 0 0%
Gardner Minshew II QB 65 100% 0 0%
Brock Bowers TE 62 95% 0 0%
Tre Tucker WR 58 89% 0 0%
Jakobi Meyers WR 57 88% 0 0%
Michael Mayer TE 34 52% 3 13%
DJ Turner WR 28 43% 14 61%
Ameer Abdullah RB 22 34% 12 52%
Zamir White RB 22 34% 2 9%
Alexander Mattison RB 20 31% 0 0%
Justin Shorter TE 9 14% 12 52%
Terrace Marshall Jr. WR 7 11% 0 0%
Ramel Keyton WR 5 8% 7 30%
Thayer Munford T 1 2% 3 13%
Defense Spec Tms
Player Pos Num Pct Num Pct
Isaiah Pola-Mao FS 68 100% 6 26%
Maxx Crosby DE 68 100% 6 26%
Tre’von Moehrig FS 68 100% 2 9%
Robert Spillane LB 68 100% 0 0%
Decamerion Richardson CB 66 97% 1 4%
Jack Jones CB 58 85% 0 0%
Adam Butler DT 51 75% 6 26%
Charles Snowden DE 46 68% 13 57%
Darnay Holmes CB 46 68% 6 26%
Divine Deablo LB 46 68% 2 9%
John Jenkins DT 35 51% 6 26%
Jonah Laulu DT 33 49% 6 26%
Tyree Wilson DE 23 34% 6 26%
K’Lavon Chaisson LB 19 28% 0 0%
Matthew Butler DT 16 24% 3 13%
Amari Burney LB 13 19% 20 87%
Sam Webb CB 10 15% 5 22%
Thomas Harper FS 9 13% 13 57%
Janarius Robinson DE 3 4% 0 0%
Jakorian Bennett CB 2 3% 0 0%
Special Teams Spec Tms
Player Pos Num Pct Num Pct
Tommy Eichenberg LB 0 0% 20 87%
Amari Gainer LB 0 0% 18 78%
Christopher Smith SS 0 0% 14 61%
Kana’i Mauga LB 0 0% 14 61%
Daniel Carlson K 0 0% 8 35%
AJ Cole III P 0 0% 5 22%
Jacob Bobenmoyer LS 0 0% 5 22%
Andrus Peat G 0 0% 3 13%

 

Raiders rookie TE Brock Bowers has career day Week 11, enters franchise record books

Brock Bowers keeps upping his game. Week 11 vs the Dolphins he had career highs in catches and yards and set some Raiders records too.

We already know Brock Bowers is on pace for NFL rookie tight end record numbers this season. As good as he has been this season, Sunday in Miami, he had his best game yet.

Bowers put up 13 catches for 126 yards and a touchdown Sunday. That’s a career high in both catches and yards for Bowers and his first time breaking hundred yards in a game.

Not only that, his game entered him into the franchise record books.

Brock Bowers is the first Raiders rookie with at least 10 receptions and 100 yards in a game all-time.

His 13 catches is tied for third most in a game in franchise history. It’s one catch off the franchise record for a game which is shared by Tim Brown and Brandon Myers.

He already had the second most catches by a rookie in franchise history coming into the game. His day put him at 70 catches on the season, which is just two catches away from the franchise record for most catches by a rookie. Amari Cooper holds the team rookie record with 72 catches in 2015. He should be a pretty safe bet to surpass that rookie record in the next game.

His 126 yards receiving gives him 706 on the season which sits fourth in team history for rookies behind only Amari Cooper’s 1070 (2015), James Jett’s 771 (1993), and Tim Brown’s 725 (1991). So, it means he’s already got the most yards in a season by a Raiders rookie tight end.

He’s even entered the NFL record books.

Bowers is the first rookie tight end in NFL history with at least 13 catches and 120 receiving yards in a single game. Only three others have ever done it at any position — Kelvin Bryant (1986), Deion Branch (2002) and Puka Nacua (2023).

Bowers’ 13 receptions today are the most by a rookie tight end in a single game since at least 1960. He is also just the eighth rookie of any position in the Super Bowl era with at least 13 catches in a game.

Bowers is now averaging seven catches and over 70 yards receiving per game, putting him on pace for close to 120 catches and over 1200 yards receiving. If he stays at this pace, he could move into the second most rookie receiving yards by as soon as next week. He is also on pace to set a new Raiders rookie receiving record and perhaps a few more NFL records as well.

Recap, final score: No punts or turnovers for Dolphins as Raiders losing streak hits 6 games

A trip to Miami in Week 11 leads to another rout for the Raiders and their sixth straight loss.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair for the Raiders and Dolphins. Both teams put on long drives and neither team punted. The difference was that the Dolphins finished one of their drives for a touchdown and the Raiders did not to make it a 10-6 game at the half.

The Raiders even got a gift on their first drive when they punted after three plays only to have Calais Campbell run into punter AJ Cole to give the Raiders a second chance. They would drive for a field goal but no more.

At the half, Brock Bowers led the Raiders with 50 yards on four catches. While the rest of the Raiders had 26 yards on four catches.

The Raiders’ running game was suspect again, with the combo of Zamir White and Alexander Mattison running for 18 yards on seven carries (2.6 yards per carry). But it was still a four-point game, so all that wouldn’t matter if they were able to get on track in the third.

Las Vegas got the ball first to start the third, picking up just ten yards on five plays for the first punt (that counted) in the game. The Dolphins answered with a touchdown drive to make it a 17-6 game.

Then, for the first time, the Raiders mounted a drive for a touchdown. And just as had been the case all day, it was the one guy who was gouging the Dolphins who scored it, making a short catch and putting on the jets to streak for the touchdown from 23 yards out. The Raiders tried for two to make it a three-point game, but the Mattison run up the middle was stuffed for a loss to keep it 17-12.

The Dolphins had an answer though, driving for their third touchdown of the game to make it a 24-12 lead with just over ten minutes left in the game.

The Raiders responded, and it was more Brock Bowers to do it. On the drive, Bowers hit ten catches and went over 100 yards receiving (104) for the first time in his career. Ameer Abdullah made the catch in the right flat from ten yards out to finish the drive off with a touchdown to make it a 24-19 game with 4:23 left.

In order for the Raiders to have a shot, they would need to do something they hadn’t done all game long — force a punt or a turnover.

Neither would happen.

In fact, what did happen was Jonnu Smith getting completely wide open and going 57 yards for the touchdown dagger.

The game was over at that point for all intents and purposes, but just for good measure, Gardner Minshew threw an easy, ugly interception on the first play of the next possession to really drive it home.

The Dolphins ran down the clock and added a field goal for the 34-19 final score.

The Raiders fall to 2-8 on the season while the Dolphins improve to 4-6.

Tua Tagovailoa threw for 288 yards and season high three touchdowns.

The Raiders running back combined for 29 yards on 11 carries (2.6 yards per carry).

Bowers finished with 13 catches for 126 yards — both career highs — and a touchdown.

Raiders Week 11 inactives vs Dolphins

The list of those who will not suit up for the Raiders Week 11 against the Dolphins.

Game time is coming up in about an hour and a half, which means we now know the list of those Raiders who won’t suit up in Miami to take on the Dolphins. They are as follows as posted on social media by the Raiders:

Nate Hobbs (ankle), Cody Whitehair (ankle), Andre James (ankle), and Harrison Bryant (yes, ankle) were all OUT on the Raiders final injury report.

Hobbs will be replaced at slot cornerback by Darnay Holmes.

Whitehair will be replaced at left guard by Dylan Parham.

James will be replaced at center by Jackson Powers-Johnson.

Bryant will be replaced as the third tight end by Justin Shorter.

Dylan Laube, Trey Taylor, and Zach Carter are all healthy scratches.

The only player who was Questionable on the Raiders injury report was Michael Mayer who came off the Non-Football Injury list on Friday, which signaled that he would be playing in the game.

Is Michael Mayer playing today? Injury updates for Raiders TE

Raiders TE Michael Mayer has been dealing with an illness. Here are the latest updates.

Three games into this season, second-year tight end Michael Mayer left the team for personal reasons. The 2023 round two pick was later placed on the NFI list which is where he’d been the past four games. He returned to practice this week with the team coming out of their bye week.

TE Michael Mayer injury update

Michael Mayer was officially activated from the Non-Football Illness list Saturday and will play today in Miami.

Earlier this week head coach Antonio Pierce had expressed his excitement that ‘Big Mike” had returned to practice. On Friday, he added that Mayer was “trending up” in terms of the likelihood he would play this week.

“He’ss always been a part of the plan first and foremost,” Pierce continued. “But obviously with losing people through injuries or trades, I think there’s obviously an opportunity there for him. But really, I think just getting him back to par with our team, obviously new offensive coordinator there with Scott Turner and just getting back in the fold, you want to be smart with it. You want to be smart. But obviously Mike is a big part of our plans this year, this week and the future. So, the more we can get him involved, the better.”

Tight end depth chart

Mayer will be the second tight end for the Raiders along with top pick rookie Brock Bowers. Which means the two could both start the game, but Bowers should get the bulk of the snaps and targets.

Harrison Bryant will not play, which means the third tight end will be recent practice squad callup Justin Shorter.

Mayer has appeared in just three games this season, putting up four catches for 21 yards before leaving the team for personal reasons. The Raiders are hoping he’s fully ready to go for the latter half of the season, starting with today vs the Dolphins.

Is Nate Hobbs playing today? Injury updates for Raiders CB

Raiders CB Nate Hobbs is dealing with an ankle injury. Here are the latest updates.

The Raiders are in Miami to face a Dolphins team with some serious speed and talent on offense. But they’ll be without their top defensive back in that battle.

CB Nate Hobbs injury update

Hobbs was officially ruled OUT on the final injury report and thus will not play today.

He went out with an ankle injury against the Bengals before the Bye and was carted off the field. He hasn’t practiced this week at all and head coach Antonio Pierce said he is doubtful to play in the game.

Cornerback depth chart

The next man up at slot receiver will be Darnay Holmes who the Raiders signed off waivers just prior to the start of the season.

“Darnay is obviously familiar with the scheme. I’m familiar with him from way back in the day. He’s done a good job of just getting acclimated on special teams and obviously defensively he had a bigger role last week. If Nate is not able to go, that role will be covered.”

Holmes was a fourth round pick by the Giants back in 2020 out of UCLA and spent the past four seasons in New York, appearing in 63 games with 11 starts.

Pierce is likely familiar with Holmes having coached High School ball at Long Beach Poly while Holmes attended Calabasas High and then from coaching in the Pac-12 at Arizona State while Holmes was at UCLA.

Raiders activate former 2nd round WR Week 11 vs Dolphins

For the first time since signing Terrace Marshall to the practice squad, he will be active Sunday vs the Dolphins.

For the first time since Terrace Marshall was signed to the Raiders practice squad three weeks ago, he’s getting called up to action.

The former round two pick by the Panthers in the 2021 draft played three seasons in Carolina, appearing in 36 games with 16 starts.

The 6-2, 200-pounder has 64 career catches for 767 yards and one touchdown. His best season was in 2022 when he caught 28 passes for 490 yards (17.5 yards per catch) and a touchdown.

But after a down year, he was released in the final roster cuts last August. He caught on with the 49ers on their practice squad but was released again last week and scooped up by the Raiders, who could certainly use some help at receiver.

With Davante Adams traded to New York, the Raiders have not been able to suitably fill his role in the offense. Jakobi Meyers has stepped up as the team’s top receiver, but in the five weeks since the trade, Tre Tucker has just nine catches for 85 yards.

Additionally, the Raiders activated C Will Putnam with Andre James OUT with an ankle injury and the offensive line depleted.

Raiders officially activate TE Michael Mayer from NFI ahead of Week 11 matchup with Dolphins

Tight end Michael Mayer is ready to go for the Raiders as they prepare to face the Dolphins for week 11.

It’s official; Michael Mayer is back. The 2023 second round pick had been on the Non-Football Illness list the past four weeks and hadn’t played since Week three. And today the team officially activated him, making him available for their week 11 game Sunday in Miami.

Earlier this week head coach Antonio Pierce had expressed his excitement that ‘Big Mike” had returned to practice. On Friday, he added that Mayer was “trending up” in terms of the likelihood he would play this week.

“He’ss always been a part of the plan first and foremost,” Pierce continued. “But obviously with losing people through injuries or trades, I think there’s obviously an opportunity there for him. But really, I think just getting him back to par with our team, obviously new offensive coordinator there with Scott Turner and just getting back in the fold, you want to be smart with it. You want to be smart. But obviously Mike is a big part of our plans this year, this week and the future. So, the more we can get him involved, the better.”

Those plans were to deploy a lot of two-tight end sets alongside top pick rookie Brock Bowers. And while Bowers had put up record numbers this season, Mayer had just four catches for 21 yards before leaving the team for personal reasons.

The Raiders are hoping he’s back and ready to go for the latter half of the season, starting with the Dolphins on Sunday.

In a corresponding move, the Raiders waived WR Alex Bachman.