Oakland Raiders: Kolton Miller and Trent Brown provide stability against the Broncos
By Matt Holder
After defeating the Denver Broncos on Monday night, the Oakland Raiders start the season 1-0, and offensive tackles Kolton Miller and Trent Brown were a large reason for the victory.
The Oakland Raiders offensive woes last season were in part due to poor pass protection. Hence why general manager Mike Mayock broke the bank for Trent Brown. The former Patriot was only one piece to the puzzle, and Kolton Miller’s development in year two is necessary for the unit to be more effective in 2019.
Effective is one of many words that can be used to describe Oakland’s offensive performance in the season opener, and it’s no coincidence that the offensive line allowed zero sacks. All night quarterback Derek Carr had plenty of time to get through his progressions and make the right throw allowing him to complete 84.6 percent of his passes.
Considering who was on the other side of the ball is how Miller and Brown really stand out.
Denver might have the best pass rush duo in the NFL: Von Miller and Bradley Chubb. Stopping or even just slowing down those two was going to be a tough task for the Raiders and the team’s tackles more than answered the call.
In addition to Oakland not allowing a single sack on the night, Carr’s jersey stayed clean as the Broncos weren’t even able to register a quarterback hit. The lack of pass rush production is out of character for Denver. A year ago, there was only one game where neither Chubb nor Miller registered a sack, making the Raiders shut-out even more impressive.
Of course the offensive line as a whole deserves a lot of credit, but Kolton Miller and Trent Brown are the standouts. The former proved he can improve from an abysmal rookie year, and the latter showed he is worth the money. It’s only one game and there are 15 more to go, but stopping one of the best pass rushing units in the NFL is something to get excited about.
Next. Carr, Raiders make a statement on Monday night. dark
The Raiders offensive line will have another tough task next week when the Kansas City Chiefs come into town. Frank Clark headlines the Kansas City pass rush, and Miller knows first hand how effective the former Seahawk is coming off the edge. Hopefully the young tackle will continue to show his development on Sunday.