Silver And Black Pride
It’s Week 15 and the Las Vegas Raiders have just four more games to evaluate their roster heading into the offseason. So, this Sunday’s contest against the Philadelphia Eagles is one of the final opportunities for the Raiders’ youngsters to show the front office what they can bring to the table. With that, let’s get to this week’s key matchups.
With Kyu Blu Kelly officially out for the rest of the season, Porter’s training wheels should be off since those two have been splitting reps over the last few weeks. Kelly exited last week’s game early, and the rookie ended up taking 69 of the team’s 74 defensive snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
He had a pretty encouraging performance, drawing six targets and allowing three completions for 34 yards while logging a few pass breakups along the way, via PFF. What’s even more impressive is that the Denver Broncos tested the Iowa State product with their No. 1 receiver, Courtland Sutton, and Porter managed to hold his own. But, as is life in the NFL, he faces another tough test on Sunday with the Eagles’ duo of receivers.
While there has been a lot of chatter about Brown’s involvement in Philadelphia’s offense this season, he’s still managed to put up 62 catches for 799 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games. Also, he’s been on an impressive run over the last three weeks with 24 grabs, 342 yards and three scores, while reaching triple digits in receiving yards in each game.
Considering the Eagles have the three-time second-team All-Pro line up as an outside receiver on the left and right nearly equally—306 snaps on the left and 299 on the right—while Porter is primarily a right cornerback—239 out of 361 snaps—the rookie will also get a healthy amount of reps against Smith.
The five-year pro may not have the accolades that his counterpart has, but he’s been consistently productive with 60-plus catches and over 800 yards every season. This year, Smith is trending toward recording a third 1,000-yard performance with 64 catches, 839 yards and three touchdowns so far.
In other words, Porter should expect to be tested all game long. This is an opportunity for him to establish himself as a full-time starter moving forward.
After showing promise as a rookie, year two has been a struggle for Glaze. He’s given up 36 pressures (seven sacks) in pass protection, which is tied for the sixth-most among all offensive tackles and the second-most when looking at right tackles specifically, per PFF. Unfortunately, it won’t be any easier for the 2024 third-round pick this week since he’ll be facing one of the hottest pass-rushers in the league.
After getting traded to the Eagles in Week 10, Phillips ranks sixth among edge-rushers with 27 pressures, via PFF. Additionally, his 17.7 percent win rate is ninth at the position (minimum 94 pass rushes) during that timeframe. Clearly, the former Miami...
