Black Friday featured an iconic rivalry once again between Kansas City and Sin City. The historic ending of this game defied any script. Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell returned from injured reserve into a primetime game against the reigning champions.
Although this game had no prominent value for the Raiders, they showed resilience and fight. One consistent aspect continued as the team trailed by double digits yet again. However, the Silver and Black rallied together and eventually took the lead. In dramatic fashion, a last-minute fumble costs the game and adds another loss to the Raiders record.
Brock Bowers once again demonstrated his dominance and showcased his potential to pose a significant threat in the future. Jakobi Meyers proved he can be a stud wide receiver in this league. Maxx Crosby caused havoc as usual and should have had more sacks than the box score shows.
The Chiefs have Taylor Swift
The Raiders have the Mayor of Flavortown
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 22, 2024
Sincere McCormick Is Earning His Stripes
The Raiders’ inability to run the ball has derailed the entire offense. Zamir White has struggled, leaving Alexander Mattison as the leading rusher. The absence of both Mattison and White provided McCormick with an ideal opportunity to dominate. Since then, he has begun to make a case for a role past this season. In fact, one could argue that McCormick should be receiving Ameer Abdullah’s carries at this point in time.
Sincere McCormick needs to be getting 18+ carries a game from here on out.
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) November 30, 2024
What’s been notably impressive about McCormick during this run is breaking tackles with both power and agility. He exhibited outstanding vision and allowed his blocks to develop, which led to success. He averaged over five yards per carry and totaled 64 yards with little volume on Friday.
Aidan O’Connell Proves He’s The Raiders Starter (For Now)
Gardner Minshew started at quarterback at the start of the season, with O’Connell benched. Given that the Raiders had the lowest turnover margin, it became evident that the quarterback position had been a significant issue. Up until this game, AOC was on injured reserve and performed admirably as he saw his number called in a short week.
Aidan O’Connell really impressed me. While his mobility is obviously still limited, he showed some improvement moving around. Very accurate. The back-shoulder sail route is insane. The fact Minshew started over this man is coaching malpractice. pic.twitter.com/t0GtLO9ifD
— William Herman (@_williamherman) December 1, 2024
Although he struggled to show outstanding pocket presence, O’Connell threw zero interceptions. This is a rare commodity in the 2024 Raiders offense. He outperformed “The Magician,” Patrick Mahomes, with 364 passing yards and two touchdowns. This could end up being the best game of his career.
K’Lavon Chaisson Revived His Career
Chaisson was a player that teams no longer believed in. The Panthers cut Chaisson with no home in sight after an underwhelming preseason. On Black Friday, he excelled and made a significant impact on the game. Nonetheless, he needs to work on his holding penalties that continue to pile up.
#Raiders EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson vs KC:
– 1.5 sacks
– 2 TFL
– 4 QB Hits
– 6 pressures
– 30% Win Rate
– 3 stops
Chaisson up to 17 tackles, 4 TFL, 2.5 sacks, 7 QB Hits, 19 pressures, 12 stops, and a 23.5% win rate on the season in 254 total snaps (180 PRSH)
— Tristen Kuhn (@KuhnTristen) November 30, 2024
Chaisson is a productive edge rusher and has the speed to bend corners. Additionally, he has quick hands to swipe linemen’s hands away. However, he consistently attempts to relieve a teammate’s workload by holding receivers when they come into contact with his body. Chaisson does have the ability to fix this and can be a depth piece to any defensive line room.
*Top Photo: The Raider Ramble
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