Even if Chargers rest starters, Las Vegas’ kicking duo will see action
One final game of the 2024 campaign. One last opportunity for Daniel Carlson and AJ Cole III to show they’re one of the elite kicker-punter combos in the entire NFL.
Whether or not the Los Angeles Chargers — who already punched their playoff tickets — rest starters or give them snaps this Sunday, the Las Vegas Raiders special teams duo will need to be on point in the Silver & Black’s season finale.
Because no matter if the Raiders have intentions of winning its third game in a row or putting up a fight against a postseason-bound AFC West foe, Las Vegas’ success is going to be partly predicated on Carlson’s ability to hit field goals and Cole’s penchant to send punts into orbit.
Carlson saw plenty of action in the Raiders’ (4-12 overall) Week 17 victory against the sinking Saints. Called upon four times, the 29-year-old kicker went a smooth 4-for-4 on field goals but 1-for-2 on point after attempts.
K Daniel Carlson knocks through a 25-yard field goal, finishing a 12-play, 54-yard #Raiders scoring drive.
Carlson has now notched his 10th career game with 4+ made field goals, the fifth most of such games in the NFL since 2018.
— Raiders PR (@RAIDERS_PR) December 29, 2024
Carlson’s surge in action pushed him to 38 field goal attempts on the season which is good for fifth overall in the NFL. His 32 makes notches him sixth overall amongst his peers but his overall field goal percentage of 84.2 percent drops Carlson to 20th overall. Yet, in a season where other elite kickers have struggled with accuracy, Carlson’s shakiness in 2024 is par for the course.
The Raiders have been dependent on their kicker all season as drives have faltered both inside the red zone and as soon as the team crosses the 50-yard line. Thus, the need for Carlson to be money in the season finale. Of the Raiders 289 total points scored, Carlson is responsible for 117 of them (just slightly over 40 percent).
Cole-Powered
The Raiders big-legged punter was just as busy against the Saints. Along with being the holder for all of Carlson’s attempts (field goals and extra points), Cole was called upon to boot the ball four times and totaled 198 yards (49.5 yards per boot average) with a season-long 71-yard blast. Two of the four punts were downed inside New Orleans’ 20-yard line and one was a touchback.
Amongst his peers, Cole is third in overall average per punt at 50.4. He’s looking up at the Tennessee Titans’ Ryan Stonehouse (51.1) and the Detroit Lions’ Jack Fox (51.0). While it’s conceivable Cole can overtake that duo with a robust performance in the regular season finale against the Chargers, both Stonehouse and Fox have been consistent boomers themselves which likely puts top punter for the 2024 season out of Cole’s reach.
Overall, Cole is 13th in punt attempts at 64 and yards at 3,124. Despite having the 28th ranked third down conversion in the entire NFL at 76-for-215 (35.3 percent), Cole’s punting ventures are surprisingly middle of the pack this season.
P AJ Cole (@AJCole90) notches a season-long 71-yard punt.
He now has 15 punts of 60+ yards in 2024, the second most in the NFL.
— Raiders PR (@RAIDERS_PR) December 29, 2024
The NFL leader in attempts and yards this year has long been the Cleveland Browns’ Corey Bojorquez at 84 punts and 4,171 yards and it’s unlikely anyone catches him. The next closest is the Chicago Bears’ Tory Taylor at 76 boots for 3,657 yards on the year.
Up Next: Carlson has 12 career games against the Bolts under his belt. He’s 19-for-23 in field goal attempts and makes all-time against the Chargers (32-for-33 on extra point attempts and makes). In the season opener this season, Carlson went 1-for-2 in the 22-10 loss in Los Angeles. Cole, meanwhile, has 11 career games against the Chargers. He’s punted 46 times for 2,222 yards (48.3 average per boot). Of that total, 20 punts have been downed inside the Chargers’ 20-yard line and three were touchbacks.
