A game in which the Raiders were down 17-0 early and 20-3 at the half ended with a preseason win over the Texans. But the devil is in the details. So, let’s look at the standout individual performances for the Raiders.
Ballers
EDGE Patrick Johnson
Quite an encore performance for Johnson who had a stellar preseason opener last week as well. That performance earned him the start with the rest of the Raiders’ second team defense in this one. And while the entire Raiders defense struggled against the Houston first team offense, things got better after that.
The first play of the second drive, he was in the Texans’ backfield to make a tackle for loss. He would make two more run stops for minimal gain in the first half. Then in the third quarter, he jumpstarted the comeback when he flew around the left side to strip sack the QB. Gary Smith III recovered it and the Raiders got the ball at the Houston 39-yard-line where they drove for their first touchdown of the game.
RB Mike Washington
He too had quite the encore performance. After breaking off an impressive 53-yard run in the opener, he led out this one by streaking for 33 yards on his first carry. It came on a play in which he looked to be stopped initially, but kept looking for an opening and found one eventually and nearly broke it for a touchdown.
He would lead out the Raiders’ first scoring drive with a nine-yard run followed by picking up the first down. The next drive he had a nine-yard catch and two runs for a combined nine yards. He finished with 74 yards of offense on 11 touches (nine rushes).
S Tristin McCollum
He doesn’t get mentioned much, what with the two starters and the two rookies on the team. But McCollum got the start Thursday night and had a very good game. He had the first tackle of the game, in fact, making the stop on the opening kickoff. And since his play on special teams is what could decide whether he makes the team, that’s no small thing.
After that he showed that he could inspire some confidence as the next man up on defense as well. The second play against the Texans’ first team offense, he drove past his blocker to get into the backfield and make a tackle for no gain. Then he made the stop on the next play after the runner got through the line and into the secondary. He had another run stop for minimal gain in the third quarter and finished with a team-leading seven tackles (six solo).
DT Fatukasi Folorunso
One of the newer Raiders made a strong case to stick around Thursday night. He teamed up for a tackle for loss on the Texans’ second drive. He had another run stuff for no gain in the second quarter and a run stuff for one yard in the third quarter. The Raiders need that kind of production at the nose tackle position.
CB Hezekiah Masses
Big bounceback game for the rookie. After a rough outing in the opener, he was outstanding in coverage in this one. On one play on the first drive, he maintained tight coverage after CJ Stroud was flushed from the pocket, forcing him to throw the ball into the turf. Next drive he had another forced incompletion in tight coverage. And the drive after that he stopped a catch at one yard. He didn’t give up another catch.
RB Dylan Laube
He figures to make the team based largely on his special teams abilities. But the new staff would also like to see if he can offer an option as a number three running back. His performance in this game may have them feeling pretty good about that.
With Washington as the primary back, Laube was the change-up. His first play was a ten-yard catch and run to put the Raiders in scoring range to start the second quarter and they put their first points on the board.
Come the third quarter, Laube took over as the feature back. He started things off with two runs for 18 yards. And later in the quarter, with the Raiders knocking on the door for the first time, he had a 14-yard catch and run on third and six and ran it in for a touchdown from four yards out on the next play. And then did a dance he should never do again.
LB Buddy Johnson
No one did themselves more of a favor on special teams in this one than Buddy. He had one tackle and one assist in on returns. And he added a tackle on a scramble to stop it at two yards.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire:Ballers & Busters for Raiders preseason Week 2 vs Texans
Source: sports.yahoo.com
