Pola-Mao finished the 2024 season with 89 tackles (57 solo), including 1.0 sacks, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles across 17 games with Las Vegas. Undrafted out of USC in 2022, Pola-Mao appeared in 27 games for the Raiders from 2022-2023, but he mainly played on special teams. Pola-Mao got a chance to play more on defense in 2024 and started 14 of the 17 games he appeared in, logging 86 percent of the defensive snaps after recording just 12 percent of the plays on defense the previous season. Pola-Mao obviously set career highs across the board and is scheduled to be a restricted free agent in March.
Pola-Mao racked up 11 tackles (seven solo) and two forced fumbles in Sunday's 19-14 win over the Jaguars. Pola-Mao's 11 tackles marked a new career high for the undrafted 25-year-old, and they were enough to pace the Raiders defense for a second straight week. The every-down safety now gets a chance to face a struggling Saints offense that just got blanked in Green Bay on Monday Night Football.
Pola-Mao registered nine tackles (six solo) during Las Vegas' loss to the Falcons on Monday. Pola-Mao had his best game of the campaign Monday despite the loss as he racked up a season-high nine tackles. The 25-year-old's strong season continues as he's now recorded a career-best 65 tackles (43 solo), with 1.0 sacks, in just 14 games played.
Pola-Mao finished Sunday's 41-24 loss to the Bengals with seven tackles (four solo). Pola-Mao has played every single defensive snap in four straight games and in five of the Raiders' last six contests. Over the first nine games of the regular season, Pola-Mao has logged 38 tackles (25 solo), including 1.0 sacks, and two pass breakups.
Pola-Mao tallied seven tackles (six solo) during Las Vegas' loss to the Rams on Sunday. Pola-Mao had a productive outing despite the loss as he managed to lead the Raiders in tackles. Throughout just seven games played this season, the 25-year-old has already amassed a career-high 29 tackles (20 solo).
Pola-Mao recorded six tackles (four solo), including 1.0 sacks, and a pass defensed in the Raiders' 20-16 win over the Browns on Sunday. The new starting safety passed his first test after stepping in for Marcus Epps, who tore his ACL in Week 3. Pola-Mao also played on all 57 defensive snaps and helped limit the Browns to 241 yards of total offense.
Pola-Mao is set to transition into a starting role at safety following the season-ending injury suffered by Marcus Epps (knee), beginning with Sunday's game against the Browns, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. Pola-Mao, a 2022 UDFA out of USC, is entering Year 3 with the Raiders and suited up for 16 regular-season games with the team in 2023, albeit while mostly contributing on special teams. He played more than 50 percent of defensive snaps just once last season, Week 11 versus Miami, and racked up seven tackles (four solo), one interception and one pass defensed in that contest.
The Raiders re-signed Pola-Mao on Thursday. Pola-Mao has been a significant contributor on special teams for his first two seasons in the league. He also managed the first pick of his career in 2023, though he's not likely to see many defensive snaps in 2024.