The final six weeks of the regular season will determine whether or not the Raiders are good enough to make the playoffs. It could also help shape the futures of rookie cornerbacks Trayvon Mullen and Isaiah Johnson.
The two spent the first two months trying to figure out their place on the roster. Mullen played primarily special teams while Johnson was working his way back from a concussion and broken bone in his face that he suffered after getting kneed by a teammate during Oakland’s first preseason game.
Mullen was pressed into duty when the Raiders surprisingly traded former first-round pick Gareon Conley to the Houston Texans. Conley, in a unique twist, ended up getting beat for a long touchdown by Tyrell Williams when the two teams played a few days after the trade.
Johnson was cleared to come off injured reserve after eight games, then made his regular season debut against the Chargers where he was on the field for one defensive play — the last play of the game when Los Angeles quarterback Philip Rivers threw a game-ending interception.
“That was a crunch-time moment to go in but you don’t flinch. You just go,” Johnson said. “That’s just the mentality you have to have at corner. Whether good or bad, just keep going.”
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Denne historien er fra December 2019-utgaven av Silver & Black Illustrated.
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‘We have to be a much more detailed football team'
Like so many Raiders fans, coach Jon Gruden found himself searching for answers after the Raiders’ second-half collapse that cost the team a spot in the expanded playoffs.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
Starting Tackle Kolton Miller is entering the final year of his rookie contract.
Wanted: Defensive coordinator
The Raiders didn’t wait long to begin their search for a new defensive coordinator, and it’s becoming clear that Jon Gruden has already narrowed his list down.
Raiders' good, bad, ugly
Raiders’ good, bad, ugly
NEWS & NOTES
The Raiders had one of the easier schedules in 2020 and got only eight wins to show for it. Things won’t get any easier in 2021, either.
Looking back at 2020 season
The 2020 season will absolutely be remembered for being one of the strangest and most disappointing in franchise history.
Gruden feeling the heat?
“I know there is a big bull’s-eye on my chest, certainly. If the people want to use that as an incentive, then so be it. I worked for Al Davis in 1998. That was pressure. I was 34 years old. I’ve dealt with pressure before. I don’t really feel pressure. I love the excitement and thrill of competing, and I can’t worry about things I can’t control in that regard. I know people will want to step on me and beat me, and that is just the way this league is.”
From the SILVERANDBLACK.com Message Boards
S&BI continually scans the message boards across Raider Nation to see what Raider fans are talking about now that the 2020 season has ended for the Raiders. We chose some of the better posts and present them here.
Checklist for 2021
Now that the 2020 season has been put to rest for Las Vegas, the Raiders have shifted their focus to what figures to be a busy offseason as they prepare for 2021.
AFC WEST ROUNDUP
The Chargers fired coach Anthony Lynn after four seasons.