Not many people had the Las Vegas Raiders starting the season 2-0 and, more specifically, beating the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2. But after a 26-14 victory
, here we are! What’s impressive about the Raiders’ pair of wins is that they did it in two different ways, with a variety of players stepping up in the contests. That leads to a few changes from last week’s winners and losers.WINNER: Nakobe Dean
To be clear, Dean was sharp against both the Miami Dolphins and the Chargers. He’s currently tied with fellow linebacker
Quay Walker for the team lead in tackles (16) after notching a double-digit performance in Los Angeles. On top of that, Dean made plenty of quality tackles last Sunday by posting four ‘defensive stops’ and made an impact as a pass-rusher with half-a-sack and three pressures on five pass-rushes, per Pro Football Focus.
But what really stood out about the free-agent signing’s performance against the Bolts was a clutch play in a massive moment. The Raiders were clinging to a three-point lead while the Chargers were driving about halfway through the fourth quarter. A Malcolm Koonce strip-stack on third down bounced LA’s way, allowing the offense to gain yards to set up a fourth-and-one, where Las Vegas was flagged for having too many men on the field.
After a first down, it started to feel like the game was going to slip away from the Silver and Black. However, on the next play, Dean crashed downhill and delivered a big hit on running back Omarion Hampton to force a fumble and create a turnover. That led to a touchdown to give the Raiders a two-possession lead and put the game on ice.
LOSER: Offensive Line
The offensive line, rightfully, drew plenty of praise for their Week 1 performance. However, it was a completely different story against the Chargers, as the unit struggled mightily.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins was hit 10 times (two sacks) and was under pressure on 43.8% of his dropbacks, according to PFF. Additionally, the Raiders averaged just 2.0 yards per carry as a team, with running backs Ashton Jeanty (2.3 ypc) and Mike Washington Jr. (2.3 ypc) consistently facing defenders in the backfield.
To add some more context, Jackson Powers-Johnson was PFF’s highest-graded offensive lineman for Las Vegas, and even he was below their baseline grade of 60 at 56.6. Even reliable veterans Tyler Linderbaum (51.2) and Kolton Miller (49.7) had rough outings. If Vegas’ offense is going to have sustained success throughout the season, the line has to get back to its Week 1 form rather than taking a step backward.
WINNER: Kirk Cousins
Cousins took more flak than anyone after last week’s win, primarily due to his lack of success pushing the ball down the field. However, he proved a lot of doubters, myself included, wrong with an excellent performance in Los Angeles.
The 38-year-old showed he still has some life left in his right arm, completing nine-of-14 passes 10 or more yards beyond the line of scrimmage for three touchdowns, per Next Gen Stats. And the interception wasn’t his fault, as wide receiver Tre Tucker slipped coming out of his break, leading to a diving pick from the safety who was behind Tucker. It felt like the Chargers’ game plan was to force Cousins to beat them, and, putting it simply, he did.
LOSER: Isaiah Pola-Mao
The past month or so hasn’t been very kind to Pola-Mao, beginning with losing his starting spot to rookie Treydan Stukes at the end of training camp. But with Stukes suffering a concussion around the halfway point of Sunday’s game, Pola-Mao had a chance to show the coaching staff that he at least deserves more reps.
However, the veteran safety was targeted three times and gave up two catches for 61 yards, per PFF, including a blown coverage that led to a 53-yard gain and set up one of the Chargers’ two touchdowns. After not getting any defensive snaps in Week 1, Pola-Mao will likely revert to being a special teamer exclusively once Stukes clears concussion protocol.
WINNER: Tre Tucker
Tucker was the primary pass-catcher on the receiving end of Cousins’ deep shots, catching four of five targets 10 or more yards past the line of scrimmage for 110 yards and a touchdown, according to PFF. Add in a nine-yard grab on a short target (0-10 yards), and the fourth-year veteran had the second-highest single-game receiving yards of his career. What’s even more impressive is that Tucker continues to show growth as a route runner and is becoming a more polished receiver.
LOSER: Ashton Jeanty
While Jeanty’s lack of success on the ground can be excused since he had flashbacks to last year with little breathing room before touching the ball, three drops in the passing game cannot. On top of that, they were drive-killers, with two coming on third downs, and the other on second-and-nine during a two-minute drill right before halftime that would have given the Raiders a first down and put them in position for a touchdown.
Granted, Las Vegas managed to get a field goal after the latter. But it took Matt Gay hitting a career-long 59-yarder, and there’s no denying that the running back left some meat on the bone in Los Angeles.
WINNER: Hezekiah Masses
It wasn’t a perfect outing for Masses, but coming away with two interceptions in your first NFL start is certainly worth celebrating. Especially since the latter pretty much closed the door on the Chargers, as the Raiders were protecting a two-possession lead with 2:29 left on the clock in the fourth quarter. On top of that, the rookie corner accounted for three defensive stops, per PFF, two of which came against the run.
That helped silence some doubts about his tackling, and it will be interesting to see what the coaching staff does at cornerback when Darien Porter returns from injury. Masses made a strong statement to keep the starting spot moving forward.
