This may be the first time Germaine Pratt has suited up for an AFC West club, but it’s far from the first time he’s played against the division–and fortunately for the Las Vegas Raiders, Pratt has had no shortage of success when doing so.
It all happened so quickly. While Sin City’s football team was working to get their linebacker affairs in order, news of the Cincinnati Bengals releasing their now-former defensive captain, linebacker Germaine Pratt, broke the internet.
And just like that, Pratt was a free agent–for one afternoon.
On Tuesday, Pratt’s time in Cincinnati officially came to an end. The following day, on Wednesday, Pratt was the newest member of the Silver and Black.
‘Here today, gone tomorrow’ has never been more literal.
And while this is the first time the 29-year-old will be suiting up for an AFC West club, this upcoming year will be far from the first time Pratt has experienced playing against the division’s fierce competitors.
The six-year veteran has had ample success when doing so, too. Yes–that success goes well beyond the game-sealing interception Pratt had against the Raiders during the 2021 postseason, securing a last-second victory for the Bengals.
In fact, during his ’24 campaign alone, Pratt was at his best when playing against those that reside in the AFC West.
That’s no exaggeration, either.
New Raiders linebacker Germaine Pratt at his best against AFC West competition
Whether the second or second-to-last week of the 2024 NFL season, Pratt was giving AFC West clubs all they could handle. His heroics paved the way for a Bengals win in some cases, even.
Take Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs, for example.
Through four quarters of football against Andy Reid’s juggernauts, Pratt had what may have been his best outing of the entire year. It starts with his 16 tackles and ends with the five yards he allowed in coverage.
Not only was his 16 total tackles the most any linebacker league-wide totaled in Week 2, but Pratt managed to miss zero tackle attempts in the process. Unless you consider the quarterback hit he registered on Patrick Mahomes as a missed tackle opportunity, providing support as a pass-rusher throughout the contest.
Perhaps the most impressive part is what Pratt was able to do against the run.
On only 27 running downs, the now-former Bengals linebacker was able to accumulate 8 tackles; the third-most among all players at his position against the run that week. For his efforts, Pro Football Focus handed Pratt an elite grade of 90.9 on running downs.
And then there’s the turnover.
Not only was Pratt able to knock a ball out of a runner’s hands during this one, but he was also able to secure a recovery after seeing the ball loose on the ground.
More of new Raiders LB Germaine Pratt (57) vs AFC West
Against the Chiefs in W2, Pratt totaled a season-high 16 tackles. He’d add a FF, FR, and QB hit to his day as well.
Here’s the forced fumble + recovery; knocks it free, notices, & jumps on it when he sees it’s still loose pic.twitter.com/FJgp4vhNkG
— Alex Monfreda (@AlexMonfreda) June 16, 2025
Pratt’s recent success against the AFC West extends well beyond Week 2 of this past year. Week 17 welcomed the Denver Broncos to Cincinnati as the ’24 season started wrapping up, and with this contest came more success for the Raiders new linebacker.
Another successful day against new division rivals
If Week 2 wasn’t Pratt’s best outing through his ’24 campaign, Week 17’s performance was. His 90.1 grade supports that; the highest grade among all linebackers across the NFL with 15-plus snaps that week.
Although Pratt accumulated only eight tackles throughout the day, half of his Week 2 total, the efficiency remained the same with zero tackles being missed.
And just like his earlier performance against the Chiefs, Pratt was able to create a turnover–one that happened in the fourth quarter of a close game, helping force overtime and leading to a Cincinnati Bengals win.
Only this time, the turnover was through the air.
On a standard passing down, Pratt dropped back into coverage and followed Denver wideout Courtland Sutton as he zipped to the other side of the field. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix threw a ball that didn’t have enough air under it and the veteran linebacker came down with the interception, leading to six for his offense.
A look at new Raiders LB Germaine Pratt vs AFC West competition
Pratt drops into coverage, staying in the vicinity of Courtland Sutton. He’s able to take advantage of a poorly thrown ball by Bo Nix and notches the interception in the 4th quarter of a contest that went into OT. pic.twitter.com/J6rRN8Yuwf
— Alex Monfreda (@AlexMonfreda) June 16, 2025
And then, there’s the Los Angeles Chargers
There wasn’t too much to note from last year’s contest against California’s lone AFC West club. Pratt once again managed to accumulate eight tackles; except, he’d miss 22.2% of tackle attempts throughout the contest. That’s about all that happened during this outing.
However, during Pratt’s previous game against the Chargers, which took place in 2021, the veteran linebacker played a major part in forcing two turnovers.
The first was a forced fumble towards the end of the first half. After Pratt knocked the ball out of Austin Ekeler‘s hands, safety Jessie Bates III swooped in for the recovery.
Then, during the Chargers’ first second-half drive, Pratt scooped up a ball cornerback Mike Hilton helped put on the turf.
It was another successful day for Pratt against his new division rivals.
That’s a theme Raiders fans can feel good about. While Germaine Pratt is a first-year AFC West player, he’s no stranger to competition against the talented teams in the division.
Nor is he a stranger to playing phenomenal football when doing so.
*Top Photo: Perry Knotts /Getty Images
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