Tag: Raiders Winners and Losers

Ballers for Raiders Week 2 win vs Ravens

Ballers for Raiders Week 2 win vs Ravens

What a game. Through much of this game it was looking like a replay of the season opener against the Chargers. Where the Raiders defense keeps it close while the offense flails and ultimately sees the opposing team put things together late to win it.

Even early into the fourth quarter, it still had that feel. The Ravens drove for a field goal to end the first half and a touchdown to begin the third quarter to make it a ten-point game. Meanwhile it was most of the way through the third quarter and the Raiders still hadn’t gotten in the end zone and were down by ten.

Then suddenly they turned it on and scored three straight times while the defense allowed one score and they pulled off the upset.

There were so many heroes, it was hard to pick a Top Baller this week. But I managed.

Ballers

LB Robert Spillane

To be the biggest playmaker in a game full of playmakers is quite an accomplishment.

He led the team with ten combined tackles (eight solo) and nearly all of them were huge plays. The first Ravens drive featured two Spillane run stuffs for a net two yards and the third down tackle on a catch short of the sticks.

Spillane stalled another drive in the second quarter by tracking Lamar Jackson on a rollout to the right sideline to keep containment and force him to make a bad pass incomplete.

The Ravens got in the endzone on their first drive of the third quarter. But Spillane did his part to try and keep that from happening when he stuffed a run at the line on first and goal. The next drive, he intercepted a Lamar Jackson pass off a deflection to give the Raiders another shot with great field position. They took advantage of it to drive for their first touchdown, making that turnover crucial to the outcome.

The Raiders would pull within seven points midway through the fourth quarter, putting it in the hands of the defense to give them a shot to tie it up. They did the job too, with Spillane batted down Jackson’s pass on third down to send the Ravens offense away with a three-and-out.

After the offense drove for a game-tying touchdown, the defense came out to try and keep the Ravens from driving for the game winner. Spillane followed up a big sack by Maxx Crosby with a run stuff for no gain. The Ravens couldn’t make up the third and long, giving the Raiders a chance to win it in regulation. And they did just that.

DE Maxx Crosby

He was his usual holy terror self, which is not always the easiest thing to do against a multifaceted quarterback like Lamar Jackson.

Crsoby had a run stuff on the Ravens’ first play from scrimmage and a sack on the fourth play. Then he had a run tackle for loss on the second possession, leading to a three-and-out. So, yeah, it was shaping up to be a long day keeping the Condor contained.

First play of the second quarter was another Crosby run stuff for a loss, leading to another three-and-out. He added a batted pass on the next drive.

After the Raiders tied it up at 23-23 midway through the fourth, Crosby came flying up the gut right into to Jackson’s face for a nine-yard sack. That sealed the Ravens’ fate.

QB Gardner Minshew, WR Davante Adams, TE Brock Bowers

We pick up the action in the third quarter. That’s when the Raiders offense started to get things rolling. The first big completion went for 25 yards to Brock Bowers to put them in scoring range. But ultimately the Raiders could go for it on the 4th and short and fail, with Minshew’s pass for Davante a bit short and Adams unable to make the catch around a defender. But it was a sign of things to come.

The Raiders defense would take the ball back and the offense returned to mount another drive. The big play saw Minshew stand tall in the pocket as he waited for something to open up and then Bowers came back to his QB to make the catch inside the five and put the Raiders in first and goal at the one. They punched it in on the next play.

Next possession they were on the move again. It featured consecutive connections with Adams for 26 yards and 30 yards. The 26-yarder came on a perfect pass from Minshew, throwing it before Adams had even made his break, so he turned the find the ball right there. The 30-yard catch was especially impressive, with Adams leaning out of bounds, dragging his toes.

That drive ended in a field goal, which meant a touchdown was needed to tie it up. First play of the Raiders next drive, had well placed ball from Minshew with Davante’s notorious late hands ensuring the defender had no shot at it up the left sideline for 29 yards. Bowers got hte next first own on a 15-yard grab. Then Bowers would convert on third down with an 11-yard catch to put the Raiders in first and goal at the nine. Adams was interfered with to put it at the one. Where Minshew had a masterful read option where he pulled it back and threw it over the defense to Adams for the game-tying touchdown.

CB Nate Hobbs, CB Jack Jones, CB Jakorian Bennett

Just like the above trio, I just couldn’t separate these guys. Bennett showed up first with a huge pass breakup on a deep ball attempt up the left sideline in the second quarter. This forced a 56-yard field goal attempt which Justin Tucker missed wide.

The next drive began with a coverage incompletion by Jones. Bennett would also force an incompletion on the drive with tight coverage. And finally, Jones made the tackle short of the first down to force the Ravens to settled for a field goal.

The third quarter saw Bennett break up another pass. This time Spillane was there to intercept it off the deflection. The takeaway led to the Raiders getting their first touchdown of the day.

With the Raiders making a push, and within a score, Jones helped that effort by stopping Lamar Jackson for a loss on a scramble. Jones would then effectively end the game with a pass breakup on a deep attempt up the right sideline that looked for a moment to be a catch that would have been enough for the Ravens to tie it up. Clutch.

Nate Hobbs just simply locked it up on the day, giving up just one catch for 13 yards.

K Daniel Carlson

He was 4-for-4 on the day with field goals from 53 and 51 yards. That’s doing his job.

Busters coming soon…

Raiders winners and losers in 26-23 victory vs. Ravens

The Raiders turned this game around after halftime and earned their first win of the season. Which players stood out in this comeback win?

The Raiders offense tallied just 43 yards in the first half against the Ravens on Sunday but turned it on after the break, leading Las Vegas to a 26-23 upset victory in Baltimore.

Kicker Daniel Carlson notched the winning field goal with less than a minute remaining, and the Raiders defense stopped a last-gasp effort by Baltimore to seal the deal. Quarterback Gardner Minshew started to connect with wide receiver Davante Adams and tight end Brock Bowers after halftime and the offense sizzled despite just 27 rushing yards all afternoon.

The Raiders needed every minute of regulation to earn the win after falling behind 23-13 in the fourth quarter. Here are the winners and losers for the week as the Raiders improved to 1-1 on the campaign.

Winner: WR Davante Adams

Once again, Adams proved he’s among the NFL’s elite. He made a handful of incredible catches as the Raiders marched to victory, including a touchdown grab that evened the score at 23 points.

More impressive than his touchdown, Adams’ catch along the sideline on the Raiders’ previous drive was a sight to behold. It set up a Carlson field goal to bring the Raiders within one score of Baltimore.

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Adams racked up 110 yards receiving, catching nine of his 12 targets. The trust between Adams and Minshew grew exponentially in this game, and that’s a huge positive for Las Vegas moving forward.

Winner: DE Maxx Crosby

The Raiders superstars stepped up on Sunday, as defensive end Maxx Crosby matched Adams’ impact. He was a beast in the first half and made an enormous play after Adams’ game-tying score. His vicious takedown of Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson prompted a Ravens punt; the Raiders notched the game-winning score on the ensuing possession.

https://twitter.com/Raiders/status/1835410047976833223

Crosby racked up four tackles for loss, two QB sacks, a pass breakup, and two QB hits. His pep talk to Minshew after an early interception was yet another display of his elite leadership.

Winner: TE Brock Bowers

Rookie tight end Brock Bowers was a bonafide weapon on Sunday. He caught all nine of his targets for 98 yards, including multiple chunk-yardage plays.

https://twitter.com/Raiders/status/1835394454099829177

As the game wore on, Bowers and Adams devastated the Ravens defense. It appears the Raiders have found the ideal one-two punch in the passing game with those two players, just as the franchise envisioned when it selected Bowers in the first round.

Winner: LB Robert Spillane

Linebacker Robert Spillane again patrolled the middle of the Raiders’ defense, racking up 10 tackles with eight solo stops. He also had two pass breakups and a huge interception in the second half. He took advantage of a nice play by cornerback Jakorian Bennett, grabbing the ball after Bennett tipped it in the air.

https://twitter.com/Raiders/status/1835396389112545569

After Spillane’s interception, Raiders running back Alexander Mattison notched a short-yardage touchdown to tighten the score at 16-13.

Winner: K Daniel Carlson

Carlson not only made the game-winning kick, he kept the Raiders afloat in the first half with two field goals of 50-plus yards. He made all four of his field goal attempts and both of his extra-point opportunities.

Winner: HC Antonio Pierce

This was a massive upset in the NFL, and coach Antonio Pierce’s fingerprints are all over this win. He kept his cool throughout, even as the Raiders offense was incredibly inept through two quarters.

Winner: OC Luke Getsy

If the Raiders offense continued its woeful play in the second half of this game, Getsy would’ve been roasted all week long, and worse, he’d deserve it. Instead, Getsy made some adjustments and his offense looked formidable despite no running game to speak of.

Winner: QB Gardner Minshew

Minshew threw an unsightly interception in the first half but made play after play after the Raiders abandoned the run game. He decided to force-feed the ball to Adams, and predictably, it worked, opening up opportunities for Bowers in the process.

Loser: OT Kolton Miller

For the second week in a row, left tackle Kolton Miller had a bad game in pass protection. He allowed multiple QB sacks vs. defensive end Odafe Oweh, including on the Raiders first snap from scrimmage.

Loser: Offensive line

The Raiders offensive line helped in this win too, but it was despite their awful effort in the run game. Perhaps most telling, the Ravens had a whopping nine tackles for loss. They weren’t great in pass protection either, allowing five QB sacks and 10 QB hits.

Loser: RB Zamir White

The Raiders won on Sunday without a running game, but that isn’t sustainable. Eventually, running back Zamir White has to get going. He only got nine carries, however, as Getsy called a lot of wide receiver runs and short passes on plays around the edge.

Thankfully for Las Vegas, White carried the ball effectively at the end of the game on the way to the Raiders game-winning field goal. If Getsy can get the run game going, this offense could actually become potent and match the Raiders’ excellent defense.

Suddenly, the Raiders’ start to the season looks extremely promising. After this comeback victory on the road, Las Vegas welcomes the winless Panthers to Allegiant Stadium next week and will have a chance for a winning record.

But as we saw against the Ravens, anything is possible in the NFL. Led by Pierce, a huge week of preparation for Las Vegas has likely already begun.

Ballers for Raiders Week 1 loss to Chargers

Ballers for Raiders Week 1 loss to Chargers

Even in a tough loss like this, the plain truth is not everyone was bad. In fact, through three quarters, the Raiders had a lot going for them and it was still a two-point game. That doesn’t happen by accident.

So, before we get into how it all fell apart, let’s give credit to those who kept the Raiders in this game through three quarters.

Ballers

DE Maxx Crosby

While the Chargers are pumping their chests at how well their rookie tackle held up against Crosby, he still was a major factor in this game. The Chargers started the game with a three-and-out. And the final two plays featured a Maxx Crosby tackle for loss and a sack off a stunt. So much for Alt deleting Crosby.

He ended another drive in the second quarter with a QB hit on third down to send the two teams into the locker room with a 7-6 Raiders lead.

The Chargers went on a long drive early in the third quarter. but it also featured two Crosby run stuffs and ended with a Crosby pressure for an incompletion, so the Chargers settled for a field goal.

He finished with a sack, three QB hits, and five tackles, one for a loss.

LB Robert Spillane

Spillane led the team with ten combined tackles (seven solo). Two of those tackles ended drives. On one possession in the second quarter, he made the tackle on all three downs including a tackle for loss. He started out a three-and-out in the third quarter with a tackle as well.

CB Jakorian Bennett

He stayed in Quentin Johnston’s hip pocket up deep up the left sideline to knock the ball away and end the Chargers’ second possession with a three-and-out. He didn’t give up a catch all day after that either.

RB Alexander Mattison

After a couple of drives with Zamir White going nowhere, the Raiders put in Mattison. And he had the highlight reel play of the game for them. Mattison caught a pass in the right flat and looked to be stopped, but he evaded one tackler and hurdled Asante Samuel Jr without breaking stride and took it 31 yards to the house. He finished with nine touches for 62 yards and a TD.

DT Christian Wilkins

With the way the Chargers were able to break through on the ground in the second half, it may be hard to remember the Raiders had them hemmed up before that. Wilkins led the way in that department with three run stuffs. He finished second on the team with six combined tackles (five solo).

P AJ Cole

His first punt went 57 yards and was fair caught at the 13. His second punt went 52 yards and was also fair caught. His pooch punt in the fourth quarter was fair caught at the eight. He finished averaging 53 yards per punt with three stopped inside the 20 and one touchback.

T Thayer Munford

While Kolton Miller was having all kinds of issues on the left side, Munford held his own on the right side. Not giving up any sacks or run stuffs.

Honorable Mention

WR Davante Adams — Led the team with 59 yards on five catches. His two catches for 29 yards on the Raiders third drive both came on third down to set up the team’s only touchdown of the game.

CB Nate Hobbs — Chased down two long runs to keep it from being a touchdown. The first one ended in a field goal.

Continue to the Busters…

Busters for Raiders Week 1 loss to Chargers

Those responsible for the Raiders’ collapse in LA.

The good news is that the Raiders held a one point lead at the half of this game. The bad news — aside from the fact that they lost that lead — is that they only scored once to get that early lead.

The second half brought very little scoring from the Raiders while the Chargers eventually found the cracks in the defense to run away with this one. Let’s look at why.

Busters

T Kolton Miller

I can’t recall Miller ever having a game this bad. Not even as a rookie. He simply had a horrendous outing.

Even starting the game with a nine-yard completion, the Raiders went three-and-out. That’s because on the next two plays, Miller got beat to give up run stuffs for no gain. The next drive, the Raiders were in fourth and one and opted to go for it. And Miller was beaten again to give up a tackle for loss.

Another three-and-out to begin the second quarter because Miller gave up a pressure that flushed Gardner Minshew from the pocket and his scramble was stopped at one yard. Next drive he gave up a sack. The drive after that he gave up a pressure for an incompletion.

The Raiders needed to answer after the Chargers got their first touchdown of the day to take a 16-7 lead. They had a nice looking drive going, but it was upended when Miller gave up a sack. They settled for a field goal and didn’t come any closer after that.

HC Antonio Pierce

When to be aggressive and when to live to play another down was something Pierce seemed to struggle with in this game.

They found themselves in 4th and one from their own 41 midway through the first quarter and no score. This would seem like one of those times you just punt it away. But no, Pierce thought this was the time to show his aggressive nature. He called for the Raiders to go for it, handed it to Zamir White and he was stuffed for a loss. The Chargers only needed a few yards to get into field goal range and took the 3-0 lead.

With the game still 9-7 in the third quarter, the Raiders lined up in third and seven at the 32. It was clear the moment they lined up that they were playing for the field goal. Gardner Minshew scanned the field for a moment and then ditched it, just as he was told he should rather than risk anything. Then Daniel Carlson came out and missed the 49-yard field goal. Wasted drive.

The big one, however, came with 7:15 left in the fourth quarter with the Raiders down 16-10. They had added a field goal on their previous drive to make it a one-score game. Then the defense stopped the Chargers for a three-and-out, and a 21-yard punt return gave the Raiders great field position at their own 48. Three plays later they were in 4th and one from the LA 41. That screams go for it. And Pierce thought about it, but opted for the pooch punt instead.

The Chargers got the ball and drove for the touchdown. But even without hindsight, this was a no-brainer mistake by Pierce. After all the shifting in momentum and field position advantage, you simply DO NOT give up the ball without a fight. Even worse is the fact he was given several opportunities to admit he made a mistake, but still insisted he had good reason for his decision. None of those reasons held water.

QB Gardner Minshew

The only touchdown in the game was entirely because of Alexander Mattison made an amazing play to elude two tacklers, hurdling one to go the score. It was a whole lotta bad otherwise.

The poor offense directly led to the Chargers’ first two scores. The first was failing on 4th and one in the first quarter. The second was because Minshew had the ball slip out of his hand, causing a backward pass (which is a fumble) that was recovered by the Chargers in scoring range.

The Raiders managed just three points in the second half and the game ended with Minshew’s short pass attempt getting batted and intercepted.

LB Divine Deablo

Three big runs for the Chargers in the second half are what broke this game open. The first one, Diablo was blocked out of the way and it went for 46 yards, leading to a go-ahead field goal. The next was the first play of the fourth quarter. Deablo mistimed his blitz and was caught up on the outside while he was supposed to be inside the tackle. Without him there, JK Dobbins had an easy run for the touchdown. The final run, Deablo shot the inside gap and Dobbins jump cut through the outside gap and was gone for 61 yards. That one clinched it.

RB Zamir White

He had five carries for five yards in the first half. This included a stuff on third and one and a stuff for a loss on fourth and one. Leading the team to go with Alexander Mattison for a while. Then on his second carry of the third quarter, he went for eight yards and fumbled it away. His struggles are part of what had Antonio Pierce opt to punt late instead of take the aggressive approach.

C Andre James

Not helping in the run department was the play of James who was getting absolutely owned by Poona Ford. He and Kolton Miller both got beaten badly on that failed fourth down play. He would also give up another run stuff on the next drive and a sack on third down to end a drive in the second quarter after the Raiders had driven to the Chargers 43.

S Tre’Von Moehrig

The first big run of the game went for 46 yards but had several chances to be stopped before it got that far. Moehrig was the last line of defense and he missed the tackle. If not for Nate Hobbs chasing down the play, it would have been a touchdown.

The final touchdown of the game was given up by Moehrig who then also missed the tackle.

K Daniel Carlson

Kickers should not be missing field goals inside the 50. Carlson missed one from 49 yards out that would have given the Raiders the lead in the third quarter.

See the Ballers

Raiders winners and losers in 22-10 defeat vs. Chargers

The Raiders offense never got going and their defense wore down late in this Week 1 loss. Which players stood out the most?

The Raiders’ main concern this offseason was their offense and whether it could score enough points to compete.

After Week 1, that’s still a huge issue, as the Raiders offense never got going against the Chargers on Sunday in a 22-10 loss. The defense played well initially but wore down late when coach Antonio Pierce needed them most.

Miscues, poor short-yardage offense, and turnovers plagued the Raiders. They still had a chance to win, but after Pierce punted on 4th-and-1 play in Los Angeles territory late in the ballgame, the Chargers waltzed downfield to turn their 16-10 lead into an insurmountable 22-10 advantage.

Here are the winners and losers for the week after a disappointing loss for this new Raiders regime.

Winner: RB Alexander Mattison

After starting running back Zamir White got off to an awful start, reserve RB Alexander Mattison got some run as an all-down back. He responded with the Raiders’ first touchdown of the season. He caught a pass from quarterback Gardner Minshew in the flat and hurdled a defender before scampering to the end zone.

Winner: LB Robert Spillane

Every great defense needs playmakers on every level. The Raiders have a star-studded defensive line and a cohesive, talented secondary, and linebacker Robert Spillane holds down the middle.

Spillane did most of his damage in the first half, as did the entire Raiders defense. But Spillane looked primed to build on his breakout 2023 campaign — especially when he went full beast mode and pushed a Chargers lineman into the backfield with enough force to make a tackle for loss.

In total, Spillane had 10 tackles with seven solo stops.

Winner: TE Brock Bowers

It was a solid debut for rookie tight end Brock Bowers, the Raiders first-round pick this season. He finished with six catches on eight targets for 58 yards. He flashed big-play ability on a 26-yard haul.

Loser: RB Zamir White

The entire offense had a subpar day, starting with short-yardage struggles in the run game. White was stuffed at the line of scrimmage twice on the Raiders’ first drive of the game. The two botched run plays came after a 9-yard gain on first down.

White was stopped again for no gain on the Raiders’ next drive, this time on 4th-and-1. He was also leveled on pass reception just before Mattison entered the game.

When it appeared White finally found some traction, he fumbled the ball after a 10-yard run. It was one of the Raiders’ three turnovers in this game.

Loser: QB Gardner Minshew

As the Raiders’ defense was still dominating late in the first half, Minshew had a terrible miscue, fumbling on an awkward pass attempt. It ruined a promising drive that seemed poised to result in at least three points for Las Vegas.

The Raiders got the ball to open the second half, so ideally, they would score to close the first half and then score again after halftime. Instead, the Chargers notched a field goal after Minshew’s miscue to pull within one point of Las Vegas.

Additionally, Minshew missed wide receiver Davante Adams on a crucial 3rd-and-7 play in the fourth quarter. Minshew threw to Mattison instead, who was a yard short of the sticks. That’s when Pierce decided to punt, even as the Raiders were at the Chargers 43-yard line mid-way through the final frame.

Loser: OC Luke Getsy

There’s not much to say about offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, except it’s his job to make sure the offense to keeps pace with the Raiders’ defense. Early returns aren’t good, even with a quality assortment of skill players at his disposal.

Loser: Kolton Miller/O-Line

The Raiders had just 71 rushing yards and it wasn’t all White and Getsy’s fault. Blocking in general was suspect, especially when White was stopped on 4th-and-1.

Plus, left tackle Kolton Miller was abused multiple times by defensive end Khalil Mack, who had 1.5 QB sacks on the afternoon.

Loser: WR Davante Adams

It’s no secret that for superstar wide receiver Davante Adams to remain happy in Las Vegas, the offense has to be productive, ideally with Adams playing a starring role.

After one week, that hasn’t happened. The offense struggled and Adams had five catches on a paltry six targets.

Loser: HC Antonio Pierce

The Raiders lost a winnable game in Pierce’s debut as the full-time coach because of mistakes and turnovers, and one of those mistakes gets credited to Pierce.

Though I understand why he punted in the fourth quarter as the Raiders were in Chargers territory trailing 16-10, I think he trusted his defense too much, especially considering the warm weather in LA on Sunday. Both the Chargers and the Raiders defense appeared fatigued late.

That should have created an opportunity for the Raiders offense on that 4th-and-1 play. Instead, Pierce punted and the Chargers took advantage of the Raiders’ tired defenders.

The Raiders looked much like we thought they would: a solid and potentially elite defense and a suspect offense. Still, they were in this game until the end.

If trends on offense and defense hold, winning the turnover battle will be even more important than usual. That didn’t happen on Sunday, so it’s no surprise the team earned a collective “L” in this matchup. They’ll get another try next week against the Ravens in Baltimore.

Ballers for Raiders Preseason Week 3 vs 49ers

Ballers for Raiders Preseason Week 3 vs 49ers

One last preseason game to cover for Ballers & Busters.

Ballers

DE Janarius Robinson

Robinson has been turning heads all preseason. He finished strong too. His tackle for loss on a run was what killed the 49ers first drive. Keep in mind this was 49ers first teamers versus Raiders backups. Robinson made the big play that held them to a field goal.

Though the 49ers were able to score on their second drive, Robinson had a pressure that set up a sack on the drive. The next 49ers possession — with the first teamers still in the game — Robinson got pressure around the right edge to force a quick pass by Purdy that was deflected and picked off. That was Purdy’s last throw of the game.

He would get two more pressures in the game, including a QB hit on the second to last play of the game, resulting in an incompletion and preserving the tie.

DE Charles Snowden

Robinson’s tackle for loss was the big play on the 49ers first drive, but Snowden made sure of it. He chased down Purdy on second down to force an incompletion and on third down he came around the right edge and got his arms up to bat the pass at the line.

He ended a possession in the second quarter by making the tackle on third and four short of the sticks. Then he ended another drive when on third and 11, he came around the edge like a shot to sack the QB for a 13-yard loss.

Oh, and he even had the key block on the 81-yard punt return for a touchdown.

LB Amari Gainer

Gainer was a tackling machine in this one. His 12 combined tackles (10 solo) led the Raiders. Half of those tackles were for one yard or less, two were for a loss, and he even added a sack.

WR/PR Tyreik McAllister

McAllister burst onto the scene in the second quarter when he took a punt 81 yards for a touchdown. He saw his gap, made one cut, and was gone to the house.

The next time we saw him, he was getting downfield as the gunner, forcing a block in the back penalty on the 49ers.

In the third quarter, he began making his mark on offense. First he took a jet sweep for eight yards. Then he came back to make a brilliant catch on a pass well behind him, taking it away from the defender, then turning and scoring with it.

He added a 21-yard catch in the fourth quarter that put the Raiders in first and goal inside the ten. Giving him 58 yards of offense and 196 all purpose yards with two touchdowns. Have yourself a day, Tyreik.

S Phalen Sanford

The first two drives of the fourth quarter ended with Sanford plays. He recovered a fumble to start off the final quarter, and had coverage on an incompletion to end the second drive.

WR Ramel Keyton

He came on late in the game, showing his long arms and catching abilities. One particular catch, he leapt in the air and snagged it with one hand and a defender all over him. His four catches for 76 yards led the Raiders.

Continue to the Busters…

Busters for Raiders Preseason Week 3 vs 49ers

Busters for Raiders Preseason Week 3 vs 49ers

There was plenty to make Antonio Pierce unhappy with the performance of his team Friday night. These guys are all trying to make this roster and none of these guys did themselves any favors.

LB Kana’i Mauga

It was the 15-yard catch Mauga gave up on the 49ers first drive that put them in scoring range. And it was the 19-yard catch and 12-yard run he gave up on the next drive that helped them march down the field for a touchdown. The 16-yard catch he gave up on the next possession again put the 49ers in scoring range.

DT Byron Young, DT Matthew Butler

That first touchdown drive shined a bright light on the interior defensive line issues facing the Raiders. Or maybe I should say a black light. Because it was more like a crime scene out there.

The first play Butler and Young gave up an 11-yard run. Butler then managed a sack, though it was set up by Jenarius Robinson’s pressure running Purdy right into him.

The 49ers had driven to the Vegas 38. Then Young gave up a seven-yard run. Next play he seemed to have a shot at stopping Purdy on a scramble, but somehow missed him. Probably because he was jogging on the play, allowing Purdy to run for 13 yards. Next play, Butler was blocked back to give up a six-yard run. Next play, Butler wasn’t in his gap on another six-yard run to put the 49ers in first and goal at the five. Two plays later Butler was again blocked back to give up a four-yard touchdown run.

If the Raiders ever had to rely on either of these guys, Lord help them.

RB Dylan Laube

After that long drive put the 49ers up 10-0, the Raiders tried to answer. They would get their first first down of the game on a couple Laube runs of eight and five yards. Two plays later, they went back to Laube, dumping it off to him. He made the catch and then fumbled it away.

So, maybe he’s not ready to be a factor in the run game. What about as a kick returner? He fielded a kick two yards inside the end zone and took it out, making it to the 22-yard line. Had he just downed it in the end zone, it would have been a touchback and would’ve been placed at the 30. So, his decision, or lack of field awareness, cost the team eight yards.

T Dalton Wagner

Two Raiders drives stalled because of Wagner. In the second quarter, Sincere McCormick looked like he might break off a nice run, but when Wagner went to block his guy, he just stopped right in McCormick’s path and the back hit him and went down for a two-yard gain.

The final drive, the Raiders were down 24-21 and driving, looking like they had a real chance to score a touchdown for the win. They made it into the red zone one a nice 20-yard leaping grab by Ramel Keyton. Bradley came up to the line and spiked it to stop the clock at 36 seconds. And the next play, Wagner gave up the sack. This meant Bradley had to spike the ball again just to keep the clock from running out. And it meant the Raiders had to decide whether to go for broke on 4th and 15 or tie it up with the field goal. They opted for the field goal.

Also See the Ballers

Raiders winners and losers in 24-24 preseason tie vs. 49ers

The Raiders closed the preseason with a tie, even though Las Vegas played its reserves against 49ers starters. Who stood out the most?

The Raiders preseason finally came to a close on Friday night in a 24-24 tie against the 49ers in Las Vegas, as coach Antonio Pierce sat his starters while the 49ers played many of their stars, including quarterback Brock Purdy. Still, the Raiders’ reserves held their own, especially on defense.

The Las Vegas offense was without its top two quarterbacks and struggled early, but the Raiders’ special teams had a big day. Tyreik McAllister took an 81-yard punt return to the house for the Raiders’ first score of the night, and he added a touchdown catch later in the game for good measure.

McAllister was easily the biggest winner of the night. Here are the rest of the players who stood out this week, for better or worse.

Winner: DE Janarius Robinson

Before we get to McAllister’s big day, defensive end Janarious Robinson deserves his due. He had a tackle for loss on the 49ers’ first drive, helping the Raiders hold the San Francisco starting offense to a field goal.

Robinson led a strong pass rush for Las Vegas and pressured Purdy into a second-quarter interception. He was a lock to make the roster coming into this game and his pass-rush ability provides key depth up front.

Winner: WR Tyreik McAllister

The Raiders have been looking for depth at wide receiver and McAllister made a statement on Friday night. A former star in the Canadian Football League, McAllister scored the Raiders first points of the night on an 81-yard punt return.

His touchdown catch was equally impressive, perhaps even more so. He made an athletic adjustment on a throw by QB Carter Bradley.

It’s hard to say whether McAllister will make the Raiders’ final cut. But his chances are certainly much higher after this performance.

Winner: DBs Sam Webb and Chris Smith II

The Raiders reserves had the last laugh against Purdy, who made his share of splash plays. On Purdy’s final snap of the game, pressure from Robinson forced a throw into tight coverage by Raiders cornerback Sam Webb. Webb tipped the ball in the air, and safety Chris Smith II was in perfect position to intercept the ball.

Winner: LB Amari Gainer

Linebacker Amari Gainer made his case to remain a Raider with his play on defense and special teams. He recorded an impressive special teams tackle early in the game and finished with more than 10 tackles on defense, including two tackles for loss. He had a late penalty for a hit to the head, but that hardly put a damper on his day.

Winner: WR Kristian Wilkerson

Though he didn’t have the day McAllister did, WR Kristian Wilkerson gave the Raiders brass more to think about on cut-down day with his touchdown grab from quarterback Nathan Peterman.

Loser: RB Dylan Laube

Rookie running back Dylan Laube got the starting nod on Friday and appeared primed for his breakout moment. For a minute, he did break out. But after several impressive plays, he was belted by a 49ers defender after a nice catch and run. He fumbled the football and didn’t see action at running back for the rest of the game.

Laube still got some touches on special teams, which probably helped sustain his confidence. He’ll need it if he wants to contribute to the Raiders offense this season.

Loser: WR Jalen Guyton

Wide receiver Jalen Guyton had to make an impact on Friday to make the roster, and while he had some key catches on the Raiders’ touchdown drive to close the first half, he was outdone by McAllister and Wilkerson.

This game was a reversal from the Raiders’ loss against the Cowboys last week when Las Vegas starters faced Dallas backups. The Raiders reserves responded, and now it’s time for coach Pierce and crew to shape their final roster. Soon enough, we’ll see what this Raiders team is really made of when they face the Chargers in Week 1.

Busters for Raiders Preseason Week 2 vs Cowboys

We continue to the Busters for Raiders Preseason Week 2 vs Cowboys

After the Raiders jumped out to a fast start in the preseason opener in Minnesota, that didn’t happen against the Cowboys in Week two. Not much was working on offense and even the Cowboys backups were getting the better of Raiders starters on both sides of the ball.

Busters

QB Gardner Minshew

Antonio Pierce was hoping either Minshew or Aidan O’Connell would step up and claim the starting job. Neither of them did that and from the looks of things, Pierce had to look past his performance in this game in order to name hm the starter.

O’Connell threw a pick six in this game, but Minshew was lucky not to do the same on the first drive of the game. Twice, in fact.

The first drive, he missed an open Tre Tucker, opting to throw into coverage, having the pass broken up and threw a ball too high for Jakobi Meyers to get. Then on fourth and three, the linebacker stepped in front of his pass and would have had a clear path for a touchdown, but he dropped it.

A 48-yard connection with Tucker would get the Raiders in field goal range on their next drive, but another overthrow for Meyers would have them settle for a field goal.

Next drive, he waited too long to throw it and again nearly had it intercepted. It was only Michael Mayer turning defender that that pass was knocked down instead of picked.

Minshew’s final drive ended with him throwing it too high for Harrison Bryant on fourth and six.

G Dylan Parham

Just after the Raiders got to the 12-yard line on the 48-yard completion to Tre Tucker, Parham gave up a run stuff at the line. In the second quarter, he was slow to get into position on a screen, causing the ball to fall incomplete. On the final play of the third quarter, he was flagged for holding. Two plays later, O’Connell threw his pick six.

T Andrus Peat

Two plays following the 48-yard bomb, Peat gave up a pressure resulting in an incompletion. The drive would end on the next play. The next drive Peat would miss his block on a screen and it was blown up for a one yard gain.

T Thayer Munford

Peat was replaced at left tackle in the second quarter with Munford moving from the right to the left side. And on his second play at LT, Munford gave up a pressure, causing Misnhew to have to scramble for yards.

The final drive of the second quarter ended with Munford giving up another pressure, leading to an incompletion. After the Raiders finally got in the end zone in the third quarter, the two-point conversion fail in large part due to Munford giving up pressure on Minshew as he went back to pass.

DT Byron Young

It looked like the Cowboys game plan at one point was just simply to run at Young. He was getting pushed around a lot. On one drive in the second quarter, it seemed like every play. He was driven back on a seven-yard run, then gave up the first down on the next play, gave up a five-yard run two plays later, then later, with the Cowboys in first and goal at the four, he gave up a three-yard run. They scored the go ahead TD on the next play.

QB Carter Bradley

Bradley came in to start the fourth quarter. He was actually allowed to throw the ball this time. And he looked good at first, going six-for-six to start his day. Then the wheels fell off. His next two passes were an overthrown ball and a pass batted at the line. With a delay of game penalty in between.

His second and final drive featured two more batted passes and a ball behind his receiver on third and short.

CB MJ Devonshire

The final long drive for the Cowboys saw Devonshire give up a 17-yard catch, a 30-yard catch, and the third down catch that put the Cowboys in first and goal at the four.

See the Ballers

Ballers from Raiders preseason Week 1 vs Vikings

The positive standout performances from the Raiders first preseason game.

Welcome to year 17 of Ballers & Busters. The first ever B&B came out in preseason of 2008. So, let’s get it going for 2024, shall we?

There was a lot to like about what we saw from the Raiders first preseason action of 2024. They went on four scoring drives in the first half and held the Vikings to one to take a 20-7 halftime lead.

Things went awry in the second half, but, hey, preseason.

That being said, since the preseason tends to focus a lot on individual performances, let’s get to it.

Keep in mind, there are no Top Ballers or Top Busters for preseason. I pretty much just listed them in order of appearance.

S Tre’von Moehrig

After giving up a 19-yard catch on the second play, Moehrig settled in. He made two run stops on that same drive and had tight coverage for an incompletion on third and two from the four-yard line. The second Vikings drive, Moehrig made what could’ve been a touchdown saving tackle, stopping a run at 16 yards. He finished with a team-leading six tackles, all solo.

CB Jakorian Bennett

With the Vikings in 4th and two from the four, they went for it and Bennett was there to break up the attempt in the end zone to hold the Vikings scoreless on their opening drive and give the Raiders the ball back.

WR Jakobi Meyers

On third and three on the first drive, Meyers got open deep and made a leaping 24-yard grab. The next play he made the catch on a zero route in the left flat, stepped away from a tackler and ran for eight yards. Two plays later, in third and three, Aidan O’Connell looked for him again and he made a 13-yard catch to put the Raiders in Minnesota territory. One play later, they were in field goal range.

CB Jack Jones

The Raiders took a 3-0 lead into the second quarter. In third and eight, the Raiders blitzed, forcing JJ McCarthy to make a quick decision. He thought he had a man open, but Jack Jones undercut the route and picked off the pass, giving the Raiders the ball back. Jones then took his ball and went home (the sideline).

WR Tre Tucker

The offense came in after the turnover, this time with Gardner Minshew at QB. The second play saw Tucker make an adjustment on a pass slightly behind him on a cross, to make the catch for 29 yards. The next drive, he made an even more impressive adjustment. Going deep, he was turned inside, but the pass was headed to his outside shoulder, so he turned away from the pass, relocated it in the air and then laid out to make the catch for 44 yards. The Raiders would score touchdowns on both drives. The second one, Tucker laid a key block for Zamir White to run it in. He added a nice punt return at the end of the half as well.

QB Gardner Minshew

All three Minshew possessions, the Raiders scored. The first two for touchdowns. The first drive featured a 29-yard pass to Tre Tucker and a scramble for seven yards on third and three. The touchdown was on a perfect strike to DJ Turner at the right pylon. The second TD drive he aire out for a 44-yard connection with Tucker and found Cole Fotheringham for 11 yards on third and six. He finished 6/12 for 117 yards and one TD with a passer rating of 112.2.

LB Amari Burney

Burney came to play. The 2023 sixth round pick clearly set out to let everyone know he was still here. His biggest play was late in the third quarter, when he ended a drive by coming up to make a stop at the line for no gain on third and one. That was his third run stuff of the day. The first went for a loss and the other for one yard. His four tackles in the game were tied for second on the team. He even had a QB hit in the game.

P AJ Cole

In the second half, when nothing was working for the Raiders on offense, Cole would come in an remind them that at least he can tilt the field. He had two punts of 60 yards – one that was fair caught at the 14 –, one for 56 yards that went out of bounds at the five, and one that went 43 yards that was fair caught at the 11. Weapon.

Honorable Mention

DE Malcolm Koonce – Had a run stop for no gain and a pressure leading to an incompletion on the first drive.

QB Aidan O’Connell – Went 7/9 for 76 yards on the opening drive, twice converting on third down.

LB Robert Spillane – Put on the pressure that rushed McCarthy into his throw that Jack Jones picked off.

WR DJ Turner – Beat his man and streaked toward the end zone to score the Raiders first touchdown of the day from 20 yards out.

DT TJ Franklin – Blocked a field goal attempt in the second quarter.

S Phalen Sanford – Caught the ball off the Franklin blocked field goal and returned it 42 yards to the Minnesota 40-yard-line.

K Daniel Carlson – Lined up for a 56-yard field goal off the blocked field goal and return and nailed it to give the Raiders a 20-7 lead. Carlson hit two other chipshot field goals in the game.

Continue to the Busters…