Las Vegas Raiders a huge opportunity to leave as Goff offer $99.3million on…
If there was one specific aspect of the Las Vegas Raiders that exuded the swagger head coach Antonio Pierce wants out of his football team, it was the defense.
The bravado and confidence spread like wildfire on Patrick Graham’s side of the ball and one of the lasting image of the 2023 campaign was seeing Raiders cornerback Jack Jones stare down Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes as the defensive back ran into the end zone for a touchdown after he read the signal caller like a book for an interception Christmas Day.
So it was no surprise to hear what Jones said on Wednesday after the team’s organized team activity (OTA) when asked how the Raiders maintain that brashness going forward.
Easy to say but often difficult to do. While Las Vegas did finish with the ninth-ranked defense in terms of points allowed (331 total yielded) and that’s a dramatic improvement from what the Raiders fielded in prior years, there’s room for improvement (always). Graham’s group was middle of the pack in terms of sacks (14th with 46), interceptions (18th with 13), and forced fumbles (18th with 14). Las Vegas was second to last in passes defensed with 56, just one more than the Tennessee Titans who ranked 32nd in the league in that category. That said, the Silver & Black finished No. 5 in interceptions returned for a score with three and third in fumbles returned for a touchdown with two.
