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Oakland Raiders Week 9 X-Factors against the Detroit Lions

By Matt Holder

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 06: Derek Carr of Oakland Raiders in action during the game between Chicago Bears and Oakland Raiders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 06, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 06: Derek Carr of Oakland Raiders in action during the game between Chicago Bears and Oakland Raiders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 06, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CA – JANUARY 07: Trayvon Mullen #1 of the Clemson Tigers celebrates his sack against Tua Tagovailoa #13 of the Alabama Crimson Tide in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Levi’s Stadium on January 7, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – JANUARY 07: Trayvon Mullen #1 of the Clemson Tigers celebrates his sack against Tua Tagovailoa #13 of the Alabama Crimson Tide in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Levi’s Stadium on January 7, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Trayvon Mullen

In his first start, the rookie performed exceptionally well last week. Mullen was targeted four times, allowed two receptions for 10 yards, and was a pair of good hands away from a pick-six. However, the NFL is a week-by-week league and he faces another steep challenge on Sunday.

There are two teams in the NFL that have two receivers who rank in the top ten for receiving touchdowns: the Buccaneers and the Lions. Golladay and Jones have combined for 65 catches, 917 yards, and 11 touchdowns on the year. Stopping or slowing down one of them is difficult enough, let alone both.

Regardless of who Mullen draws in coverage, he is going to have a tough matchup and the team cannot afford any rookie mistakes. Of course, defensive coordinator Paul Guenther will likely give the young cornerback some help in coverage. However, with such a dynamic duo on the other side of the ball, Mullen will be left on an island at some point, and he needs to live up to the standard he set a week ago.

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