Raiders proving to have an elite defense by one league-leading statistic
The Las Vegas Raiders' defense has been the wildcard this season. They were thought to be the weak link coming into the 2023 season, but instead, were by far the best part of the team.Considering the names and star power they have on that side of the ball, you would think the offense would be […]
The Las Vegas Raiders' defense has been the wildcard this season. They were thought to be the weak link coming into the 2023 season, but instead, were by far the best part of the team.
Considering the names and star power they have on that side of the ball, you would think the offense would be the unit carrying the team. But that has just not been the case. If the Raiders had even a league-average offense, they would be a playoff team.
This defense has been one of the best units in the league since Antonio Pierce has taken over as the interim head coach. On Christmas Day against the Kansas City Chiefs, they proved that. As a matter of fact, they proved that on the very first drive, locking down the Chiefs for a 3-and-out.
If this league-leading stat doesn't show that, I don't know what will. Here is what the Raiders' PR team tweeted out about the Raiders defense after the first defensive drive of the game vs. the Chiefs:
With a sack on third down, the Raiders force a 3-and-out by the Chiefs offense to open the game. The Raiders have now forced a 3-and-out on their opponent's opening drive in nine games this season, the most in the NFL.
If you told me the Raiders would lead the league in forced 3-and-outs on opening drives before the season started, I would have laughed at you. Scratch that; I would have called you some pretty mean names, to be honest. But I also would have been wrong because this defense has been one of the best in the league.
To make things even better, they did it and are doing it against the Kansas City Chiefs.
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