Raiders who will play crucial role in making playoffs

5 Raiders players who will play crucial role in making playoffs

Andrew Billings

A player that has come on strong and has made his presence known is Andrew Billings. All season long, we’ve heard the narrative that the Raiders lack a presence in the middle of the defensive line. Billings is putting some of that concern to rest with his stellar play recently.

This past Sunday alone, No. 97 had a huge tackle for a loss on Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III.

In addition, Billings was also credited with a sack and two solo tackles while playing 28 snaps on defense. Clearly, he’s making the most of his playing time. Going down the stretch, the Raiders are going to need more of the same from Billings.

The defense isn’t going to magically become elite overnight, but right now, Graham’s unit is making plays when it matters. At this point, that’s all you can ask for, along with not losing a game.

Even if you’re not the biggest PFF fan, his grades for this past week were impressive as well. His pass rush received an 82.1 grade and an 88.5 overall defensive grade. After living in the Seahawks’ backfield on Sunday, the Raiders will need the same effort against the Chargers. The leg injury he suffered will be something we all keep an eye on as well.