Before looking ahead to this weekend’s action, Monday night was a strange one for Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson, but business as usual for All-Pro punter A.J. Cole III.
One of his kicks was tipped, and another was a flat-out miss that hit the upright. A 1-for-3 prime-time outing is unusual for Daniel Carlson, but it happened.
The normally reliable and accurate Las Vegas Raiders place kicker registered his first two misses of the season (even though one was technically “blocked”) in the Silver and Black’s 17-13 Monday Night Football win over the Green Bay Packers. And, if that wasn’t enough, Carlson watched his younger brother Anders make both of his attempts for the “Pack.”
Knee-Jerk Reactions To Raiders’ MNF Win Over The Packers
A Closer Look At Daniel Carlson’s Night
The off-night dropped Daniel Carlson’s field goal percentage to 71.4%, and he’s now 5 of 7 on the season. The total attempts are a sad state of affairs for the 28-year-old, as he was a kicking machine the last three seasons with 38, 43, and 35 attempts in those respective years. A byproduct of the Raiders’ overall downtrodden offense, Carlson is ranked 30th in the league in field goal tries.
The only saving grace: He’s one of five kickers in the league with only seven attempts. For reference, the league leader in field goal attempts is the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jake Elliott, who is 16 of 17. He’s followed by the Houston Texans’ Ka’imi Fairbairn (15 of 16), the Los Angeles Rams’ Brett Maher (12 of 16), and the Dallas Cowboys’ Brandon Aubrey (14 of 14). So, when compared to the top of the league, Carlson is getting lapped.
Again, this isn’t entirely on the kicker as the Raiders offense hasn’t been consistent, and whether Carlson gets an attempt or even in range is highly dependent on Josh McDaniels’ play acumen and Las Vegas’ ability to execute said calls.
Fortunately, Carlson’s miss—a 52-yard attempt that clanged off the right upright on 4th and 2 from Green Bay’s 34-yard line—didn’t haunt the Raiders. It easily could’ve been considering the choice McDaniels made. If you recall, he trotted Carlson out there to boot the ball rather than going for it. Looking back, he could’ve slammed the door shut on the Packers.
But as they say, hindsight is 20/20, and betting on Carlson making that kick isn’t a fool’s errand. It was diminutive cornerback Amik Robertson who emphatically ended Green Bay’s night. He did so with an impressive leaping interception in the end zone.
How about the rest of the Raiders’ battery?
Carlson’s elite special teams batterymate, punter A.J. Cole III, however, had another of his solid outings.
Tasked with pinning the Packers deep after the Raiders’ offense stumbled, the 27-year-old did exactly that. He dropped all four of his punts inside the Green Bay 20-yard line. His longest boot of the evening was a 55-yard bomb as he racked up 189 total yards on the punts (47.3-yard average). Meanwhile, Green Bay only managed to produce two return yards. That gave Cole an impressive 187 net yards on the night.
In comparison, Cole’s counterpart, the Packers’ Daniel Whelan, punted four times. Only one dropped inside the Raiders’ 20. He did rack up 184 yards (46.0 average per boot), with Las Vegas generating only six return yards for an equally impressive 178 net yards.
This year, Cole is ranked 18th in the league with 18 punts. He’s 15th in yards (918) and sixth in yards per punt (51.0). Where Cole is standing out are return yards (seventh with 25), net yards per punt (second at 48.5), and boots inside the opponent’s 20-yard line (fifth with 10). Cole’s 55.6% rate inside the 20 is fourth best in the NFL through five games.
Carlson will get his shot at a rebound game this coming Sunday. As you surely know, the Raiders play host to the struggling New England Patriots. Cole, on the other hand, will get an opportunity to showcase that he’s one of the best punters in the league, too.
*Top Photo: Chris Unger/Getty Images