Oakland Raiders vs. Baltimore Ravens: 5 Players to Watch
Dan Williams
September 13, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; General view of the line of scrimmage between the Oakland Raiders and the Cincinnati Bengals during the second quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Fun fact: Dan Williams graded (per PFF) as the second best defensive tackle in week one, trailing only Aaron Donald.
He was solid against the run and in pass-rushing situations, and he’ll need to have a similar kind of performance on Sunday, otherwise the defensive line will get pushed around once again.
Yanda and Osemele are very tough matchups, so Big Dan has his work cut out for him, but I think he’s up to the task.
Hopefully this trend doesn’t continue, but Norton Jr. didn’t call once blitz on Sunday. Not one. Even if that changes, it looks like the goal will be to create pressure primarily with four man-looks. If that’s the case, Dan Williams becomes even more important, as he’ll have to occupy two defenders to try to free up Mack or Aldon.
With Monroe possibly being out, and because the strength of their line is on the interior, Baltimore will surely look to run the ball inside a bit more. Forsett is shifty enough to slide his way through small holes, so it’ll be Dan’s job to make sure those holes close quickly.
Benson Mayowa might be out once again and Justin Ellis isn’t at 100% health, so Williams might be asked to play more snaps than usual, which is another reason why he’ll be so important to the defense on Sunday.