Tag: Raiders winners and losers vs Browns

Raiders winners and losers in 20-16 victory vs. Browns

The Raiders won a close game without Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby. Which players stepped up the most?

The Raiders scored 20 straight points after the Browns (1-3) took an early 10-0 lead, holding on for a 20-16 win on Sunday in Las Vegas. The game wasn’t decided until the Raiders defense sacked Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson on a last second 4th-and-3 play.

Las Vegas was without its top two players, defensive end Maxx Crosby and wide receiver Davante Adams, who were both out with injuries. A reimagined rushing attack for led the way for the Raiders offense, and reserves on every level of the defense held their own and finished the job.

Here are the winners and losers for the week after the Raiders improved to 2-2 on the season.

Winner: DE Charles Snowden

Defensive end Charles Snowden made his largest impact as a Raider on Sunday, helping fill the void left by Crosby. His sack of Watson sealed the Raiders come-from-behind victory.

Snowden also had a big pass breakup at the line of scrimmage earlier in the same drive. He finished with three total tackles, a tackle for loss, and three QB hits to go with his big PBU and QB sack. An honorable mention for the winner list goes to DE K’Lavon Chaisson, who teamed with Snowden on the game’s deciding play.

Winner: S Isaiah Pola-Mao

The Raiders lost safety Marcus Epps for the season last week, and new starter Isaiah Pola-Mao had a fantastic debut with the first-team defense. He looked sharp as a tackler in the open field, had a QB sack, and recorded an impressive pass breakup on a big 3rd-and-4 play in the fourth quarter.

Pola-Mao’s performance is fantastic news for Las Vegas. Epps was a huge part of the defenses’ success last season and had played will thus far in 2024. On this Sunday, Pola-Mao was a legit impact player.

Winner: WR Tre Tucker

The Raiders finished with 152 rushing yards on Sunday, a far cry from the 55 yards gained on the ground last week. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy had to get creative to unlock his rushing attack, as six different players had at least one rushing attempt. That includes WR Tre Tucker, who scored the Raiders first touchdown on a reverse on 3rd-and-goal.

Tucker starred throughout the Raiders first scoring drive of the day and finished with five receptions for 41 yards. He helped unlock an offense that did basically nothing in the first quarter.

Winner: WR DJ Turner

The Raiders had two rushing touchdowns, and they both went to wide receivers. Wideout DJ Turner notched a scoring run of his own to give the Raiders a 20-10 lead. Turner was aided by fantastic blocks from Tucker and tight end Brock Bowers. It was his first career touchdown.

Getsy gets an honorable mention for the winner list for his creativity this week. The fact that two wide receivers notched rushing touchdowns — and the Raiders had a season high in rushing yards — says it all.

Winner: S Tre’von Moehrig

Turner’s touchdown came after a Browns turnover, an interception by safety Tre’von Moehrig. When a pass bounced off the chest of Browns WR Amari Cooper, Moehrig alertly grabbed the ball from the air and had a solid return to set the Raiders up near midfield.

Winner: RB Alexander Mattison

A lot had to go right for the Raiders before Turner’s big score. Running back Alexander Mattison converted a huge 3rd-and-9 play with a tough run to make it happen. Mattison had 60 yards rushing on just five carries, including a 24-yard attempt, the Raiders’ longest running play of the season.

Winner: OG Jackson Powers-Johnson and OT DJ Glaze

The Raiders rushing outburst is even sweeter considering that two rookie offensive lineman were in the starting lineup. Guard Jackson Powers-Johnson started after playing last week for the first time, and tackle DJ Glaze played in place of injured starter Thayer Munford.

Loser: RB Zamir White

It’s been a rough season for Raiders RB Zamir White. Even as the Raiders had their best rushing performance of the season, White helped the other team as much as he helped his own. His fumble on the first play of the fourth quarter was returned for a touchdown by the Browns.

The Browns missed the extra point to provide the final score of 20-16. White had 17 carries for just 50 yards, though he did break out with a nice 17-yard run. But overall, White may have lost his starting job after this game, considering Mattison’s performance.

Loser: CB Jack Jones

Cornerback Jack Jones was on the bench to start this game, seemingly a result of a business decision by coach Antonio Pierce. Jones re-entered the game, however, and finished with four tackles. Still, it was an unexpected development for Jones, who has arguably been the Raiders best defensive back since arriving in Las Vegas.

Loser: OT Kolton Miller

The Raiders only allowed two QB sacks, but their best player up front, OT Kolton Miller, continues to struggle against top-flight EDGE players. He allowed both sacks to Browns star rusher Myles Garrett.

After news broke about the absence of Adams and Crosby, the Raiders went from betting favorites to underdogs, and for good reason. They are legit superstars, and it was literally unthinkable that both could be out in the same game. It was the first missed game of Crosby’s career and Adams first game missed as a Raider.

But Pierce had his team ready to win, unlike their embarrassing performance a week ago against the Panthers. Both coordinators — Getsy and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham — deserve a ton of credit as well in this team effort. Next up for Las Vegas, a big game against the Broncos in Denver, as each team will try to improve to 3-2.

Raiders winners and losers in last-second victory vs. Browns

Here are the biggest winners and losers from the Raiders Week 15 win over the Browns

The Raiders struggled against a Browns team missing 18 total players and eight starters on Monday but eventually came out on top, winning on a last-second Daniel Carlson field goal, 16-14.

Cleveland’s roster was depleted due to a bevy of players on the reserve/COVID-19 list, with their starting quarterback and head coach watching the game from afar. But for the Raiders, a win is a win, especially as they desperately cling to playoff hopes as the campaign winds down.

Here are this week’s winners and losers for the Raiders after the victory put their record at 7-7 and increased their slim postseason chances.

Winners

Johnathan Abram

With the Browns starting their third-team quarterback, Nick Mullens, Cleveland attempted to lean on their rushing attack, lead by running back Nick Chubb. Run defense has been a weakness for the Raiders all season, so it was a good strategy.

But early on, Raiders safety Johnathan Abram was having none of it. He had two early tackles for loss that set the tone for the day, including a TFL on Cleveland’s first drive.

Abram had to leave the contest with an injury in the fourth quarter, but his teammates kept at it. Most importantly, they stopped the Browns late in the game when Cleveland, up 14-13, needed a first down to run out the clock but were stuffed on a 3rd-down rushing play. The stand gave the ball back to quarterback Derek Carr, who led his offense to the game-winning field goal.

Daniel Carlson

Kicker Daniel Carlson nailed the winning 48-yard kick as time expired, and he made it look easy — especially considering he had to make the kick twice thanks to a well-timed timeout from the Browns’ sideline on his first try.

But just minutes before, it appeared Carlson wouldn’t have the opportunity. Carr threw what could have been a game-ending interception, on a deep attempt to wide receiver Zay Jones late in the fourth quarter. The Las Vegas defense stopped the Browns from running out the clock, however, and Carr made the most of his second chance, with Carlson finishing the job.

Zay Jones

Jones had an up and down game, but he kept at it and never gave up, much like the Raiders squad on this oddly timed contest (moved from Saturday to early Monday evening due to the Browns’ roster situation).

He dove too soon on Carr’s late interception, though a catch would have been difficult to make on that play. On the Raiders’ previous drive, Jones had a chance to convert a 3rd-down play but came up short after he thought he stretched the football out far enough.

But on Las Vegas’ final march, Jones was there for Carr. He caught a pass and got down at the 30-yard line so the Raiders could spike the ball and stop the clock, setting up Carlson’s boot. On the day, Jones had six catches for 67 yards on nine targets.

Bryan Edwards

With WR Hunter Renfrow held in check most of the game, Jones and WR Bryan Edwards had to step up, and they did. Edwards had just three catches for a paltry eight yards, but he notched the game’s first touchdown, on a pass from Carr.

This is exactly the type of play the Raiders need from their big-bodied WR. Edwards certainly wasn’t perfect, however. He had a fumble later in the game, recovered by Renfrow. But none of the Raiders were perfect on this day. They simply got the job done. And that’s what Edwards did, too.

Dallin Leavitt

Raiders safety Dallin Leavitt made his presence known in this rough-and-rugged game in Cleveland, converting a short run on a fake punt and registering an impressive pass breakup on a big 3rd-down play late in the fourth quarter.

Leavitt barely beat out offensive tackle Kolton Miller for a spot on this week’s lengthy winners’ list, but Miller had a late hold that could have cost Las Vegas the game. He had a fantastic day of pass blocking against Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, however. Tight end Foster Moreau had a nice game for Carr and the offense, too.

But there was just something about Leavitt’s performance. Once again, the guy never seems to give up, despite being an undrafted player. During a game like this one, he was just the type of player the Raiders needed on their side.

Losers

DeSean Jackson

Raider’s speedster DeSean Jackson had just one catch on the day, but he lands on the losers’ list due to a really bad drop on the Raiders’ first drive of the second half. Las Vegas went 3-and-out when they were up 10-0 and had a chance to take control. If Jackson caught his drop, the Raiders may have done so.

Or perhaps not. Though Las Vegas won this game, it was a subpar showing. Especially considering the Browns’ roster situation.

The contest was very close to being a disaster for Las Vegas, especially after a 3rd-quarter Carr fumble led to the Browns’ first touchdown of the day. Carr tweaked his knee as he was tackled in the pocket, but he has to hang on to the football in that instance. That play was nearly the difference in the game.

In the end, the Raiders got their win. But in the weeks ahead, even next week against a so-so Broncos team, Las Vegas will have to play much better for their playoff hopes to continue past this hard-earned victory.

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