Las Vegas Raiders 2020 Week 2 review: Studs and Duds vs. New Orleans Saints
Studs Part 2
The Offensive Line
Things didn’t start off well for the Raiders offensive line as they gave up three sacks in the first two drives but just like Carr, they settled in and didn’t give up another sack the rest of the game. The Saints have a fearsome pass rush and talent all over the defensive line so it was always going to be a tough task without Brown and Incognito but they were up to it. This is a group award this week and all 5 players, especially rookie John Simpson, deserve the accolades.
CB Damon Arnette
Mike Mayock said one of the main reasons he liked Damon Arnette was for his toughness and his willingness to stick his nose in the fray and make tackles. The rookie CB lived up to that as he racked up 7 tackles against the Saints offense and made several tackles to keep runners short of the first down. His continued growth will be fascinating to watch but he has already shown that he is not scared of the physicality of the NFL.
LB Nicholas Morrow
Nicholas Morrow was called in to duty after Nick Kwiatkoski was held out of the game with a pec injury and he stepped up admirably. It was never going to be easy containing Alvin Kamara and Morrow gave up a few big plays but he kept everything in front of him and played every single defensive snap for the Raiders. He lead the team in tackles and came up with a key interception that let the Raiders tie the game before the end of the first half.
K Daniel Carlson
How good has Daniel Carlson been for the Raiders so far? After a Week 1 performance against Carolina that earned him special teams player of the week honors, he is definitely in contention to repeat after Week 2.
Carlson was 4/4 on extra points and 2/2 on field goals just like in Carolina and also hit a 54-yard field goal for the second straight week. The kick on Monday night was not to officially win the game but it was enough to put the Saints away for good and seal the victory for Las Vegas.