Las Vegas Raiders rookie Tyree Wilson had a productive game against the rival Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas. Unless you haven’t been paying attention, Wilson has been on quite the tear lately. The Raiders will need that to continue in a pivotal Week 17 clash with the Indianapolis Colts.
The Raiders’ win over the Chiefs undoubtedly made every Raiders fan’s Christmas Day one to remember. While the Raiders offense might have been underwhelming with only nine total completed passes, the defense made up for it. Patrick Mahomes spent most of his Christmas at Arrowhead, running from Patrick Graham’s defense.
The lack of protection from the Kansas City offensive line greatly contributed to the Raiders’ success. Still, at the end of the 20-14 victory, the day belonged to the Silver and Black’s defense. Graham’s boys walked away with four sacks, 10 QB hits, and 30 combined pressures.
Tyree Wilson did not hit home for any sacks, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. He logged a career-high five pressures with two combined tackles and one solo stop.
What about Wilson’s teammates?
Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce were relentless on the outside. Wilson appears to be adjusting well to working inside the defensive line, as he saw a high snap count in Week 16. This time, his high participation level had nothing to do with Crosby being held to a snap count due to injury. Wilson was on the field for 43 snaps, which accounted for 57% of all defensive snaps. Wilson has come a long way from his Week 3 snap count of 11 total snaps against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The 7th overall pick has displayed serious disruptiveness and a violent streak…
As we head into the final two games of the Raiders regular season, one thing is clear: Tyree Wilson has improved. Drastically.
Wilson’s Week 16 tape revealed that it was not his best game of the season, but it was close. Wilson technically never hit home for a sack. Also, different statistics websites differ in Wilson’s number of QB hits (PFF says 2, ESPN says 0). Wilson lined up on the inside as a defensive tackle for more than half of his snaps. Wilson’s get-off was noticeably quicker as a DT than when he was on the left side as the edge. No. 9 lined up alongside Maxx Crosby for the majority of his DT snaps.
There was some surprise this time watching his film, as most of the reviews have been rather repetitive. Wilson actually did a significant amount of hand fighting when rushing the quarterback and incorporated swipes and a push-pull swim move with his standard power and bull rush style. When Wilson went up against No. 65 Trey Smith, it was clear that Smith was overwhelmed. On several snaps, Wilson easily defeated Smith. Upon reflection, Smith required assistance from any available offensive lineman to prevent Wilson from finishing a sack.
What might’ve been for Tyree Wilson…
On one play, Wilson blew by center Creed Humphrey, and with a quick stunt, Wilson was alone in the backfield with Mahomes. Mahomes booted out slightly to the right, and Wilson barely lost his footing and missed on the sack as Mahomes threw the ball away. When Joe Thuney (No. 62) was blocking Wilson, he could have had a second sack. Mahomes scrambled up the middle of the line, and Wilson shed Thuney and reached out for Mahomes with one arm but just could not hold onto the evasive quarterback.
Wilson’s sideline speed still has much to be desired, and both he and Malcolm Koonce let Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco blow them on an outside zone run. If Wilson can adjust his angles both in pass rush and run defense and work on his conditioning, he could easily double his production.
Wilson’s film has been described as sparingly “disruptive.” However, after watching his Week 16 tape, the word “violent” was actually applicable. Wilson appeared fresh, invigorated, and quicker when attacking his blockers.
For those looking for another positive spin on Tyree Wilson this season… Watch No. 73 on the Chiefs, guard Nick Allegretti. He could not block Wilson. Tape doesn’t lie.
It’s “win or go home” for Tyree Wilson and the Raiders
The Raiders have another must-win game in Week 17. This time, against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. While the Colts are without quarterback sensation Anthony Richardson, Gardner Minshew has filled in well. The Colts are also fighting to stay alive in the AFC playoff race and are coming off a bad loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The Colts offense has not been amazing, but due to the strength of their offensive line, they have been able to provide adequate protection and establish the run.
Colts running back Jonathan Taylor should be healthy for the Week 17 contest and will be the focal point of the Colts offensive attack. The Raiders held the Chiefs to 85 rushing yards on 25 rushing attempts, for an average of 3.4 yards per rush. Taylor has played in two games against the Raiders since entering the league.
Unfortunately for the Raiders, in those two games, he averaged 127.5 rushing yards per game. Taylor has only played in eight games in the 2023 season and isn’t exactly leading the pack as far as running backs. Taylor is averaging 3.9 yards per rush on 457 total rushing yards in 2023. Taylor’s ability to be a receiving threat and make an impact in the passing game adds to his dangerousness. The Raiders defense will have their hands full with their rushing attack behind their formidable offensive line.
You need to get to Gardner Minshew early and often…
Thus far, Gardner Minshew has been sacked 32 times in 2023. That places him in the middle of the NFL’s quarterbacks. Numbers-wise, that means he trails Jalen Hurts by only two sacks. Minshew has attempted to run with the ball 31 times this season but has achieved only 88 rushing yards, with an average of 2.8 yards per rush.
Minshew isn’t exactly lighting it up in the air either, with only 14 touchdowns, nine interceptions (and eight fumbles), and 2,940 passing yards. The Raiders should expect the Colts to focus on their run game, and hopefully the trio of Koonce, Crosby, and Wilson can limit the Colts like they did the Chiefs.
Wilson does not have to sack Minshew; he needs to continue the rabid pace of his pressure. You pressure Minshew, and he’ll make mistakes. Although a sack or two wouldn’t be bad either, Wilson has two more games to continue to develop, and so far, the experience is paying dividends for Wilson and his future development.
*Top Photo: Getty Images
Playoffs On The Line For Pair Of Resurgent Teams In Raiders And Colts Clash