Las Vegas Raiders Week 15 Studs and Duds: Mariota shines

Raiders Duds: Trayvon Mullen

Trayvon Mullen must have let our third quarter defensive player award get to his head because he had a nightmare of the game against a very depleted Chargers wide receiver group. The Chargers officially started both Mike Williams and Keenan Allen, but they did little in this game to challenge the Raiders defense, but Mullen still struggled.

He was on the wrong side of several plays that kept Chargers drives alive and was penalized a few times for being extra handsy with the LA receivers and tight ends. There were a few nice plays sprinkled in for the young defensive back, including a tackle for loss, and a pass breakup in the end zone that for a second looked like an interception.

This may be harsh on the second-year corner, considering he has been one of the few constants in the Raiders defensive backfield, but with great talents comes great responsibility. There was also the fact that he was playing with a rotating cast of backups at safety due to injury, which left him exposed on a few occasions as well.

Mullen has been excellent in several games this year and has been one of the few ballhawks on the Raiders defense, but he deserves his fair share of the blame for the struggles on defense on Thursday. This will be another learning experience for him as he continues to develop as a player and a potential Pro Bowl player for the Raiders.