On the surface, it looks like the Las Vegas Raiders actually have a winnable game on the horizon in Week 6 of the 2025 NFL season. They'll take on a 1-4 Tennessee Titans team that won under bizarre circumstances last week, but is just as flawed as the Silver and Black.
This is the kind of game where significant changes will be made by the losing franchise in the aftermath, and the Raiders are hoping to avoid facing these tough decisions. That all starts with winning a key battle up front and preventing the Titans' best player from wreaking havoc.
Defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons is arguably the best defensive tackle in the NFL, and he's been red-hot as of late. It will obviously be a group effort to slow this one-man wrecking crew down, but Raider Nation is looking at Jackson Powers-Johnson to step up and take the reins against this elite player.
Jackson Powers-Johnson will have his hands full with Jeffery Simmons
Simmons, no matter how you slice it or evaluate him, will be a tough assignment for Powers-Johnson. His 82.5 Pro Football Focus grade is the ninth-best in the league, but his 90.8 pass-rush grade is second among all defensive tackles.
Although he is historically a good run defender, he's been rather pedestrian in 2025, overall. However, he's really heated up in the past two weeks, recording nine run stops in addition to 2.5 sacks and five tackles for loss. On the year, he has 3.5 sacks and six tackles for loss, as well as 22 total tackles.
If these raw numbers and advanced analytics aren't enough to convince you how much of a difference-maker this player is, then just listen to head coach Pete Carroll talk about Simmons during his Wednesday media availability.
"He's really good. He's really powerful. He's quick. He's got a playmaking ability about him that separates him from the crowd. It's why we all know about him. It's why you asked about him first," Carroll said. "He's a terrific player. So, there's a number of things that we have to do to keep him from being a big factor in the game."
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His diverse alignment also makes him tough to keep track of, so Simmons will really test the communication and will of the entire unit. While he primarily lines up as a 3-technique outside the guards, primarily over the right guard, he can line up at either defensive end spot.
Simmons has played sparingly as a nose tackle, so Jordan Meredith may be free of duties this week. But Dylan Parham, Stone Forsythe and DJ Glaze will be tested as well. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly spoke about him on Thursday and is clear on just the kind of threat that Simmons poses.
"I think everybody on our team knows who number 98 is. He's been a a force in this league for a couple years now," Kelly said. "It really starts with him up front, and he's as good a 3-technique in the league, maybe the best three technique in the league."
Given that almost 65% of Simmons' snaps come as a 3-technique, and a majority of those are over the right guard, Powers-Johnson should battle with him the most. This is a great test for a young player who has shown incredible promise over the last two weeks, and he must ace it if the Raiders want a chance at winning.