Tag: Robert Spillane

4 Raiders defenders among NFL elite in key statistics

Four weeks into the season, a handful of Raiders defenders are distinguishing themselves among their peers.

We’re now four weeks into the season. That’s basically a quarter of the way through the NFL season. Thru those four games there are four Raiders defenders sitting among the NFL’s best in key areas.

LB Robert Spillane

Spillane has been on a tear this season. He has double digit tackles in every game, totaling 44 tackles in four games. That puts him third in the league in combined tackles. Here’s the top five:

Nick Cross — 47
EJ Speed — 47
Robert Spillane — 44
Zach Baun — 43
Logan Wilson — 43

CB Jack Jones

Few corners have been more stingy in coverage this season than Jones, who is fifth in the league in coverage DVOA over the first four weeks.

CB Jakorian Bennett

Bennett has been swatting down passes a lot this season. Several of them have been huge plays too. Last week he batted down a would-be first down throw midway through the 4th quarter with the Raiders clinging to a four-point lead. He also regularly sticks with receivers on deep routes to break up what would otherwise have been a long catch or even a touchdown.

In total he has five pass breakups in four games. Which is tied for sixth in the NFL. Here’s the company he keeps:

Paulson Adebo — 7
Brian Branch — 7
Denzel Ward — 7
Zyon McCollum — 6
Quinyon Mitchell — 6
Jakorian Bennett — 5
Michael Jackson — 5
Jaylen Watson — 5

DE Maxx Crosby

Even while being hobbled for one game and missing last week entirely, Crosby is still among the league leaders in tackles for loss. His five tackles for loss this season is tied for fifth.

Kyle Van Noy — 7
Aidan Hutchinson — 6
Patrick Jones — 6
Devonte Wyatt — 6
Maxx Crosby — 5
Dennis Gardeck — 5
Gregory Rousseau — 5
Jared Verse — 5
Bobby Wagner — 5
TJ Watt — 5

Ballers for Raiders Week 4 win over Browns

Sifting out the notable performances for the Raiders in their win over the Browns.

For the third week in a row, the Raiders went against the grain and shocked the world. Week two it was an improbably win in Baltimore. Week three they were trounced by the winless Panthers. And this week, despite a slew of injuries including to their two best players, they beat the Browns.

They did so by spreading out the Browns’ defense while the Raiders defense completely shut down the Browns offense after the first quarter.

We start with those who were most responsible for that big win.

Ballers

DE Charles Snowden

A month ago, Snowden was cut. Now he’s playing hero for a Raiders team desperate to replace both of the guys they were going to count on to be their starting pass rushers. His biggest play was the last one when he chased down Deshaun Watson on fourth and three to sack him and end the game.

How he even got there is the most impressive part. Snowden came around the right side on a stunt and Watson rolled left, running all the way to the left sideline and Snowden still caught him.

That wasn’t his only big play tho. Two plays before that, he got pressure and batted down a Watson pass. In total, he tied for the team lead with three QB hits and a tackle for loss.

S Isaiah Pola-Mao

That game-ending sack never would have happened if not for Pola-Mao. He made the tackle on the previous play, stopping it short of the sticks to force fourth down. Pola-Mao also made the big play on the Browns’ previous drive, flying over from center field to knock the ball out of the hands of Jerry Jeudy on what was actually a long catch for an instant. He also made the drive stalling tackle on the Browns’ second drive to hold them to a field goal.

WR Tre Tucker

Tucker had a hand in both of the Raiders touchdowns in this game. The first touchdown drive, he made a 14-yard catch on third and seven to keep the drive alive. Then finished it off with an end around from three yards out for the touchdown.

The second touchdown, he laid the final block near the goal line, driving his man out of bounds to ensure DJ Turner could get the final few yards to get in the end zone.

DT Adam Butler

With the leadership void due to the absence of Maxx Crosby, Butler stepped up. He gave a speech to the team inspired by his military upbringing. Then brought that passion to the field. The first third down of the game, he came flying into the backfield on a pass to absolutely bury Deshaun Watson. He was flagged for a horrible roughing the passer penalty, but so what. It wasn’t roughing and the message needed sent.

The next drive ended with a field goal in part because Butler got into the backfield again to make a run stuff for a loss and they couldn’t pick it back up.

The final play of the third quarter for the Raiders’ defense was a sack. Christian Wilkins and Janarius Robinson split credit for it, but Butler was in on it as well, coming right up the gut to ensure the sack sandwich from each side.

The final two Browns’ possessions at the end of the game, Butler had three tackles and a QB hit in which he had Watson wrapped up and off the ground right as the ball was released. The next play, the game was over.

Butler finished tied for second on the team in tackles (six) along with a QB hit (two really) and a tackle for loss.

RB Alexander Mattison

The running game came to life in this game. In part because of the use of jet sweeps and reverses to spread out the defense. But the only back on this team who was consistently making good use of it was Mattison.

He had three huge runs in this game on just five carries. All three of those runs was longer than any run the Raiders had had in the three game to start this season.

The first big run went for 24 yards — double the previous longest run coming in — and it set up the Raiders game-tying field goal before the half. His second big run went for 16 yards to the 19 and the Raiders scored the touchdown around the outside on the next play. His final big run went for 18 yards late in the fourth quarter to help take time off the clock and win the field position battle.

Mattison finished with 60 yards on five carries (12 yards per carry) and Antonio Pierce has said since then that he has earned more carries as a result.

LB Robert Spillane

Once again, Spillane led the team in tackles, putting up double digits for the fourth straight game this season. The first three of those tackles came on the Browns’ opening drive and all for three yards or less.

He made two stops on each of the Browns possessions in the second quarter, including a tackle for loss and a three-and-out.

S Tre’von Moehrig

He had the Raiders only takeaway, hauling in an interception off of Amari Cooper’s chest. It set up the Raiders final touchdown drive. Also on the final Browns drive, Jerome Ford burst for a 35-yard run that might have been a touchdown if not to Moehrig making the tackle at the 16-yard-line.

DT Christian Wilkins

Wilkins tied for the team lead with three QB hits. He also shared a sack and forced a holding penalty that called back a long touchdown that would have put the Browns ahead in the fourth quarter.

Honorable Mention

WR Jakobi Meyers — led the team with 49 yards on five catches and forced a pass interference.

WR DJ Turner — scored a touchdown on a reverse from 19 yards out and would have had a long catch as well, but the pass was overthrown.

TE Brock Bowers — Had a 12-yard run and made a huge block on two defenders that sprung Turner for his 19-yard touchdown.

TE Harrison Bryant — Had several nice blocks including on the 12-yard Bowers run and a 10-yard run that put the Raiders in first and goal on their first TD drive.

P AJ Cole — Two huge punts in the fourth quarter helped to keep the Browns from scoring and hold the Raiders’ 20-16 lead.

Continue to the Busters…

Ballers for Raiders Week 3 loss to Panthers

Singling out the performances in Raiders Week 3 loss to Panthers

There wasn’t much to sing about if you’re the Raiders in their loss to the Panthers. The 36-22 final score didn’t tell the story at all. The real score was 33-7 which sealed it early in the fourth quarter.

A lopsided score like that suggests a complete collapse on both sides of the ball. They couldn’t run the ball, they couldn’t stop the run. They couldn’t pass the ball, they couldn’t stop the pass.

Andy Dalton was picking them apart through the air and Chuba Hubbard (who?) ran all over them on the ground. Gardner Minshew completed one deep pass and the Raiders still have the worst rushing attack in the NFL dating back like 25 years at least.

Anyway, let’s see about them Ballers, eh?

Baller

WR Tre Tucker

That one deep completion went to Tucker. He got behind the defense and made the long catch 54 yards downfield. It set up the Raiders only touchdown that actually mattered. It tied the game at 7-7 in the first quarter.

When the game essentially was over, he had three catches for 64 yards. But he didn’t just pack it in, he added four more catches to finish with 98 yards and a touchdown.

That’s it. That’s the list.

Continue to the Busters…

It’s next man up as Raiders down a starting linebacker vs Panthers

Raiders expect to be down a starting linebacker this week. Who steps up?

In the team’s win in Baltimore on Sunday, linebacker Divine Deablo suffered an oblique injury as well as a concussion that has kept him out of practice this week. Friday head coach Antonio Pierce said Deablo “probably will not play” in Sunday’s home opener against the Panthers.

Stepping up for him will be Luke Masterson.

“Luke is that third wheel. If we had a tricycle, he’s that third guy you could kind of plug in at both MIKE and our Money and WILL linebacker positions. With Deablo more than likely probably will not play, Luke will be there, he’ll step up and he’ll do a good job. He’s started and played in a lot of games over his three years as a Raider. And he’s somebody who’s really dependable. He’s one of our core special teams guys and really a true hard hat mentality player that we need for a game like this.”

Masterson is the only other linebacker on this team besides Deablo and Robert Spillane to have played any snaps on defense (16).

No doubt there are some Raiders fans who would like to see rookie linebacker Tommy Eichenberg get a shot to see what he can do, but he’s just coming off an injury that had him miss a lot of time, so he’s not ready to be thrown in there at linebacker just yet.

“He’s getting there,” Pierce said of Eichenberg. “Tommy missed that month in training camp and a little bit of preseason, so he’s getting closer and closer. I just want to see a little bit more on special teams before I make that decision.”

In total, the Raiders have a whopping seven linebackers on the roster. The others are Amari Burney, Amari Gainer, and Kana’i Mauga. All three have played exclusively on special teams this season.

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…

Ravens vs. Raiders: Top photos from Week 2 matchup at M&T Bank Stadium

The Ravens have gone from a Super Bowl hopeful, to a team searching for answers after a shocking 26-23 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday.

The loss dropped Baltimore to 0-2 on the season, while creating more discourse centered on the offensive line, secondary, run-pass ratios, and Lamar Jackson. The disappointing loss also creates something of a hotseat for head coach John Harbaugh with a difficult matchup against the Cowboys looming.

Here are the top photos from Week 2.

***

3 Key matchups to watch for in Raiders vs Ravens Week 2

We take a look at a few key matchups that could be of particular importance when the Raiders travel to Baltimore this week.

It’s off to Baltimore for the Raiders this week to square off against the Ravens. Let’s take a look at a few key matchups that could be of particular importance to the outcome.

Robert Spillane vs Derrick Henry

Last week the Raiders held up well against the run in the first half. Then it fell apart in the second half. Spillane wasn’t specifically to blame for any of the big runs the Chargers had in terms of execution. He didn’t miss those tackles and he didn’t screw up his run fits.

That being said, Henry has a way of forcing missed tackles. And it will be Spillane’s job to make sure his teammates are playing disciplined football. Particularly Divine Deablo had a couple big lapses last week that cost the Raiders big time. Spillane will have to not only do his job on a given play, but make sure his teammates are doing theirs. And even when he’s doing his job to keep Henry from winning their one-on-one battles.

Maxx Crosby vs Lamar Jackson

The Ravens’ offensive line has some issues at the moment. Crosby should get some pressure, as you typically does, but that won’t be enough in this one. It’s one thing to get into the backfield, it’s another to corral Lamar Jackson.

Crosby will have to think not only about getting pressure, but also protecting the edge from Jackson taking off running and also catching Jackson should he get near him. Jackson put up 122 yards rushing against the Chiefs in the opener and he will do that to the Raiders too if they’re not careful. Crosby is the most capable of limiting that damage.

Gardner Minshew vs Ravens secondary

The Ravens are vulnerable against the pass. The Chiefs had some good success through the air against them. Rashee Rice had 103 yards and Xavier Worthy had two touchdowns. And they will be without rookie top pick Nate Wiggins who is OUT with a concussion.

What the Chiefs have that makes most secondaries vulnerable is Patrick Mahomes. He can make anyone look silly. The Chiefs don’t have the talent at receiver the Raiders have, so that should count for something. Whether it does or not will be up to Minshew. He averaged an NFL low 4.5 air yards per pass last week. That has to change if the Raiders offense is to sustain drives and put up more than ten points.

Can Raiders handle ‘big boy football’ Ravens will bring in Week 2?

The.Ravens will be playing some ‘big boy football’ Sunday. Can the Raiders match it?

Week one against Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers, they struggled on the ground early, but stuck with it until they broke through. You can bet Jon Harbaugh’s Ravens were watching. And they have plenty of ability to wear down a defense on the ground.

Primarily they have Derrick Henry.

King Henry, as he’s called, is the quintessential workhorse back in a league increasingly going away from workhorse backs.

The 6-2, 247-pound bruiser is hard to bring down. And in each of his last five seasons, he has averaged over 21 carries per game. You can expect him to hit that average and then some Sunday in Baltimore. And Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce knows they’re in for it.

“Yeah, big boy football,” Pierce said of facing Henry. “Strap it up, like I said, hardhat mentality. Grab a cup of Advil from Chris [Cortez] in the training room. It’s going to hurt.”

It will take more than strength to keep Henry bottled up. It will take discipline. That’s part of what fell off in the second half last week in Los Angeles.

“Yeah, I mean, 35 plus runs they had in the game, and four of them we fit up wrong,” Pierce said, referring to the four big runs the Chargers broke off in the game. “I mean, do your job each and every play, right? If you’re a second level linebacker, fit the gap accordingly. If you’re D-lineman, no jumping around playing peekaboo. It’s critical. And then I think our team really understood that because late in the game you’re down and your guys are trying to make plays, you can’t do that. Team defense, those are the good teams that play in the month of January, February, and that’s what we’re striving to do.”

Run defense was a concern coming into the season. Which is a bit surprising considering the addition of Christian Wilkins to go along with Maxx Crosby — both of whom are outstanding against the Run — and with Robert Spillane behind them.

It is not Crosby, Wilkins, and Spillane the Raiders may have to worry about. Because those three were doing their jobs last Sunday for the most part. While some of their teammates were not.

But as Pierce said, it only takes one mistake. Hell, with Henry, you could do most everything right, and he might still make a highlight out of you. It’s how he’s averaged nearly a touchdown per game over the past six years. You read that right. In 84 starts since 2019, he has 80 touchdowns! That’s just absurd.

Oh, and when Henry isn’t running through guys, Lamar Jackson will run past them or throw over them. This defense better find its run defense, and figure out how to play ‘big boy football’ or this could be a long day in Baltimore.

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…

Raiders LB Robert Spillane does not receive vote in top NFL linebacker rankings

Raiders LB Robert Spillane does not receive vote in top NFL linebacker rankings

There were not five linebackers in the NFL better than Robert Spillane last season. The former undrafted free agent from the Pittsburgh Steelers was one of the biggest surprises during the 2023 season as he locked down the middle of the defense for the Raiders.

Spillane started all 17 games for the Raiders, recording 148 tackles, 7 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, and 3 interceptions. He was outstanding in coverage and made a big play whenever the Raiders needed it. Of the linebackers who played at least 1,000 snaps, Spillane had the ninth-highest grade (77.1), according to Pro Football Focus.

In the recent rankings list complied by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, he spoke with dozens of NFL coaches, executives, and decision makers and asked them to rank their top 10 linebackers. 21 linebackers received a vote inside the top 10, but that did not include Spillane.

Spillane doesn’t have the draft capital or elite athleticism that decision-makers love, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t a fantastic linebacker last season. Few players were more productive and consistent in the NFL last season, but Spillane will need to do it again before he starts to really get the attention of the league.

Look for Spillane to have another huge season under Patrick Graham in Las Vegas. The Raiders have done a better job of improving the defensive tackle play up front, which should allow Spillane to be even more active in the middle of the field.

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