Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Gamebreaker
Linebacker Denzel Perryman
Pro Football Focus graded Perryman as the Raiders’ top performer against the Broncos, which had to be a sigh of relief with the team captain coming back from sitting out his third game of the year. Perryman has also missed the majority of two other games with injury but is healthy now. It’s a big boost to a struggling defense, as the unit has been consistently energized by the presence of the hard-hitting middle linebacker. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham utilized Perryman more tactically against the Broncos. He sent Perryman on a handful of blitzes, which disrupted Denver’s passing game and allowed the veteran to get a pair of quarterback hits. Otherwise, Perryman often came out on passing situations, presumably so he could be at full-strength against the run and on short-yardage downs. The setup seemed to work, as Perryman planted running backs on several occasions and registered two tackles for loss.