Ranking Raiders 2025 free agents by re-sign priority

Before the offseason becomes about who the Raiders can add to the roster, it must be about who they keep. With a new coaching staff coming in, they won’t feel all that tied to the players on the roster right now. But they have to know which players …

Before the offseason becomes about who the Raiders can add to the roster, it must be about who they keep. With a new coaching staff coming in, they won’t feel all that tied to the players on the roster right now. But they have to know which players make or break this team as it’s currently comprised.

In that spirit, I ranked the Raiders free agents by how valuable they are to re-sign.

Priority: Very High

Hobbs is an outstanding slot corner. Both in coverage and as a tackler. Such players don’t grow on trees. You hold onto players like him when you get the chance.

Priority: Very High

Spillane is a tackling machine and one of the better middle linebackers out there. He also loves his Raiders teammates and would probably welcome a return. They should step up and hang onto him.

Priority: Somewhat High

They were lucky to get him back last year after he tested the market. They shouldn’t mess around this time. He proved he is an every-down caliber interior defender and earned a multi-year deal and they’d be smart to give it to him.

Priority: Somewhat High

Many teams may have forgotten the holy terror he was over the stretch run of the 2023 season because he was lost to injury prior to this past season. That should be enough for Koonce to want to take a one-year deal to have a shot at hitting the market on a high note next year.

Priority: Somewhat High

The former top college safety and second round pick is coming off his best season. He has been a full time starter all four seasons and is the top safety on the Raiders roster. With all three of their safeties headed for free agency, they should probably try and keep the best of them or risk having to rebuild the group this offseason.

Priority: Moderate

The former first round pick had a breakout season for the Raiders. Even though I named him their Comeback Player of the Year. His five sacks equaled his career total coming in. The Raiders got a find with him and it would be a shame to just let that find get away.

Priority: Moderate

The former college safety has become a decent starting outside for the Raiders. Could be a bit risky to let him go because there’s no guarantee you’ll find better and/or cheaper replacement.

Priority: Moderate

Epps was half of a pretty solid safety tandem along with Moehrig last season. He was lost in week three and the coaching staff liked Isaiah Pola-Mao enough I could see them letting Epps walk. Will the new staff feel similarly?

Priority: Low

The ten-year veteran showed his value as a triple threat — running back, receiver, return specialist — late in the season. He would likely be cheap to re-sign and is clearly still got it.

Priority: Low

An outstanding special teams player. You get a mixed bag on defense from Pola-Mao. He’s a restricted free agent, which means it will be easy to retain him with a tender.

Priority: Low

A 17-game starter and had his moments. But overall, it may be time for the Raiders to move on from the 36-year-old to their young core of defensive tackles.

CB Darnay Holmes (1 start)
RB Alexander Mattison
WR Terrace Marshall
TE Harrison Bryant
T Andrus Peat
G Cody Whitehair

Raiders 2024 season Ballers & Busters

Rounding up the best and worst aka the Ballers & Busters from the 2024 season.

We’re now a week since the final Ballers & Busters of the Raiders 2024 season. So, let’s round ’em up and put a bow on it with my season Ballers & Busters.

Ballers

Top Baller: TE Brock Bowers

No show here. The Raiders bread and butter on offense set all kinds of rookie, NFL, and franchise receiving records. And along the way was a Baller eight times and Top Baller twice.

DE Maxx Crosby

Even missing five games this season and being hobbled by his ankle injury ins several others, he was still named a Baller six times and a Top Baller twice.

DT Adam Butler

Butler stepped up big time in the absence of Christian Wilkins and proved himself quite valuable both against the pass and the run. Thus, he was named a Baller seven times and was never once a Buster.

WR Jakobi Meyers

He had his first ever 100-yard game, his second ever 100-yard game, and his first ever 1000-yard game this season. All while still doing his dirty work. Thus he was named a Baller six times and thrice a Top Baller. He had fans not missing Davante Adams all that much.

S Tre’von Moehrig

His best season was also his contract year. The Raiders played him up closer to the line of scrimmage a lot and sent him on a fair amount of blitzes. It turned out to suit him very well. He was named a Baller four times, three of those times he was Top Baller.

RB Ameer Abdullah

Injuries knocked out Zamir White and Alexander Mattison and it turned out to not be so bad for the Raiders. Abdullah carried the load and had a nose for the end zone. As a result, he was a Baller in five of his last six games of the. season. Strong finish for him as he makes the case for year 11,

Continue to the Busters…

Raiders 2025 free agents includes most of team’s defensive starters

The Raiders have some work to do between now and March if they hope to not see their defense gutted in free agency.

Last offseason, the talk was about how many of their defensive starters were coming back because they were still under contract. Well, those chickens have come home to roost, and now they are facing an offseason in which the vast majority of their defensive starters’ contracts are coming up in March.

In total, there are nine Raiders players headed for free agency who were either starters headed into last season or ended up starting the majority of the games this season:

DT Adam Butler (16 starts)
DT John Jenkins (17 starts)
DE Malcolm Koonce (Projected starter, IR)
DE K’Lavon Chaisson (4 starts)
LB Robert Spillane (17 starts)
LB Divine Deablo (14 starts)
CB Nate Hobbs (7 starts)
CB Darnay Holmes (1 start)
S Tre’von Moehrig (17 starts)
S Marcus Epps (3 starts, IR)
S Isaiah Pola-Mao (RFA, 14 starts)

There are far fewer on the offensive side of the ball:

RB Alexander Mattison
RB Ameer Abdullah
WR Terrace Marshall
TE Harrison Bryant
T Andrus Peat
G Cody Whitehair

The Raiders are projected to have the second most cap space in the league this offseason behind only the Patriots. And they will need to use a good portion of that to make sure their defense doesn’t get gutted in free agency.

Ballers & Busters for Raiders Week 16 win vs Jaguars

Rounding up the individual performances after taking a detailed look at the tape from the Raiders week 16 win over the Jaugars.

It’s been a while since this piece was put together without the focus being more on the Busters than the Ballers because it was coming out of yet another loss. To be exact, it had been nearly three months!

As has been the case a lot this season, the defense carries the day for the Raiders. Only this time, it was enough to get the win.

Ballers

S Isaiah Pola-Mao, S Tre’von Moehrig

Moehrig’s pass breakup helped lead to the Jaguars’ second punt of the game. Then after the Raiders tied the game at 7-7 in the second quarter, he made the tackle on third down to force another punt.

The Raiders had two takeaways in the game. Both were Pola-Mao forced fumbles. The first came early in the second quarter and Moehrig was there to pounce on it for the recovery at the Jacksonville 45-yard line. They would get a field goal out of it to take a 13-7 lead.

The second turnover came late in the second quarter and it stopped what would have been a scoring drive by the Jaguars, sending the two teams to the locker room with the Raiders maintaining their six-point lead.

On the final Jaguars drive, Moehrig came flying in on the blitz to force Mac Jones to throw the ball into the turf to avoid the sack. Then on fourth down, Moehrig made the tackle short of the sticks to give the Raiders the win.

DE Charles Snowden. DE K’Lavon Chaisson

A week ago Snowden was inactive because of his DUI arrest. He returned to his regularly scheduled breakout season on Sunday, wreaking havoc on Mac Jones and the Jaguars offense.

Snowden made the stop on a catch in the right flat on third down to force the first punt of the game.

Two drives later, Chaisson made an almost identical play to the one he made last week against the Falcons, when he perfectly played a screen pass. That time, he batted the pass to himself for the interception. This time, he looked to have the interception outright, but couldn’t quite hang onto it. Still a well-played ball by Chaisson.

In the second quarter, Chaisson got pressure on the edge on third down, forcing Mac Jones to step up and throw where Snowden was there to bat the pass down at the line.

The first drive of the third quarter was stopped when on consecutive plays, Chaisson set up a tackle for loss and then made the sack for an 11-yard loss.

Snowden led out the first Jaguars’ possession of the fourth quarter with a tackle for loss that led to a three-and-out. Then on fourth-and-one with the game in the balance, he drew a holding penalty to make it fourth-and-11 instead. They couldn’t make it up and turned it over on downs.

RB Ameer Abdullah

Abdullah made the play of the game. Early in the fourth quarter, with the Jaguars having just taken a 14-13 lead, Aidan O’Connell was under pressure, and threw up a prayer ball Abdullah’s way and he came back to make the catch for the first down at the Jacksonville 35.

The next play, Abdullah made an 11-yard catch to put them in easy scoring range. Two play later, he took the ball up the gut from seven yards out for the touchdown to give the Raiders the lead. That 19-14 lead would hold the rest of the way.

He also had three runs for 24 yards to put the Raiders in field goal range for a 13-7 lead just before the half.

TE Brock Bowers

He made the first catch of the day for the Raiders. He was open on the right side and shot up the sideline for 32 yards. As it happens, he was exactly 32 yards from 1000 on the season and that play landed him right on the milestone.

On the game-winning drive, Bowers had three catches for 29 yards, including the 17-yard catch that put them in first and goal. His final two catches helped the Raiders eat up clock to preserve the win and give him 11 catches for 99 yards in the game.

DT Adam Butler, DT John Jenkins

The first tackle of the day was a run stop for no gain and it was set up because Butler shot through the gap to force the run elsewhere. Jenkins helped to end the drive with a punt with a run stuff on first down followed by a batted ball at the line.

Jenkins led out the second Jaguars possession with another run stuff. And he added another on the next drive.

Butler drew a holding penalty in the second quarter that led to a three-and-out. Then he drew another holding penalty in the third quarter that also stopped a drive. On the play prior to that second drawn holding, Jenkins got pressure up the middle to force and incompletion.

Butler is a perfect example of why the game is played outside the stats. He had no stats in the game. But affected the game greatly just the same.

RT DJ Glaze

Didn’t give up any QB hits, sacks, or run stops in the game. That’s just flat out doing his job.

Honorable Mention

QB Aidan O’Connell — The offense wasn’t great. But he led them on two TD drives and made some gritty plays along the way.

Continue to the Busters…

Raiders PFF grades: 5 highest rated Week 15 vs. Falcons

The Raiders almost earned a miracle win on Monday Night Football against the Falcons but came up short. Which players graded the highest?

The Raiders’ losing streak hit double digits after they fell to the Falcons on Monday night, and Las Vegas’ last NFL win is a distant memory.

Despite looking awful for most of the game, the Raiders had a chance at victory on the game’s last play. But quarterback Desmond Ridder, starting in place of an injured Aidan O’Connell, missed the mark on a desperate hail mary pass as time expired.

Still, some players will be happier than others when they watch the game film with teammates and coaches. Linebacker Robert Spillane earned the highest grade on the team this week from Pro Football Focus, earning a solid 86.9 score.

Two other defenders join Spillane as high-scorers this week. Safety Tre’von Moehrig continued his strong season with another standout performance. Combined with Spillane’s fellow linebacker Divine Deablo, these three give Las Vegas hope for a strong middle section of the defense in 2025.

Two offensive linemen complete the list. Offensive tackle Kolton Miller earned the No. 2 spot with an 82.6 score. Guard Jordan Meredith took the No. 5 position with a 72.2 grade. Miller is a veteran while Meredith is a young player and took over as starter midseason. They figure to play a large role next season and performed well according to PFF, but each player committed multiple penalties against the Falcons, including a false start on Miller on the game’s first snap.

Everyone on the roster has to be better, however. Coaches have to perform better as well. If they can, perhaps they’ll earn a win over the season’s final weeks, potentially saving coach Antonio Pierce’s job in the process.

Ballers & Busters for Raiders Week 14 loss to Buccaneers

Going over the individual performances for the Raiders in their week 14 games against the Buccaneers.

The Raiders game in Tampa was like a pendulum. The problem was it swung hard the Buccaneers’ way in the first quarter, only slightly the Raiders direction for two quarters, and then hard the Bucs was again for the fourth quarter.

Ballers

S Tre’von Moehrig

After running through the Raiders defense for touchdowns on each of their first two drives, Moehrig started things out for the defense and made big plays on five of their six straight stops in the second and third quarters.

He teamed up for a tackle for loss on the first stop, had a pass breakup and recovered a forced fumble in the next one, had a pass breakup on the third, He added a shared sack on third down in the third quarter and led out the fourth quarter with coverage on third down to force another punt.

He added a run stuff for minimal gain on the final drive of the game to finish with a team-leading eight tackles, a half sack, three pass breakups, and a fumble recovery.

DE K’Lavon Chaisson

Chaisson teamed up with Moehrig on that tackle for loss to start the defense’s run. Then he ended that drive when he stopped his rush to get in the passing lane on a screen, batted the pass to himself for the interception.

In the third quarter he teamed up with Moehrig on a sack and added two more tackles.

RB Sincere McCormick

He continues to show himself to be the Raiders’ best kept secret this season. His 29-yard run was a thing of beauty. He broke two tackles along the way, including a wicked spin move to put the Raiders in position for their second score.

To begin the third quarter, the Raiders were able to go on a 16-play drive that took over ten minutes, largely on his back. He had three first downs, including on third and one and fourth and one. Unfortunately it ended with an interception.

He finished with 78 yards on 15 carries (5.2 yards per carry).

DI Adam Butler

His sack on a drive in the second quarter helped put the Bucs in third and 23 which led to great field position on the Raiders ensuing possession. And he started out the next drive with a run stuff. And his pressure in the fourth quarter led to a bad throw on third down to give the Raiders one last shot to get back in the game.

They couldn’t take advantage, but he still crashed the backfield to start the next drive leading to a run stuff. He finished with four tackles, a sack, and two QB hits.

TE Michael Mayer

Mayer led the Raiders seven catches for 68 yards. It was a career high for catches for Mayer and his second most yards in a game.

His 19-yard catch put the Raiders in first and goal on their first touchdown drive. On the long drive in the third quarter, he laid the key block to convert on fourth and one and on the next play caught a seven-yard pass to put the Raiders at the ten.

Continue to the Busters…

Raiders PFF grades: 5 highest rated Week 14 vs. Buccaneers

The Raiders lost again, their ninth straight defeat. But who actually performed well against the Buccaneers on Sunday?

The Raiders battled in Tampa Bay on Sunday after falling behind the Buccaneers early, and for a while, it seemed like they’d actually win a game.

But the Las Vegas offense couldn’t score enough points and the defense ran out of steam, allowing the Bucs to register a couple of fourth-quarter touchdowns. It was the Raiders’ ninth straight defeat.

Some players put good performances on tape, however. Safety Tre’von Moehrig is the highest-graded Raider this week according to Pro Football Focus, earning an impressive 90.6 score. He’s followed on the list by another defender, defensive end K’Lavon Chaisson.

Moehrig led his team in tackles and recovered a fumble, and Chaisson had an incredible interception after tipping the football at the line of scrimmage. Each player registered half of a QB sack and Moehrig had three pass breakups.

They’re followed on the list by three young players on offense: running back Sincere McCormick, tight end Brock Bowers, and center Jackson Powers-Johnson. McCormick started in the backfield and responded with 78 yards on 15 carries. He’ll get more opportunities to adjust to the NFL as the season winds down.

Bowers had a quiet day as a receiver with just three catches, though he had a long reception of 25 yards. He’s still in the running for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Powers-Johnson has displayed a lot of skill at center since he took over for offensive lineman Andre James, but the rookie needs to reduce his penalties and miscues as part of the maturity process.

After nine straight weeks of PFF grades following a Raiders loss, when will we see how the team grades after a win? That’s uncertain, but Las Vegas will try for victory again on Monday night against the Falcons in Las Vegas.

Ballers for Raiders Week 7 loss to Rams

Picking out the individual performances in the Raiders Week 7 loss to the Rams.

At some point we should just call all these Raiders loss to Raiders. Because it doesn’t seem to matter the team in the other jersey, the Raiders real opponent each week is themselves.

That being said, there are a few players who stepped up and did their part to try and pull out the win. Even if their efforts fell short. As per usual, we will start with them before we feature the failures.

Ballers

S Tre’von Moehrig

Moehrig was sent on the blitz several times in this game. To great results. He was sent on third down on the Rams first drive and nailed Matt Stafford to force an incomplete pass. He would then assist on a run stuff for a three-and-out in the second quarter.

He got in the backfield again for a tackle for loss to end a drive early in the third quarter. Then on the Rams’ final two drives, he had a pressure on an incompletion and a run stuff, finishing second on the team with six combined tackles, one for a loss, a QB hit and a pass breakup.

RB Alexander Mattison

Consecutive runs of 13 and 12 yards led out the Raiders’ first scoring drive. He would add a five-yard run later in that drive to help the Raiders jump to a 3-0 lead to begin the second quarter.

After falling down 14-3 late in the second quarter, the Raiders needed to go on a drive. And they did that courtesy of Mattison, who had two runs for a first down and a 17-yard screen that put them in field goal range.

Four runs for 21 yards set the Raiders up for their third score of the game in the third quarter. Mattison had 92 yards on the ground and 123 yards from scrimmage on 26 touches.

CB Nate Hobbs, CB Jakorian Bennett

Tight coverage by Bennett set up a third and long that would lead to a punt on the Rams’ second drive. After the Raiders took a 3-0 lead early in the second, Hobbs’ run stuff on 4th and one gave the Raiders the ball back with a turnover on downs.

Bennett ended the Rams first possession of the third quarter with a three-and-out by breaking up the pass on third down.

With the fourth quarter looming, the Raiders needed a score to give them a chance. They got that score when Robert Spillane got a hand on a pass and Hobbs picked it off and returned it 35 yards to the LA 14-yard-line. That made it a one-score game at 20-12.

The following drive ended with Bennett in tight coverage in the end zone for an incompletion and the field goal missed off the upright. And the final Rams possession ended with Hobbs making the tackle short of the sticks on third down.

TE Brock Bowers

The first time the Raiders got in scoring position in the game was off of his 25-yard catch and run. Most of that was YAC; something he has become known for.

By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, Bowers already had six catches for 64 yards and the Raiders were one score away. They looked to Bowers early and often on their drive to try and tie it up. He had three first down catches on the first five plays. Two plays later, he was the lead blocked on a first down run on fourth down.

He would finish the game with ten catches for 93 yards which was one catch shy of the entire total for the rest of the team (11).

DT Adam Butler

His first tackle was a run stuff at the line that ended the Rams’ second drive. He ended another Rams’ possession in the second quarter with another run stuff. He added another run stop in the fourth quarter to finished tied for second on the team in tackles (6).

K Daniel Carlson

Though it’s never a good thing when your kicker scores all your points, at least he was steady. Carlson made all five of his field goals in the game with the longest coming from 47 yards.

Continue to the Busters…

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…

Busters for Raiders Week 2 win vs Ravens

Those whose play required heroics to overcome.

There wouldn’t have been a need for heroics had the Raiders not put themselves in a hole in this game. And it was pretty obvious at times what the problem was.

Busters

LT Kolton Miller, LG Andrus Peat, RT Thayer Munford

Let’s be clear, no one on this offensive line was good. The run game was historically bad and that falls on everyone. But these three were SO bad, they get special mention.

Last week Kolton Miller had what seemed to me to be the worst game of his career. Well, that wasn’t a fluke. He had another brutal game in this one.

Miller gave up a sack on the very first play of the game. And it was a strip sack which he luckily fell on or the Raiders would have been looking at going down a score seconds into this one.

Getting the start next to him was Andrus Peat, taking the place of Cody Whitehair. Three plays in, he was shucked out of the way to give up a run stuff for a two-yard loss. The Raiders moved backward on two of their first three plays and punted it away.

Second drive, Miller didn’t block the end to give up a free sack on third down.

The second quarter, the Raiders finally got a first down. They even drove into scoring range. But it ended with Peat missing his block to give up a tackle for loss, leading to a 53-yard field goal.

They got into scoring range again later in the second quarter. But Munford was beat around the edge and since Peat was also beaten up the middle, Minshew had nowhere to go and was sacked, leading to a 51-yard field goal.

Peat was sent back to the bench for the second and Cody Whitehair took over.

Munford had a disastrous possession in the third quarter. Starting out by blocking no one to give up a run stuff. Then two plays later losing his block to give up another run stuff for no gain, following immediately be giving up a tackle for loss. They convert on third and long and ended up turning it over on downs.

The offense may have come up late in this one, but the run game never did. And Minshew still had to overcome poor pass blocking as well. Miller gave up another sack, as did Munford.

S Tre’von Moehrig, S Marcus Epps

Weird to think all the starting cornerbacks are Ballers and both starting safeties are Busters. Not sure I’ve seen that happen before.

The biggest play of the Ravens first drive of the game was a 19-yard catch given up by Epps on third and seven. And they got on the board with a field goal.

The next Ravens scoring drive started with Moehrig giving up a 17-yard catch. And the final scoring drive of the first half saw Moehrig give up an eight-yard catch that put them in scoring range at the 34.

They would go for a touchdown to open the third quarter and the big play was a 30-yard run by Derrick Henry on which Epps missed the tackle near the line. Two plays later, Moehrig gave up the touchdown catch from eight yards out.

To begin the fourth quarter, the Ravens would drive for another TD. They would drive into Vegas territory at the 48 and Epps would miss a tackle to give up a 15-yard run. Two plays later came the biggest play of the drive with Epps getting blocked to give up a 17-yard run and Moehrig tacking on a few more with a late hit out of bounds call. This put the Ravens in first and goal at the six-yard-line. They scored two plays later.

DE Charles Snowden

That first touchdown drive to start the third quarter saw Derrick Henry break off a 30-yard run. He got the edge to begin with because Snowden was blocked. Then Snowden tried to recover and chase Henry down only to embarrassed by a wicked stiff arm.

Their second touchdown drive, that 17-yard run mentioned a couple paragraphs back began with Snowden missing a tackle. He showed some pass rushing prowess in the preseason, but his tackling leaves much to be desired.

Also see the Ballers