Raiders first-half awards: MVP, LVP, MIP, and more
By Levi Dombro
Biggest Surprise: Jakorian Bennett
If you've been tuning into Raiders games all season long, then surely you've noticed that Jakorian Bennett has made a handful of impressive plays.
He is virtually a lock to break up a pass when targeted on third down, and the number of passes that he has deflected is near the top of the league.
But his impressive play is far beyond the big plays that he makes or the stats that he has put together.
Much like a soccer goalie, you only notice a cornerback when they make a massive mistake or a truly incredible stop.
And as a corner, no news is good news.
Though Bennett has not recorded an interception yet this season, he is only allowing a completion percentage of 52.3% and a QBR of 67.7 when targeted.
In 459 snaps, he has only been targeted 44 times and given up 233 yards, relinquishing no touchdowns.
You may not always notice him on the field, but he's there, doing an unbelievable job of locking down opposing teams' top receivers.
In Week 8, Bennett was tasked with covering Bengals star receiver Ja'Marr Chase, who was targeted 11 times and only caught seven balls for 43 yards. The following week, Chase was targeted 17 times and reeled in 11 catches for 264 yards and 3 touchdowns.
That tale of two weeks paints the perfect picture of why Jakorian Bennett has been the team's biggest surprise. A year ago he was barely on the field, and now the Raiders can't afford to keep him off of it.