The Las Vegas Raiders defense will look to regain its form from Weeks 1 and 2 when it faces the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4. Despite giving up 27 points in the Week 3 win over the New Orleans Saints, the defense stepped up when the team needed it.
Against the Saints, the Raiders defense gave up zero points while generating four takeaways in the fourth quarter. As a result, the Silver and Black came away with a comeback win over New Orleans.
Ahead of their game against Las Vegas, Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy shared his thoughts on the Raiders’ defense along with Maxx Crosby.
“Those guys are doing a hell of a job,” Bieniemy told reporters on Oct. 1. “They’re 3-0. They’re doing a hell of a job on defense. Those guys are playing fast. They’re playing hard. Obviously, you see what Maxx Crosby and crew have done. These guys are leading in a number of stats. I think they’re leading the league in fumbles [and] batted balls. They got a high number of turnovers.
“They’re doing a hell of a job of enjoying the game and playing fun, having a lot of fun playing. I think that’s all attributed to the head coach and his defensive staff. But on top of that, too, they got one of the better defensive players in the league by the name of Maxx Crosby, and he’s doing a hell of a job of leading those guys through this particular three-game success that they’ve had.”
Raiders’ Kirk Cousins Has the Respect of Steve Spagnuolo
Meanwhile, on the offensive side for Las Vegas, Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo shared his thoughts on Raiders QB Kirk Cousins. Spagnuolo spotlighted one key that could make it challenging to sack the veteran signal-caller.
“Kirk’s one of these quarterbacks I got a tremendous amount of respect for,” Spagnuolo said on Oct. 1. “He’s been doing it for a long time. I think he’s a quality guy. Every time I see him, I tell him how much I respect his character. That part is great. But the pirate on the football field, he gets the ball out so quick that he makes it really difficult. I think that the knocking down of passes would be really important.
“The sticky coverage and making him throw it into tight windows would be really big. We need a couple of, when we do that, we need a couple of knockdowns by a corner or safety to get him in a longer down distance or get us off the field. We’ll have to mix it up, but I think he’s just got to be a little bit careful with a guy that’s as smart as Kirk is.”
Nakobe Dean on Facing Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes
One of the top performers on the Silver and Black’s defense in the Week 3 win over the Saints was linebacker Nakobe Dean, who recorded 12 tackles and one forced fumble.
Ahead of the game against Kansas City, Dean spoke about facing one of the best offenses they’ll see this season, starting with Patrick Mahomes.
“We’re talking about Patrick Mahomes in the sense of him being the best of the best,” Dean told reporters on Sept. 30. “So we just got to trust our game plan and what the coaches give us throughout the week, handle our business, play to our level.
Chiefs Coach Has Strong Words for Raiders Defense, Maxx Crosby