examining the performances of both running backs to determine the committee’s future operations
The Las Vegas Raiders have adopted a running back by committee strategy this season, therefore it was expected that Alexander Mattison and Zamir White would receive a large amount of action in the team’s opening game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Pro Football Focus notes that even though White was the starter, it was surprising that Mattison played 13 more snaps than White.
That was partly due to White’s blunder, but the two backs’ slightly differing use in the season opener may also be a sign of how they’ll share the workload in the remaining games.
Running Game
With five rushing attempts compared to White’s thirteen, Mattison had far fewer carries while seeing greater playing time. Due to the offensive line’s shortcomings, neither back saw much success on the ground; Mattison went for 19 yards and averaged 3.8 yards per carry, while White recorded 46 yards and 3.5 yards per carry. Additionally, they had comparable zone-to-gap runs ratios on the surface, according to PFF: three-to-two and eight-to-five.
A closer look reveals that the 2022 fourth-round pick was more frequently working the perimeter while the free-agent addition was just going north and south.
All five of Mattison’s carries, according to PFF’s stats, fell between the left and right B-gaps. Interestingly, he was nearly as successful running into the four gaps as he was not; on his one rush up the middle to the left, he gained three yards, and on his other two attempts, he averaged four yards to the left and right B-gaps and the right A-gap.
White, on the other hand, had three runs to the left C-gap or wider and produced well on those tries, gaining 17 yards on three attempts, or around 5.7 yards per carry. Like his opponent, he was successful on two carries for 12 yards or six yards per carry to the left B-gap. With eight runs for 17 yards total (about 2.1 ypr) between the left A-gap and right B-gap, White, however, had a harder time up the middle.
Although the sample size is small, if these patterns hold true, Mattison will likely be utilized more in the future as the downhill back while White’s touches will be more varied.
Passing Game
On Sunday, the two backs showed notable differences in their passing attacks.
Mattison played 30 pass snaps, 24 of which were as a receiver. On six targets, he caught four catches for 43 yards, the best of which was a 31-yard touchdown grab off a swing ball.
He was thrown five passes total, four of which came past the line of scrimmage. He gained 49 yards after the catch on these targets, according to PFF. To be clear, when he catches the ball, he returns to the line of scrimmage, which accounts for the disparity in yards total and YAC. On a target that was beyond the line, he also had one grab for three yards.
White, meanwhile, saw just 10 pass play snaps and had just two two-yard receptions. One grab occurred three yards deep in the backfield, and he added four yards after the catch; the other came exactly at the line of scrimmage, where he added a yard after the catch. To be fair, this isn’t shocking because the third-year player hasn’t contributed much to the passing attackWhite has only recorded 21 pass pro snaps in his career, according to PFF, so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the Raiders never used pass protection against the Chargers. However, Mattison gave up one pressure, a QB hurry, and was given six snaps as a pass blocker.
Thus, it’s certain that Mattison will play a significant role in the future since the coaching staff sees him as the third down back. Ameer Abdullah was expected to play a certain role going into the season, but it’s important to note that he only saw action on special teams on Sunday and did not play a single offensive snap.
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