Daniel Carlson, special teams critical to Las Vegas Raiders success this fall

Daniel Carlson, special teams critical to Las Vegas Raiders’ success this fall

Field Goal/XP

No pressure, no diamonds. Every kicker knows that feeling. Carlson reels in it. He finished a perfect 5-for-5 in overtime in 2021, 9-for-9 in lead-changing attempts in the fourth quarter, and overtime.

He provided a much-needed boost in critical situations and cemented himself as one of the best in the game. The last time Carlson registered a perfect extra-point season occurred in 2018. Every point matters and if Carlson can continue to trend upward and improve his accuracy, his value will only improve.

One thing to note is the difference in playing surfaces and how that affects athletes. Carlson’s preference? The natural playing surface, just take a look at the numbers.

On grass surfaces, he connected at a 96.7 percent clip compared to 84.6 on turf. However, it should be noted that the sample size is more than doubled for grass compared to the turf. Carlson should continue to be a staple for LV this fall even under leadership in McMahon.

Improvement: Perfect with extra points. Maybe Carlson may not have to be as clutch this fall, but if needed, you want Carlson driving that pigskin.