Big test on Sunday for the young cornerbacks
With the Las Vegas Raiders sitting at 2-6 heading into Week 9 against the Cincinnati Bengals, this week’s key matchups focus on young players who have an opportunity to prove themselves against quality competition. While the Bengals are 3-5, their roster has plenty of talent which creates some interesting one-on-one battles for the Raiders.
Jack Jones/Jakorian Bennett vs. Ja’Marr Chase/Tee Higgins
When healthy, Cincinnati has one of the best wide receiver duos in the NFL.
Chase currently ranks tied for third among wide receivers with 48 catches and leads the position group with 675 yards and seven touchdowns. Meanwhile, Higgins has missed three games so his numbers—29 catches, 341 yards and three touchdowns—aren’t as impressive, but his per-game figures aren’t too far behind Chase’s.
Chase averages six grabs, 84.4 yards and 0.9 scores each week while Higgins sits at 5.8, 68.1 and 0.6. Unsurprisingly, the wideouts are impressively efficient as both rank inside the top 25 in yards per route run for wideouts, per Pro Football Focus. Chase is 14th at 2.35 yprr and Higgins is 22nd at 2.07 yprr.
The two pass-catchers rotate between the left and the right sides frequently, meaning Jones and Bennett will each see a healthy dose of both receivers.
While Jones is tied for ninth among cornerbacks with five pass breakups this season, he’s been having a down year. The three-year pro is giving up a career-high 68.8 completion percentage. Despite playing nearly 50 fewer coverage snaps than in 2023, he’s surrendered almost as many receiving yards this fall; 243 to 241, per PFF. Additionally, Jones has no interceptions and has given up three touchdowns and a 122.0 passer rating when targeted.
On the other side, Bennett’s numbers in coverage have been a lot more impressive. He ranks seventh among qualifying corners (minimum 73 coverage snaps) with a 43.8 completion percentage allowed due in part to ranking tied for sixth with seven forced incompletions. Additionally, the 2023 fourth-round pick is sixth with a 58.2 passer rating when targeted.
It’s unclear if Higgins will play on Sunday at the time of writing. But, even if it’s just Chase on the field, the Raiders’ young corners have an opportunity to make a name for themselves against top-tier competition this weekend.
DJ Glaze vs. Sam Hubbard
Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
With just 12 pressures in eight games so far this fall, Hubbard isn’t the same threat as a pass-rusher as he has been in the past. However, he’s still very effective as a run defender.
The seven-year veteran owns an impressive 72.5 PFF run-defense grade this season. The primary reason for that is he leads all edge defenders with 24 tackles against the run and is second with 16 defensive stops (tackles that result in a “failure” for the offense).
Hubbard almost exclusively lines up on the left edge with 313 of his 369 snaps coming over the offense’s right tackle, meaning Las Vegas’ rookie is in for a tough matchup.
While Glaze had an outstanding performance as a run-blocker two weeks ago against the Rams, posting an elite 90.1 mark in that department, that game is currently an outlier. He’s earned a below-average run-blocking grade in every other game and struggled last Sunday against Chris Jones and the Chiefs. The third-round pick’s 44.3 run-blocking grade versus Kansas City is his lowest of the campaign.
So, Glaze has a chance for redemption this weekend but it won’t come easy against an impressive run defender in Hubbard.
Dylan Parham/Jordan Meredith vs. B.J. Hill
Hill may not get much recognition, but he’s arguably the most underrated player on Cincinnati’s defense. For example, he currently owns the highest PFF defensive grade on the team with a mark of 79.6.
A big reason for that is the 28-year-old has a well-rounded game. His 72.5 run-defense grade ranks 12th among defensive tackles across the league, and he’s tied for sixth with 16 tackles against the run (seven defensive stops). Coincidentally, Hill’s pass-rush grade (74.0) also ranks 12th at the position due to a 12.0 percent win rate which is good enough to crack the top 25, tied for 22nd with Leonard Williams.
The veteran primarily lines up as a left defensive tackle (178 of his 287 snaps, per PFF) which could be problematic for Las Vegas since it’s up in the air about who will be lining up at right guard.
Parham has been having a strong campaign, currently sitting as PFF’s eight-highest-graded guard (78.7) and allowing just six pressures which is tied for the 12th fewest at his position. However, he has also missed the last two and a half games, and his status for Sunday is undetermined at the time of writing.
Luckily, Meredith has been impressive while filling in for the starter. He’s only surrendered one pressure on 120 snaps in pass protection and owns an 80.9 grade, one spot ahead of Parham in the guard rankings. However, Meredith is coming off his worst performance as a run-blocker, posting an ugly 51.4 grade in that department against the Chiefs.
Regardless of who is in the game at right guard for the Raiders, they’re in for a tough matchup against Hill. However, that’s also an opportunity for Parham or Meredith to prove themselves, and there’s a chance both linemen play on Sunday as Andre James left last week’s contest with an injury.