Silver And Black Pride
This Week 6 game between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Tennessee Titans has a lot riding on it, when it comes to the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft…With both teams entering the weekend at 1-4, the playoffs are an afterthought for the Raiders and Titans, so it may be time to start looking ahead to the future.
However, each head coach is trying to establish a winning culture, as Pete Carroll is in his first season in Las Vegas while Brian Callahan is at the beginning of year two in Tennessee. In other words, don’t expect a tank job for either club on Sunday, heightening the importance of the key matchups below.
One silver lining for the Raiders over the last two weeks is that the offense has shown significant improvements in the running game. Rookie running back Ashton Jeanty has 205 rushing yards on 35 carries during that timeframe, which comes out to just under 5.9 yards per carry. A big reason for that is Powers-Johnson’s return to the starting lineup.
After missing Week 2 with a concussion and sitting out while Alex Cappa started against the Washington Commanders, the second-year pro has earned the starting job at right guard by posting run blocking grades of 70.1 and 90.6 from Pro Football Focus in the last two games, respectively. That gives him an 85.3 mark during the last two weeks as a whole, which ranks fifth among guards across the league (minimum 13 run blocking snaps).
However, JPJ faces some stiff competition this weekend against Simmons, who has a decent track record of being a disruptive run defender.
Last season, the Titans’ defensive tackle ranked 12th at his position with a 73.7 PFF run defense grade and was third in defensive stops against the run (34). Through five games in 2025, his grade has dropped to 59.1, but he has good production with nine run stops, tied for fourth among DTs. Granted, the latter is a bit of a volume stat since he’s recorded the most defensive snaps against the run, and his 7.7 percent run stop rate is tied for 49th.
The passing game is where this matchup tilts in Simmons’ favor, though. Among interior defenders, he’s currently tied for the most sacks (3.5) and has the most pressures (24). Additionally, the seven-year veteran has the second-highest pass-rush grade (90.8) and fourth-highest win rate (19.6 percent), per PFF.
Meanwhile, Powers-Johnson had a few quick losses to DeForest Bucker last week, earning a 47.1 grade in pass protection. Albeit JPJ has only given up four pressures (one sack) on 102 opportunities so far this year.
Long story short, this will be a noteworthy battle in the trenches on Sunday.
In full disclosure, there is no guarantee Porter will start or even see the field on defense this Sunday. He didn’t record any defensive snaps in Las Vegas’ first two games of the season...
