Silver And Black Pride
Let’s be honest, there aren’t many reasons to tune into the Week 18 matchup between the Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs. The game has a preseason vibe to it, with the Chiefs starting third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun and the Raiders expected to split the reps behind center between Kenny Pickett and Aidan O’Connell. On that note, the season finale is an opportunity for Las Vegas’ 2025 NFL draft class to finish strong heading into the offseason.
For Ashton Jeanty, this year has certainly been disappointing, as he hasn’t had much breathing room while running behind a bad offensive line. That’s led to underwhelming production compared to the Boise State product’s college days; however, he’s still only 112 rushing yards away from a 1,000-yard campaign. Crossing that threshold would be a significant achievement for Jeanty, considering the Raiders’ struggles up front.
Meanwhile, Jack Bech has had limited opportunities this season, resulting in just 20 catches for 224 yards and no touchdowns. But he has made a handful of impactful grabs, owning a 63.0 percent success rate and 11 first downs, according to Pro Football Reference. So, it will be interesting to see if the second-round pick gets a bigger sample size to build some momentum heading into the offseason, especially after missing last week’s game with a back injury. Bech was listed on Wednesday’s injury report as a full participant in practice.
As for third-rounder Darien Porter, his role has increased significantly during he second half of the campaign, logging nine starts so far. Porter has shown plenty of promise throughout the season but did have a tough two-game skid against the Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Texans. The Iowa State product did bounce back last week versus the New York Giants and can build some confidence with another strong outing.
Then there are third-round offensive linemen Caleb Rogers and Charles Grant. It took a while for Rogers to see the field, but he’s been a starter since Week 13 and has had several promising performances. Taking on Chris Jones will be a significant test for the Texas Tech product, though. Grant is in a similar boat, having hardly seen the field in year one. However, he’s received limited action recently and looked good on the few opportunities. So, there’s no guarantee the No. 99 overall pick will play on Sunday, but there’s also no reason for him to continue riding the bench with Kolton Miller out and Stone Forsthye and DJ Glaze struggling.
As for the Day 3 picks, Dont’e Thornton Jr. has had a quiet year after receiving hype during training camp. But there’s no logical reason for Tyler Lockett to continue getting snaps over the rookie in the season finale. Defensive linemen Tonka Hemingway and JJ Pegues have been getting more playing time over the last month or so and have gotten better week after week. Finally, linebacker Cody Lindenberg has been an impressive special teamer but hasn’t recorded a defensive snap yet. This game is the...
