Raiders report: RB reaches into ‘back pocket’ for highlight-reel TD

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Alexander Mattison expected to be tackled low by cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. after catching a pass in the right flat Sunday.

The Raiders veteran running back also believed he knew how to stay upright.

Mattison hurdled the Chargers defender and raced 31 yards to the end zone for his team’s lone touchdown in a 22-10 loss at SoFi Stadium.

“If you look over my career, both collegiately and in the NFL, that’s one of the things in my back pocket,” Mattison said. “People probably don’t expect it, but I understood the type of tackling it was coming into the game and once I saw him drop his feet and drop his hips, I knew I had an opportunity.”

Mattison also got an assist from Samuel on the play. Samuel took out linebacker Daiyan Henley, who was trying to track down Mattison from behind, after being hurdled.

‘That gave me the open lane to the end zone,” Mattison said.

Mattison, who joined the Raiders this offseason after being released by the Vikings in March, was one of the team’s lone bright spots on offense Sunday.

He ran for 19 yards on five carries and had four catches for 43 yards and a touchdown against the Chargers. Mattison joined Jack Larscheid as the only running backs in franchise history to have a touchdown reception of 30 yards or more in their Raiders debut.

“He’s a dynamic player,” wide receiver Davante Adams said. “I’ve played against him quite a bit. He’s a great player who brings another dimension to that running back room.”

The Raiders’ running game struggled to get going even with Mattison’s contributions. They were held to 71 rushing yards on 22 attempts.

“Credit to (the Chargers),” Mattison said. “They had a good game plan and that’s an NFL-caliber defensive line and linebackers on the other side. As the game progressed, we were able to hit our landmarks and the offensive line was able to move the line of scrimmage a bit. I think we just have to try to establish that a little sooner. It took us a little bit longer today.”

Thin on the edge

The Raiders lost defensive end Malcolm Koonce to a knee injury Thursday and will be without him for the foreseeable future.

They took another hit at the position early in Sunday’s game. Second-year pro Tyree Wilson, the seventh overall pick in the 2023 draft, suffered a knee injury as well. Wilson tried to come back into the game but only lasted a few plays being before shut down.

“That’s the nature of the beast,” defensive end Maxx Crosby said. “People get injured. It has to be the next-man-up mentality. We had guys like (Janarius Robinson) and Charles Snowden step in and do some good things. We’re a big group and we trust everybody in that room. We have to keep moving forward and find a way to keep improving.”

Wilson was wearing a brace on his right knee in the locker room after the game.

“It’s a leg injury,” coach Antonio Pierce said. “Our medical staff will see, but we were already down one. Now, down another one. It will be tough sledding, but next-man-up mentality and no excuses.”

Snowden started in Koonce’s place Sunday after being signed off the practice squad Saturday. He finished with one tackle.

Crosby said the team’s thoughts are still with Koonce.

“It’s a horrible, unfortunate situation,” he said. “We love Malcolm. He’s a great player and brings a lot of juice. Seeing a brother get hurt sucks, but it’s the National Football League. At the end of the day, we have to keep showing up and find a way to win. No excuses ever. We’re praying for him and hopefully he’ll be fine, but whoever is out there has to go out and play our best and execute.”

Going down swinging

Pierce was not pleased when some of his players got involved in a scrap following the Chargers’ failed 2-point conversion with 3:40 remaining.

“We have to do a better job of composure,” Pierce said. “That starts with myself and the coaching staff. What happened at the end of the game is inexcusable. It’s not going to be tolerated. And at the end of the day, we can’t be selfish.”

Raiders cornerback Jack Jones and Chargers wide receiver Joshua Palmer were ejected after the scrum. Crosby, cornerback Nate Hobbs, safety Marcus Epps and several other players on both sides were involved.

“It’s undisciplined and just not worth it,” Pierce said. “They scored. They kicked our ass and scored. Let it go.”

Palmer said he did not throw any punches. It’s unclear whether any of the players involved will receive discipline from the NFL.

“They came and started throwing punches, but we’re not going to be punching bags,” Palmer told reporters after the game. “So, we had to defend ourselves.”

Not-so dynamic

The league’s innovative new kickoff rules were a bit of a flop in the Raiders’ season opener.

Seven of the nine kickoffs in the game were touchbacks.

The NFL wanted to encourage returns this season, believing the kickoff had become a meaningless play that was easy for fans to skip. But the new rules, which put a touchback at the 30-yard line, weren’t enough of a deterrent to have the two teams risk a big return.

Chargers wide receiver Derius Davis returned the opening kickoff 35 yards and the Raiders never gave him another opportunity. Running back Ameer Abdullah’s lone kickoff return went for 28 yards.

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