Justin Ellis is back in the lineup, and the Raiders are loving it.
The defensive tackle was injured in the season opener and didn’t return until Dec. 2 in a 40-33 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Without him, the 3-10 Raiders' run defense was anemic. The defense missed the presence of its 6-foot-2, 334-pound run-stuffer.
But in the two games since Ellis has returned, Oakland has given up an average of just 107 yards rushing per game, down significantly from its season average of 144.5 yards per game, the second-worst in the NFL.
This past week, in a victory over the Steelers, Pittsburgh gained just 40 yards on the ground.
“It’s amazing how Justin Ellis has a factor in that,” said Raiders head coach Jon Gruden. “He’s helped us. Paul Guenther’s scheme is catching on, I think. Yes, they have played better.”
Ellis played a combined 25 snaps in the two games – in obvious running situations – and has had just one tackle. But his presence and push have made a difference, along with the play of fellow defensive tackle Jonathan Hankins. Hankins, a 6-foot-2, 325-pounder who played for the Giants and Colts over the five previous seasons, has started 11 games in 2018 and has been in on 31 tackles.
Defensive coordinator Guenther says the tandem is doing what it needs to do, to take on blockers and create some disruption in the middle of the line while allowing others to make plays.
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“I think you can see the difference with having him (Ellis) in there,” said Guenther. “Him and Hankins have really been playing pretty good. We wanted to work Justin in, he hadn’t played a lot of football in two months, so to throw him out there to play 40 snaps, and all of a sudden something happens. … They’re two big guys, they’re athletic, they can stuff the run and they can move, so having both of those guys in there has been a tremendous help.”
One of the beneficiaries of the Ellis-Hankins combo up front is veteran inside linebacker Tahir Whitehead, who’s been outstanding over the past four weeks, when he’s ranked 10th among all NFL linebackers according to the analytic website Pro Football Focus. Whitehead had 10 tackles combined against the Steelers, with an interception and two passes defensed, and has 40 tackles over the past four games.
Now, the Raiders defense will try to keep up its momentum Sunday against the 5-8 Bengals in Cincinnati. The Bengals are 3-point favorites for the game, which is set for a 10 a.m. kickoff (Bay Area time).
