Las Vegas Raiders: Mack Hollins a Silver lining in another tough loss
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders may have lost to the Tennessee Titans in Week 3, but one thing is for sure, Mack Hollins was an absolute steal of an addition this offseason.
Three weeks, three losses for the Las Vegas Raiders, who have gotten out to a shockingly bad start after a dominant preseason. Remember, this is a team that looked explosive and disciplined during the preseason, winning four games, and doing so in a convincing fashion.
However, since the games started counting, it has been one thing after another, and that has led to a terrible 0-3 start. The only team in the NFL without a win other than Las Vegas is the Houston Texans, but hey, at least they have a tie right?
The latest terrible event was a matchup against Tennessee that saw them look like swiss cheese on defense early on, and then try and come back in the second half. They nearly pulled it off thanks to the strong play of wide receiver Mack Hollins, who has more than proven to be a tremendous addition this offseason.
While Davante Adams got all the love in terms of the position group when he came to Las Vegas, it has been Hollins who has looked like a WR1 more times than not. Sure, Adams is the true top player at the position, but Hollins is just what they needed to supplement him, especially with Hunter Renfrow out this week.
Raiders got a tremendous player in Mack Hollins
Against Tennessee, Hollins was targeted ten times, the same amount as Adams, and he was able to haul in eight passes. However, his play goes well beyond the box score, as it was a 48-yard grab on 4th-and-15 with the game on the line that set up the Raiders’ final touchdown of the day.
That touchdown? A haul by Hollins that saw him reach over a defender and bring it in like he was catching a football over a child. That brought the Raiders within two, and a chance to tie the game with a conversion, which they failed to do.
Through three games with the Raiders, Hollins already has as many catches as he had all last season with the Miami Dolphins, and his 240 yards is a career-high already as well. He is the perfect wide receiver to complement Adams in this offense, and he still should have a lot of good football left in him.