This season the Raiders’ bye week lands pretty much right in the middle of the season. Making for a good time to check in on how things are going. Which is…not too well.
Each season the Raiders like to say how close they are to things going a different way. But this season that kind of statement might just be met with either some serious side eye or just outright laughter.
That being said, the cupboard isn’t completely bare in terms of talent. So, we’ll start with those who stepped up over the first nine games before we move on to the bad news.
Ballers
TE Brock Bowers
Easily the best rookie tight end in the NFL and he has arguably been the best tight end in football, period. He leads all tight end in catches (57) and receiving yards (580) and was named a Baller four times this season as a result.
He has elite instincts, route running, and hands and excels in yards after catch. He’s even shown some decent in-line blocking abilities. Making him the Raiders most steady performer on an otherwise unsteady offense.
DE Maxx Crosby
A high ankle sprain cost him basically a couple games this season, including missing his first game ever. But he still has 6.5 sacks in the other seven games this season.
Even though he hasn’t posted a sack the past couple weeks, he’s still on pace to approach 20 sacks on the season. He has been a Baller four times so far and opened the season and his three best games were against rival Chargers and Broncos and the team’s one big win against the Ravens in Week two.
WR Jakobi Meyers
This is a ‘what have you done for me lately’ situation. Meyers has been the Top Baller each of the past two weeks for the Raiders since Davante Adams was shipped to New York and Meyers had to step up and be the guy. This included him posting his first 100-yard game a a Raider in Week 9 against the Bengals.