The Raiders outlasted the Chargers 23-20 in overtime during Week 16 and that result might have been different had the Chargers offense been given shorter fields to work with over the course of the game.
Punter Marquette King made sure that didn’t happen. King punted eight times over the course of the contest and dropped six of those kicks inside the 20-yard-line. The Chargers didn’t get any points after those kicks and the Raiders recorded a safety a few plays after King pinned San Diego deep in the third quarter.
King was named the AFC special teams player of the week as a result of his performance against the Chargers. It’s the first time he’s been so honored in his three years with the team.
King has dropped more than half his punts inside the 20-yard-line this season and has seen just 27 of his 77 punts this season returned for an average of 6.6 yards per try. That’s helped the Raiders win field position battles during a season that’s raised hope for a brighter future for the franchise.