Wide receiver eclipsed 1,000 yards for the first time
The Las Vegas Raiders’ 2024 season ended the same way it started, with a two-possession loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The Week 18 defeat was a fitting end to what’s been a disappointing season for the Raiders, but the club did get a handful of notable performances to headline this week’s winners and losers.
WINNER: Jakobi Meyers
It goes without question that Meyers was the biggest winner for the Silver and Black on Sunday. He led the team with nine catches and 123 yards while scoring for the fourth time on the campaign. That ties for the third-most receptions he’s had in a single game and is the second-most yards he’s logged.
Even better, the sixth-year pro capped off a career year with personal bests in receptions (87) and yards (1,027), making 2024 the first time he’s eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark. After the Davante Adams trade, Meyers proved himself as a valuable piece in Las Vegas’ offense which could earn him a raise in the offseason seeing as 2025 will be a contract year.
LOSER: Decamerion Richardson
Richardson had an up-and-down season and was hoping to end on a high note. However, he struggled mightily against Quentin Johnston, who caught six of six targets for 85 yards against the rookie, according to Pro Football Focus. It was a game to forget for the fourth-round pick as he continues to struggle against bigger wide receivers.
WINNER: Divine Deablo
Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images
This could have been Deablo’s last game as a Raider since his contract expires when the new league year officially starts in March. If it was, he went out with a bang by leading the Silver and Black’s defense with a 79.5 PFF grade. The linebacker was targeted just one time and logged a tackle for loss (negative four yards) while picking up three defensive stops and earning a 70.7 mark against the run.
At the very least, the season finale provided Deablo with some good tape to show to clubs during free agency.
LOSER: Dylan Laube
Laube only saw one offensive snap on Sunday, which is why he lands on the loser’s list. It was the second game in a row that he lost playing time to Chris Collier, who was a late-November practice squad addition and was called up to the roster in mid-December.
To make matters worse, Collier also out-performed Laube in the return game, logging a 39-yard kickoff return to Labue’s 19-yarder. Adding the emergence of Sincere McCormick, the sixth-round pick has quickly fallen on Las Vegas’ depth chart and enters the offseason on the roster bubble.
WINNER: Andre James
Similar to Deablo, Sunday could be the last time James dons the silver and black. It was a tough season for the veteran center as he lost his starting spot about halfway through the year. However, he got an opportunity to put some good tape together during the last three games with Jordan Meredith out.
James had a strong performance on Sunday, earning a 69.8 grade from PFF while surrendering zero pressures and earning an 84.3 mark in pass protection.
If the Raiders decide to move on from him to save about $3.3 million with a post-June 1 cut, per Over The Cap, the six-year pro put together a performance that might help him earn a chance with another club in the offseason.
LOSER: Isaiah Pola-Mao
Like Richardson, Pola-Mao had plenty of highs and lows this fall. He had been playing well in the previous two weeks but the campaign did not end the way he would have hoped. The safety was targeted three times and gave up three receptions for 78 yards to finish with his lowest PFF coverage grade of the season (35.3).
Pola-Mao is a restricted free agent and it shouldn’t cost the Raiders much to bring him back, but who knows what Tom Telesco will do this offseason. Telesco wasn’t the general manager who brought the USC product in, so it could depend on how many people within the organization are willing to pound the table for him.