With the combination of the Las Vegas Raiders playing for the future and Kyu Blu Kelly suffering a season-ending injury, rookie cornerback Darien Porter is expected to see an even bigger role on the Raiders’ defense over the next four weeks.
Kelly and Porter were splitting reps during the last few games, and the latter had an impressive outing last week against the Denver Broncos when the former went down early in the contest. According to Pro Football Focus, the Broncos targeted the first-year pro six times, completing just three passes for 34 yards while collecting a couple of pass breakups. Even more impressively, Denver primarily tested him with their No. 1 receiver, Courtland Sutton, and the third-round pick held his own.
Granted, when called upon, Porter has been playing well throughout the campaign. He’s played in 10 games defensively, logging 361 total snaps while allowing 12 receptions on 21 targets (57.1 completion percentage) for 130 yards and no touchdowns, per PFF. So, the Iowa State product has the makings of an ascending young player, but he will face a new challenge in Week 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Yes, the Eagles’ offense and passing game have been struggling this season. However, wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith have still combined for 126 catches, 1,638 yards and nine touchdowns. Also, at their best, those two can be one of the most dynamic pass-catching duos in the NFL, creating a challenge for any cornerback, especially a rookie.
So, for this week’s game day discussion on The FEED, we’ll be keeping a close eye on Porter to see if he can rise to the occasion and continue to ascend. The game kicks off at 10:00 a.m. PST and will air on FOX (check your local listings). I look forward to talkin’ some ball with y’all!
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