The Las Vegas Raiders‘ defense will need to be sharp for all four quarters if it wants to slow down the Kansas City Chiefs‘ offense in their Week 4 matchup on Oct. 4 at Allegiant Stadium.
After allowing 14 points or fewer in their first two games, the Raiders gave up 27 points to the New Orleans Saints in Week 3. The defense still produced four turnovers and held the Saints scoreless in the fourth quarter, helping secure the win.
Against the Chiefs, though, that won’t be enough. Las Vegas will need a much sharper defensive performance than it showed against New Orleans. 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.
Moreover, Dean noted that the Raiders defense has to be aware of the Mahomes-to-Travis Kelce connection.
“Y’all are talking about Mahomes and Kelce, guys who have done it at a high level for a long time and are still playing at a high level,” Dean added. “We just got to make sure we’re on our things that we got to handle and we’re playing to the level of our style of play.”
Nakobe Dean on Facing Chiefs’ Kenneth Walker III
While the Chiefs will lean on the Mahomes-to-Kelce connection, they added a new element to their offense this offseason: a running game with the arrival of Kenneth Walker III.
“[Walker is] versatile, dynamic, leading rusher in the league right now,” Dean noted. “He’s definitely a challenge, but this is what you play football for.
Dean also said their tackling needs to be on point with Walker, who can break out of it for extra yards, as the team balances solid fundamentals while looking to generate turnovers.
“Harping on the fundamentals [and] focus on the fundamentals and doing what we’re supposed to do,” Dean said when talking about tackling Walker. “… You want to make sure you secure the tackle, and the tackle matters the most, but we want to continue to hunt the ball. So, like I said, it’s a learned skill. It’s a skill that we continue to work on throughout the week.”
Patrick Mahomes on Facing Raiders Defense
Meanwhile, Mahomes spoke to the media on Sept. 30 and shared his thoughts on facing the Las Vegas defense, including Maxx Crosby.
“They’ve brought in a lot of guys that are really good football players, and they’ve added young, talented guys in there as well,” Mahomes told reporters on Sept. 30. “Obviously, it starts with Maxx and their defensive line and being able to protect and be able to run the ball and do stuff like that.
“But they have great players everywhere, and they fly to the football. [The Raiders defense] turn the football over, which is huge in this league. We’ll have to match their intensity. We’ll have to execute at a high level, but it’ll be a great challenge for us, and we’re excited for it.”
Raiders’ Nakobe Dean Gives Candid Take on Facing Chiefs’ Offense