OAKLAND – DJ Hayden barely saw the field last week. He played five defensive snaps as the Raiders’ fourth cornerback. On Sunday, Hayden got back into the fray as the third option.
He was involved in the nickel package during a 34-20 loss to Kansas City. He played 24 defensive snaps, typically on the outside with TJ Carrie sliding into the slot.
He was targeted once in 18 pass coverage snaps and did not allow a reception.
Hayden played over Neiko Thorpe, who dealt with a knee injury during the practice week and was ineffective a week earlier against the Titans.
[BAIR: Top 5 takeaways from Raiders' Week 13 loss to Chiefs]
David Amerson, who earned Hayden’s starting spot, played 46 defensive snaps. He was targeted eight times with six receptions for 39 yards, with an average of just 3.9 yards per reception.
The Raiders also used linebacker Ben Heeney on passing downs. He was effective against the run and pass. He was used over Taylor Mays, who plays a linebacker/safety hybrid against certain opponents.
The tight end breakdown is similar to past weeks, with Lee Smith leading the way with 40 snaps. He blocked three-quarters of the time. Mychal Rivera was almost exclusively a receiving option in 24 snaps. Clive Walford played 28 snaps, and made the most of them. He blocked nine times, and had five receptions for 50 yards in 19 snaps as a receiver.
Here’s a look at the entire Raiders snap count from Sunday’s game:
OFFENSE
79 – OG J’Marcus Webb, OT Austin Howard, C Tony Bergstrom, OG Gabe Jackson, QB Derek Carr
78 – OT Donald Penn
77 – WR Amari Cooper
64 – WR Michael Crabtree
51 – RB Latavius Murray
48 – WR Seth Roberts
40 – TE Lee Smith
28 – TE Clive Walford
24 – TE Mychal Rivera
19 – WR Andre Holmes
18 – FB Marcel Reece
12 – FB Jamize Olawale
11 – RB Roy Helu
4 – OL Matt McCants
DEFENSE
51 – LB Malcolm Smith
50 – FS Charles Woodson
49 – CB TJ Carrie
48 – OLB Khalil Mack, DE Mario Edwards Jr.
46 – CB David Amerson
41 – DT Denico Autry
36 – SS Nate Allen
34 – DT Dan Williams
28 – DT Justin Ellis
27 – LB Curtis Lofton
24 – LB Ben Heeney, CB DJ Hayden
22 – DE Benson Mayowa
12 – DT Stacy McGee
10 – DE Shelby Harris
6 – S Larry Asante
2 – LB Lorenzo Alexander, S Taylor Mays
1 – CB Neiko Thorpe
SPECIAL TEAMS
23 – Larry Asante, Lorenzo Alexander
19 – Andre Holmes, Jamize Olawale
17 – Neiko Thorpe, Korey Toomer
15 – Taylor Mays
11 – Jeremy Ross
10 – Mychal Rivera
9 – Ben Heeney
8 – Sebastian Janikowski, Jon Condo, Marquette King
7 – Nate Allen
6 – Lee Smith, Jon Feliciano
5 – Roy Helu, Curtis Lofton, DJ Hayden, Dexter McDonald
4 – J’Marcus Webb, Austin Howard, Tony Bergstrom, Gabe Jackson, Donald Penn, Clive Walford, Marcel Reece, Matt McCants, TJ Carrie, Khalil Mack, Mario Edwards, Denico Autry, Dan Williams
