A day after the Raiders fell short in their Week 1 matchup with the Chargers, it’s clear the team has a lot of work to do before contending for a playoff spot this season.
But it’s just one game, and despite the 22-10 score, there were a few positives. Pro Football Focus watched the gameday film before revealing their top-performing Raiders, and it’s no surprise most of them play defense.
Linebacker Robert Spillane earned the highest mark, and three defenders joined him, including the Raiders’ big-money free agent, defensive tackle Christian Wilkins.
The highest-graded Raiders in Week 1 vs the Chargers:
🥇 Robert Spillane – 84.0
🥈 John Jenkins – 83.6
🥉 Dylan Parham – 83.2
🏅 Christian Wilkins – 80.8
🏅 Maxx Crosby – 76.5 pic.twitter.com/OsCt3t9mzj— PFF Las Vegas Raiders (@PFF_Raiders) September 9, 2024
Both Wilkins and defensive end Maxx Crosby appear on the list despite performing poorly against Chargers rookie left tackle Joe Alt in pass-rush situations.
Joe Alt vs Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins
⚡ 19 pass blocking snaps
⚡ 0 pressures allowedNot bad for a rookie 👀 pic.twitter.com/V3eULB3B31
— PFF (@PFF) September 9, 2024
Defensive tackle John Jenkins got off to a strong start to follow up on a strong season last year, and despite issues blocking against the Chargers, guard Dylan Parham also graded well on Sunday.
Once the Raiders score more than 10 points in a game, we’ll see more offensive players on this list. But for now, PFF’s grades confirm what we know: the defense is solid and the Raiders offense has to find its way before this season goes off the rails.
