Raiders vs Patriots 2023 Week 6: Studs and Duds

Daniel Carlson and AJ Cole - Studs

If Maxx Crosby didn’t record the game-winning sack and safety then Daniel Carlson might have been the player of the game. A week after missing a big field goal and having another one blocked, Carlson was back to his excellent self and recorded 13 of the Raiders 21 points on the day. 

The big-legged kicker was perfect from the field and he deserves some credit for that even if most of the kicks were chip shots for a guy like him. We have seen plenty of kickers miss easy kicks this year and the Raiders are lucky to have a kicker like him on their side. 

AJ Cole also deserves a ton of credit for this victory as he continues to be one of the best punters in the NFL. His best punt came at the end of the game as he was able to pin the Patriots inside their own 10 yard line with just over 2 minutes to go. A couple snaps, a penalty, and a sack later and the Raiders win the game but none of that would have been possible if Cole didn’t do his job so well. Kudos all around to the special teams guys.