It took forever for the Las Vegas Raiders to go all-in on some of their younger players, but several who saw action in the Raiders' 14-12 win over the Kansas City Chiefs responded with big games, and Matt Holder of Silver and Black Pride provided a solid rundown on those who came up big.
Tyree Wilson, defensive end. Wilson had an up and down season for the Silver and Black, but he registered seven pass pressures to go with a sack. Wilson also indirectly got on teh scoreboard, sacking Kansas City quarterback Shane Buechele in the end zone for a safety that proved to be the winning margin for the Raiders. The defensive end also had a strip sack as the Raiders pass rush managed to show some teeth even without defensive end Maxx Crosby.
Tonka Hemingway, defensive tackle. The South Carolina product joined the defensive line rotation down the stretch and produced, with four pressures and two sacks in the final game of the season against the Chiefs.
He’s improved in every game over the last half-dozen contests, according to Holder, which is especially impressive given that he’s had less that 20 defensive snaps in five of the games in which he's appeared. Hemingway and Wilson could help give Las Vegas a solid foundation up front if the Raiders decide to trade star defensive end Maxx Crosby.
Charles Grant, offensive lineman. In a season in which the offensive line has spent much of the year on the collective hot seat, Grant finally got some playing time, logging 44 offensive snaps. His grades weren’t great in the run game, which has been a problem all year long for the O-line, but Grant gave up just one pressure during 21 snaps in pass protection.
Tommy Eichenberg, linebacker. Eichenberg is another player who proved he should have been getting more snaps during the regular season, as he recorded four tackles on defense and two more on special teams. He was also credited with two defensive strops and batted a pass away in one of this two pass-rush opportunities.
The takeaway here isn’t hard to figure out. Former coach Pete Carroll was so intent on saving his job that he neglected the development of some of the younger players, so call this a lost opportunity given the results in the final game. There’s no such thing as a meaningless game during a rebuild, and it will be interesting to see if the Raiders next coach can continue to build on what they did.