The Las Vegas Raiders are 1-2, and neither the offense nor the defense has found its stride. However, the defense has at least shown some promising flashes.
The Raiders‘ defense was one of the best in the NFL in the first two weeks, but crashed in a major way in Week 3, giving up 41 points against the Washington Commanders. A big problem facing the defense is that they keep getting off to slow starts.
In fact, ESPN’s Ryan McFadden believes that first-half defense is the biggest problem facing the Raiders right now.
In first halves this season, the Raiders are eighth worst in points allowed (15.7 per game) and third worst in total yards allowed (214 per game),” McFadden wrote. The Commanders picked the Raiders apart through the first two quarters Sunday with 20 points and 259 yards, including 174 on the ground. We just got to play better,’ Las Vegas defensive end Maxx Crosby said. ‘There’s going to be no excuses with this group. We know everybody knows you got to take accountability, and we got Chicago this week at home, so we got a lot of work to do until then.”
The good news is that it’s arguably more important for the defense to be good in the second half, but it doesn’t help the offense to have to play from behind.
Raiders’ Pass Defense is An Issue
Expectations weren’t high for the Raiders‘ defense coming into the season, and a big reason for that was the lack of proven commodities in the secondary. Eric Stokes has been a solid player, but Kyu Blu Kelly has started to struggle.
McFadden detailed how the pass defense has been an issue in Las Vegas.
Opponents have picked on second-year cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly quite a bit,” McFadden wrote. “He has been targeted a team-high 17 times, allowing 10 catches for 157 yards and a passer rating of 89.6. He gave up three catches for 74 yards against Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin, including a 56-yard catch.
“Blu Kelly and the rest of the secondary will be tested Sunday. Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze has 227 yards and is tied for the most touchdown receptions in the league with four. Rookie Luther Burden III had 101 yards and a touchdown in Chicago’s Week 3 win over the Cowboys.
Maxx Crosby Draws Praise
The one player the defense can rely on is defensive end Maxx Crosby. He hasn’t had a big game yet, but it’s just a matter of time until he does.
He hasn’t gotten much help this season, which makes it difficult for him to get sacks. Heading into Week 4, the Bears are definitely ready for him.
“He’s a very unique player. … When building a plan, obviously you have to have awareness of where he’s at at all times,” Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said. “He’s a phenomenal player. He plays with great effort. That’s the biggest thing about him that shows up on the tape. He’s slippery and you just have to have an awareness and on every single play, you’ve got to have a plan for how we’re going to handle him.” –
ESPN Identifies Raiders’ ‘Biggest Issue’ This Season