Raiders Week 15 Slay and Bomb

This week 15 Slay and Bomb article comes off of the most points scored in a single game in Raiders history.

The Las Vegas Raiders came into Thursday Night Football stumbling off of a 3-0 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, maybe the most embarrassing performance of the season. The 108-million- dollar offense had been sputtering since taking a 14-0 lead against the Chiefs before their bye week.

Nobody could have seen this coming. Both teams came into the game completely banged up. The quarterback matchup was Easton Stick vs Aidan O’Connell. Everybody likely thought this was going to be an ugly defensive slugfest between 2 struggling teams. Instead, they got treated to a 63-21 Raiders beat down of their division rivals.

The Raiders defense has been the shining light throughout this season, carrying them to pretty much all of their wins. On Thursday, everything came together wonderfully. Offense, defense, and special teams all contributed to the massive win. That certainly makes this week 15 Slay and Bomb article more eventful.

The Raiders defense forced 5 turnovers and rolled over the Chargers offense. Easton Stick threw a pick-six to Jack Jones that led to arguably the most impressive interception we’ve seen in the entire league this season. Jones read the pass like he was the one who called the play himself. That play alone almost got him on the slay list on this week 15 Slay and Bomb story.

Jakobi Meyers caught a diving pass for a touchdown and then added 2 completions for a touchdown. It was a great day for the offense.

Big man John Jenkins scooped up a fumble and ran 15 miles per hour to the endzone for a touchdown. The special teams unit even forced and recovered a fumble. There was absolute domination on the field.

The entire defense deserves a spot honestly in the slay part of this week 15 slay and bomb article. I wish I could cite every single player, but I will pick out the players I feel deserve a special shout-out. The entire team, however, showed up to play with a level of intensity we hadn’t seen since 2021.

At halftime, head coach Antonio Pierce had a simple message to the team: “push the gas pedal harder.”

The team appeared fired up and motivated after their disappointing performance last Sunday. They move to 7-8 on the season while the Los Angeles Chargers fall to last place and have decided to clean house.

Let’s get into the week 15 Slay and Bomb article.

Raiders week 15 slay and bomb: SLAY

Aidan O’Connell

The rookie quarterback had his finest hour of the season. “AOC” went off for 20/34, 246 yards, and 4 touchdowns. He balled out on Thursday night. It had to help to consistently have a short field due to the special teams unit and the defense forcing so many turnovers, but he made the most of his opportunities. It got him into the slay category of this week 15 slay and bomb story.

O’Connell has at times shown raw potential. He’s shown poise and maturity in the most critical position in this sport. He’s shown that he can be relied on to get the team into position to win some games. He’s struggled as a rookie as well and came into Thursday’s game with more interceptions than touchdowns.

I don’t know if he’s the answer moving forward, but he proved he deserves a spot on the roster next season. He dominated the same defense that rocked him for 7 sacks, 3 fumbles, and 1 interception in Los Angeles in his first start.

It was humorous that at the start of the broadcast, Al Michaels stated this must be a nightmare for “AOC” to be facing the same defense that dominated him in his first start.

This time, he got the better of the Chargers defense. Khalil Mack went from 6 sacks to 0 sacks as well, showcasing how well the offensive line played compared to last time. The Chargers as a team only got 1 sack and it was after the game was well in hand.

Malcolm Koonce

Malcolm Koonce on a contract year this season has been a solid pass rusher this season. He had a great game wreaking havoc on the Chargers offensive line and got to Easton Stick for 2 sacks including a forced fumble.

The Chargers don’t exactly have the strongest offensive line. Everybody knows that. They’ve been devastated by injuries all across their roster, but what else is new? This has been a problem for them for longer than any of us remember.

Koonce made the most of the circumstances. He’s making a huge push for a contract extension after the season and for the Raiders to continue having him come off the edge.

With Koonce outside, Tyree Wilson has been able to move inside and is finally hitting his stride as well. I had long thought that he needed to move to the interior part of the line. Crosby, Koonce, and Wilson could be building blocks for the rest of the defensive line this offseason.

Zamir White/Tre Tucker

I wanted to give both players a spot on this list as well. With Josh Jacobs out, Zamir White had to step up to the plate against the Chargers defense at running back.

He managed to do a solid job with 17 rushes for 69 yards and a touchdown. It was the best performance he’s had thus far in his 2-year career and he deserves to be commended for stepping up after Jacobs had to sit out with a quad injury.

Tre Tucker has had some rookie struggles this season. He’s a speed threat and has a lot of potential to get better. His problem has been both holding onto the football and keeping his feet in bounds when trying to catch the ball on the sidelines.

He put it together on Thursday with a solid performance. 3 catches for 59 yards and 2 touchdowns. He averaged 19.7 yards per reception. He is the fastest receiver on the team and is a viable deep-threat option. Let’s hope this is the first of many good performances by him.

Raiders week 15 slay and bomb: BOMB

None

I couldn’t think of any bomb performances. When you win 63-21, it’s hard to nitpick and say somebody had a bomb performance. It makes this week 15 Slay and Bomb story easier to write and it made viewing the game extremely relaxing.

The last time I can remember the Raiders having a game like this was when they went into Denver and stomped on the Josh McDaniels-led Broncos 59-14 in 2010. That was a long time ago.

I don’t see the Raiders having a performance like this next week, but one can hope am I right? Their next game will be an exciting one. The Raiders head to Arrowhead Stadium, their house of horrors as they take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day.