Coming into the 2024 season, we knew one thing about the Las Vegas Raiders with certainty. They wanted to base their offense off the run game. It made sense, with their two quarterback options in Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew admittedly not being the most confident passers. Las Vegas lost their star running back, Josh Jacobs, to free agency. The Raiders did have Zamir White, who had an impressive end to the 2023 season. Additionally, the Raiders brought in Alexander Mattison via free agency to complement White.
Mattison had some solid moments but failed to make a huge impact overall in 2024. Let’s take a closer look at his season as a whole.
Las Vegas Raiders: Alexander Mattison Player Review
Mattison’s Best Moments
Although the Raiders’ rushing attack had a load of struggles, especially in the beginning of the year, Mattison did still have some nice performances. His best performance came in the Raiders 20-15 loss to the Los Angeles Rams back in Week 7.
During that game, Mattison picked up 92 yards on the ground on 23 carries, a season-high in rushing yards. He also contributed in the passing game, catching three passes for 31 receiving yards.
Still, Mattison played in 14 games this year; there was only one other game that was somewhat statistically remarkable for him. That came in Week 4, when the Raiders evened their record to 2-2 thanks to a close home win against the Cleveland Browns.
Mid zone, RB Alexander Mattison is reading the front side B gap before cutting/bending this to the back side. RG Parham is uncovered and picks up the blitzing LB, RT Glaze seals the back side DT while TE Bryant works to the SS.#RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/y56YbIuF9r
— Ryan Holmes (@Rholm22) September 30, 2024
Mattison only carried the ball four times in that game, as the Raiders were still trying to get White going to start the year. However, he made the most of his opportunities. Mattison ran for 64 yards on those carries, including a 24-yard carry shown above.
A Closer Look At Alexander Mattison’s Season
Looking at the stat sheet alone, Mattison’s season wasn’t impressive. His first year with the Raiders included 714 scrimmage yards in 14 games, with 420 of those coming on the ground. He scored a total of five times, with four of those on the ground.
Mattison was available for most of the season, playing in 14 games. Yet, he was always just a part of the rotation and never more than that. He was on the field for 444 offensive snaps, which comes out to 49 percent of the Raiders total snaps. Mattison ran the ball more than 20 times in a game just once, with that showing coming in the aforementioned game against the Rams.
It’s hard to put together a good season in the conditions Mattison was in. His offense featured struggles at both the quarterback position and across the offensive line. Dealing with that while having to split carries in the backfield made it difficult for him to make a huge impact.
Overall, Mattison didn’t fully utilize his opportunities, making his year a disappointment. However, he deserves some grace because he didn’t have an easy situation. Perhaps, he’ll get more usage with the Miami Dolphins next season.
*Top Photo: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
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