The 2019 Oakland Raiders’ season has certainly been an up and down affair. One month they are surging to make the playoffs, while the next they are dropping four games in a row to effectively end their season.
Inconsistency has plagued the young team that is still discovering themselves. Unfortunately, much of that inconsistency has been due to various injuries.
Despite that, there have been many bright spots within the bleak season. Josh Jacobs appears to be a franchise running back and the Raiders offensive line has been fantastic this year. So fantastic, in fact, that both Rodney Hudson and Trent Brown have both been named to the 2020 Pro Bowl.
For Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, he has had a front row seat to the excellence of both players and believed that they more than earned their spots in the Pro Bowl, via Kyle Martin of Raiders.com:
“He definitely makes a difference on the football games, that’s for sure,” Carr said. “Him and Rodney [Hudson] getting the Pro Bowl, rightfully so, those guys are two of the best at their position. And Trent, that guy is just a monster when it comes to pass game, run game. I mean you literally see him throw grown men 8-10 yards off the ball, like it’s crazy what he’s able to do against some really talented people. So, when you lose a guy like that obviously it’s next man up, it hurts. But with the year that he had, him going to the Pro Bowl, rightfully deserved.”
Despite his excellent season in New England last year, this is Brown’s first Pro Bowl selection, while Hudson will be attending his third. Unfortunately, staying true to the Raiders’ 2019 season, this good news is attached with bad news. Head coach Jon Gruden announced that Brown will be placed on injured for the final two games, ending his season.
Brown has been dealing with a pectoral injury that has kept him sidelined since Week 13. He has had a number of injuries throughout the season, missing the Raiders’ Week 7 loss to the Green Bay Packers with a calf strain and exiting their Week 9 win over the Detroit Lions with a knee injury.
Despite being banged up for much of the season, Brown has been the star tackle the Raiders hoped he would be when they signed him to a record-breaking contract. The Raiders are on pace to finish within the top 12 for rushing yards this season, their first time since 2016. Additionally, Carr has been sacked considerably less than last year, making it safe to say that Brown and Hudson have more than earned their Pro Bowl selections.
