The Raiders had a bad day at the office on Sunday in Cincinnati and lost 41-24 to the Bengals. It was so bad that coach Antonio Pierce fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy on Sunday night.
According to this week’s player grades from Pro Football Focus, the incoming play caller could have a new starting center. Rookie Jackson Powers-Johnson started in the middle due to an injury to Andre James and excelled. He earned the top grade on the team, an impressive 90.6 mark.
The highest-graded Raiders in Week 9 vs the Bengals:
🥇 Jackson Powers-Johnson – 90.6
🥈 Jordan Meredith – 81.5
🥉 Jack Jones – 80.9
🏅 Jakorian Bennett – 76.2
🏅 K'Lavon Chaisson – 75.3(min. 25 snaps) pic.twitter.com/FvbmeVgBnL
— PFF Las Vegas Raiders (@PFF_Raiders) November 4, 2024
Powers-Johnson had previously played guard for the Raiders, but he was the top center in college football while at Oregon. It will be interesting to see where Las Vegas plays him after the bye week.
Another lineman made PFF’s list, as guard Jordan Meredith earned an 81.5 grade. It’s puzzling to have two offensive linemen top the list when the Raiders rushing attack is dreadful, but these two players helped the line get through multiple injuries suffered during the Bengals game.
Three defenders complete the list, with cornerbacks Jack Jones and Jakorian Bennett joining defensive end K’Lavon Chaisson. Jones and Bennett saw a lot of action as the Bengals racked up yardage all afternoon. Each had some great coverage snaps that prevented the Bengals from having even more success, most notably Jones’ pick-6 interception.
The Raiders failed to get consistent pressure on Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, but Chaisson still graded highly. He played just 54 percent of the snaps on defense, however. Defensive end Maxx Crosby played 100 percent of the snaps and didn’t perform very well, so it could make sense to give Crosby a few snaps off so he can be more effective when he’s in there.
Ideally for Pierce, the next round of Raiders grades from PFF will come after a win. Las Vegas has lost five straight games and could use a fresh start that a bye week can potentially provide.
