The Las Vegas Raiders' offensive line was not exactly impressing anyone through the first three weeks of the 2025 NFL season. Luckily, they started to put it all together in Week 4 against the Chicago Bears, but then they lost star left tackle Kolton Miller, who is now on the Injured Reserve.
They'll now have to make do with what they have, and it seems like Stone Forsythe will be the starting left tackle on Sunday, opposite DJ Glaze. This is not exactly an elite tackle tandem, as Forsythe is a career backup, and Glaze has regressed in his sophomore season.
But starting guards Jackson Powers-Johnson and Dylan Parham both played their best games of the season against the Bears, and hopefully, they can help out the player next to them. It certainly won't be easy, however, as Colts star defensive end Laiatu Latu is playing the best football of his career.
Laiatu Latu will cause major problems for Raiders' offensive tackles
Latu did not have the most productive rookie season after being made the No. 15 overall pick by Indianapolis in 2024, but he is cementing himself as a young star with his play through the first four weeks of the 2025 season.
His 92.3 overall Pro Football Focus grade ranks second in the entire NFL out of 166 qualifying defensive ends, as Latu has been dominant in every facet of the game. His 79.0 run-defense and 83.0 pass-rush marks rank seventh and 15th in the league as well.
Over the last two weeks, Latu has tormented the offensive lines of the Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Rams. In these two games, he's recorded 15 total pressures, which include 13 hurries, a quarterback hit and a sack, as well as four run stops.
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This is an issue for Glaze and Forsythe, who have not exactly impressed this season or during their NFL careers. Glaze was an above-average starter for the Raiders in 2024 as a rookie, but his 58.1 overall grade, 54.0 run-blocking score and 62.0 pass-blocking grade all leave plenty to be desired.
Forsythe has never graded well during his NFL career, and the cold hard numbers back this up. Over the last three seasons, in 671 pass-blocking snaps, he has given up a whopping 74 pressures, including 56 hurries, 11 hits and seven sacks, as well as six penalties.
Two of his PFF grades in those years ranked in the bottom eight offensive tackles in the entire league, so Forsythe is not exactly an immovable object that Latu will be facing. The Raiders could truly get trounced in Week 5 if Latu wreaks as much havoc as he is capable of in a very favorable matchup.