The Raiders scored 20 straight points after the Browns (1-3) took an early 10-0 lead, holding on for a 20-16 win on Sunday in Las Vegas. The game wasn’t decided until the Raiders defense sacked Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson on a last second 4th-and-3 play.
Las Vegas was without its top two players, defensive end Maxx Crosby and wide receiver Davante Adams, who were both out with injuries. A reimagined rushing attack for led the way for the Raiders offense, and reserves on every level of the defense held their own and finished the job.
Here are the winners and losers for the week after the Raiders improved to 2-2 on the season.
Winner: DE Charles Snowden
Defensive end Charles Snowden made his largest impact as a Raider on Sunday, helping fill the void left by Crosby. His sack of Watson sealed the Raiders come-from-behind victory.
Snowden icing it 🥶#CLEvsLV | 📺 @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/S0wru9N1Na
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) September 29, 2024
Snowden also had a big pass breakup at the line of scrimmage earlier in the same drive. He finished with three total tackles, a tackle for loss, and three QB hits to go with his big PBU and QB sack. An honorable mention for the winner list goes to DE K’Lavon Chaisson, who teamed with Snowden on the game’s deciding play.
Winner: S Isaiah Pola-Mao
The Raiders lost safety Marcus Epps for the season last week, and new starter Isaiah Pola-Mao had a fantastic debut with the first-team defense. He looked sharp as a tackler in the open field, had a QB sack, and recorded an impressive pass breakup on a big 3rd-and-4 play in the fourth quarter.
Pola-Mao’s performance is fantastic news for Las Vegas. Epps was a huge part of the defenses’ success last season and had played will thus far in 2024. On this Sunday, Pola-Mao was a legit impact player.
Winner: WR Tre Tucker
The Raiders finished with 152 rushing yards on Sunday, a far cry from the 55 yards gained on the ground last week. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy had to get creative to unlock his rushing attack, as six different players had at least one rushing attempt. That includes WR Tre Tucker, who scored the Raiders first touchdown on a reverse on 3rd-and-goal.
STICKS WITH THE SPEED!!!#CLEvsLV | 📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/u45u6Retvk
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) September 29, 2024
Tucker starred throughout the Raiders first scoring drive of the day and finished with five receptions for 41 yards. He helped unlock an offense that did basically nothing in the first quarter.
Winner: WR DJ Turner
The Raiders had two rushing touchdowns, and they both went to wide receivers. Wideout DJ Turner notched a scoring run of his own to give the Raiders a 20-10 lead. Turner was aided by fantastic blocks from Tucker and tight end Brock Bowers. It was his first career touchdown.
TURN US UP DJ 🔊#CLEvsLV | 📺 @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/GZIPKgHSYL
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) September 29, 2024
Getsy gets an honorable mention for the winner list for his creativity this week. The fact that two wide receivers notched rushing touchdowns — and the Raiders had a season high in rushing yards — says it all.
Winner: S Tre’von Moehrig
Turner’s touchdown came after a Browns turnover, an interception by safety Tre’von Moehrig. When a pass bounced off the chest of Browns WR Amari Cooper, Moehrig alertly grabbed the ball from the air and had a solid return to set the Raiders up near midfield.
TIP DRILL FOR T'MO‼️#CLEvsLV | 📺 @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/8F6XR8F5EX
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) September 29, 2024
Winner: RB Alexander Mattison
A lot had to go right for the Raiders before Turner’s big score. Running back Alexander Mattison converted a huge 3rd-and-9 play with a tough run to make it happen. Mattison had 60 yards rushing on just five carries, including a 24-yard attempt, the Raiders’ longest running play of the season.
Winner: OG Jackson Powers-Johnson and OT DJ Glaze
The Raiders rushing outburst is even sweeter considering that two rookie offensive lineman were in the starting lineup. Guard Jackson Powers-Johnson started after playing last week for the first time, and tackle DJ Glaze played in place of injured starter Thayer Munford.
Loser: RB Zamir White
It’s been a rough season for Raiders RB Zamir White. Even as the Raiders had their best rushing performance of the season, White helped the other team as much as he helped his own. His fumble on the first play of the fourth quarter was returned for a touchdown by the Browns.
.@Browns FUMBLE SIX!
📺: #CLEvsLV on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/gkcDkR2ODv— NFL (@NFL) September 29, 2024
The Browns missed the extra point to provide the final score of 20-16. White had 17 carries for just 50 yards, though he did break out with a nice 17-yard run. But overall, White may have lost his starting job after this game, considering Mattison’s performance.
Loser: CB Jack Jones
Cornerback Jack Jones was on the bench to start this game, seemingly a result of a business decision by coach Antonio Pierce. Jones re-entered the game, however, and finished with four tackles. Still, it was an unexpected development for Jones, who has arguably been the Raiders best defensive back since arriving in Las Vegas.
Loser: OT Kolton Miller
The Raiders only allowed two QB sacks, but their best player up front, OT Kolton Miller, continues to struggle against top-flight EDGE players. He allowed both sacks to Browns star rusher Myles Garrett.
It's going to be a long game for Kolton Miller
Miller is looking at a 59.9 live PFF grade and another half of football to deal with Myles Garrettpic.twitter.com/UaJCojjqOM
— All-22 (@All22_PFF) September 29, 2024
After news broke about the absence of Adams and Crosby, the Raiders went from betting favorites to underdogs, and for good reason. They are legit superstars, and it was literally unthinkable that both could be out in the same game. It was the first missed game of Crosby’s career and Adams first game missed as a Raider.
But Pierce had his team ready to win, unlike their embarrassing performance a week ago against the Panthers. Both coordinators — Getsy and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham — deserve a ton of credit as well in this team effort. Next up for Las Vegas, a big game against the Broncos in Denver, as each team will try to improve to 3-2.
