Jordan Meredith vs. Jeffrey Simmons

Combining the preseason and the regular season,Jordan Meredith is heading into his ninth game ever starting at center.

He notably made the switch from guard to center this offseason, with the coaching staff entrusting him at the position. The 2024 season was a great opportunity to put himself on his team’s radar, as he accumulated an 80.8 offensive grade from Pro Football Focus – a team-high among all offensive linemen.

“I think Jordan is what you’re looking for in a center in this league,” Kelly said previously. “He reminds me a little bit, I’m not going to say he is, but he reminds me a lot of Jason Kelce that I had when I was in Philly. He’s got a long way to go. Jason’s a Hall of Famer, but he’s that type of player. We were really excited about what Jordan’s doing at center.”

While there’s been a learning curve with snapping the football, Meredith’s blocking ability hasn’t taken a dip with his position change. Per Next Gen Stats, he’s allowed quarterback pressure on 4.9 percent of dropbacks this season, which is the 13th-lowest rate among centers with 50+ pass blocks. Additionally, his 7.1 percent pressure rate allowed against single pass rushers 1-on-1 is the lowest among any lineman on the Raiders this season.

“Honestly right now, I’m just trying to focus on the day-to-day and get better,” Meredith said. “There’s so much to learn from, you go out there and you’ve never seen it all. There’s something a coach does or a defensive lineman does that you learn from. My whole thing is just making sure that we focus, go out there and give it 100 percent and try to get better.”

A week removed from a great matchup against DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart, he’ll face one of the best interior pass rushers in the league in Jeffrey Simmons.

Even while the Titans are in a rebuilding phase, Simmons remains a constant fixture for their defense. The three-time Pro Bowler is leading the team in sacks (3.5), tackles for loss (six) and quarterback hits (nine). According to Next Gen Stats, he leads all defensive tackles in the league with 20 total pressures..

“It seems like he’s a very smart player,” Meredith said of Simmons. “He’s a tall guy, big guy, looks like he has strength. He kind of has the whole package. I have to go out there and play our game and go play ball.”

So far this season, Geno Smith has been sacked 16 times, the third-most of any quarterback in the NFL. Therefore, this game could get out of hands for the Raiders if they don’t win this matchup.