Lions vs. Raiders Week 9 Scouting Report: Jon Gruden’s inconsistent group
Special Teams
Lions placekicker Matt Prater missed his first field goal from 50-plus yards against the Giants but was able to redeem himself with a 52-yard make on his next attempt. The mere fact that Prater missing a 50-yarder is news shows you how fortunate the Lions are to have him.
More from SideLion Report
- Top 5 revenge games on the Detroit Lions 2023 schedule
- Lions center Frank Ragnow optimistic about continuing to play through toe injury
- Detroit Lions 2023 preseason schedule: Dates, times and opponents
- A new contract extension projection for Lions quarterback Jared Goff
- 4 wide receivers the Detroit Lions could still look to acquire this offseason
The Raiders have a strong special teams unit led by coordinator Rich Bisaccia, who won a Super Bowl Ring under Gruden in the same role with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002.
The Lions and Raiders both rank in the top-five in kickoff return average, but Oakland have a distinct advantage over the Lions on punt returns (+4.0 average).
Kicker Daniel Carlson had a rough start to his NFL career, as he was cut by the Minnesota Vikings just two games into his rookie season, despite being a fifth-round pick in 2018. Missing three of your first four field goals will do that.
Carlson, though, latched on to the Raiders last October and hasn’t looked back since. He has made 22 of his 24 field goal attempts for Oakland including just one miss this year.
Not unlike last week’s opposing kicker, Carlson hasn’t been tested from long range much this season, as he has missed his only kick from 50-plus yards.