Raiders report: Hometown hero emerges in Maxx Crosby’s absence

Former Centennial High School star Jonah Laulu made two big defensive plays for the Raiders on Monday night, including one that got them the ball back with a chance to win in the final two minutes.

But Laulu said after a 15-9 loss to the Falcons at Allegiant Stadium that he thought he could have done more.

The rookie defensive lineman dropped into coverage on a third-down play just after the two-minute warning and broke up a pass over the middle intended for wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud. A completion would have allowed the Falcons to take three knees to preserve a 15-9 victory.

Instead, they had to punt and give the Raiders a chance to win the game.

Laulu thought he should have intercepted the pass.

“It was actually a bad play,” he said. “I was supposed to drop more toward the middle of the field. I saw (safety Isaiah Pola-Mao) in the same area and realized I was in the wrong place. So I got to the middle late, and I really should have picked it off.

“That’s really going to haunt me for a long time.”

Laulu also wouldn’t take credit for a big third-down sack of quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​in the first quarter that ended the Falcons’ opening drive. He praised defensive tackle Adam Butler for occupying blockers and forcing Cousins ​​to step into him.

Still, the sack gave the Las Vegas native a chance to find his mom in the crowd.

“After I had the sack, I got to see her face, and I think she was crying,” Laulu said. “She’s a little sensitive. ”

Laulu and the rest of the defensive linemen were pressed into extra duty Monday. Star defensive end Maxx Crosby was out with an ankle injury and defensive end Charles Snowden was a healthy scratch after being charged with driving under the influence last week.

“We just have to come together as a line and make things happen,” Laulu said. “We just know we have to play together as a line no matter who’s out there.”

Defensive end Tyree Wilson praised Laulu for the strides he has made this season.

“He’s come in here as a mature rookie,” Wilson said. “He shows it every day on the practice field. Always comes to work and never complains and it’s starting to show. “He’s going to be a big name in the NFL.”

‘It was not good’

The Raiders, despite their 10-game losing streak, have been able to rely on their special teams more often than not this season.

That wasn’t the case Monday.

The Raiders allowed a long kickoff return, a blocked punt, a deflected punt and a blocked extra point. They also caught a punt at the 3-yard line and gave up a safety two plays later. They allowed another punt to roll to the 3-yard line.

“It was not good,” punter AJ Cole said. “I was horrible. We didn’t block. It was just really bad.”

There were system breakdowns and mental errors. The Raiders had only 10 players on the field for the blocked extra point.

“Everybody has to take ownership, including me,” kicker Daniel Carlson said. “We have to learn from it and figure it out going forward.”

Cole said he would have to watch the film to see what happened in punt protection. He said in real time it didn’t appear the Falcons were doing anything “crazy or exotic.”

Cole’s first punt was deflected and only traveled 30 yards when Atlanta wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge came free up the middle and got a piece of the ball. Hodge took a similar route to block another punt in the second half. The Falcons kicked a field goal on the subsequent drive.

“You don’t really see them until the last second,” Cole said. “The ball comes out of your hand and right when you’re making contact with it they get it and there’s really nothing you can do. I’m looking at the ball so I can’t really look up at the rush. You don’t really feel it until it’s too late.”

Jones takes blame

The Falcons’ lone touchdown came late in the first quarter when Raiders cornerback Jack Jones bit on a pump fake by Cousins, which freed up wide receiver Drake London for an easy 30-yard score down the right sideline.

“Defensively, I feel like we played a good defensive game, but I can’t give that up in that situation,” Jones said. “We know what’s coming in the fringe area. We know double-move is going to be there. I have to get my eyes right. That’s just unacceptable. I’m not going for that. Coach isn’t going for that. I have to be better next week.”

Atlanta was facing a second-and-10 on the play. Jones tried to anticipate a throw to the first-down marker.

“That’s all it is, trying to jump the ball and make a play,” Jones said. “I’m going out of my way trying to make a play and I’m giving up plays. That’s not how you make plays. You make plays by doing your job and being consistent. I know that, so I have to be better.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.