Where Can the NY Giants Exploit the Las Vegas Raiders Defense?

Will the New York Giants be able to have a strong performance against the Las Vegas Raiders?

Nov 30, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) reacts during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The New York Giants' offense hasn't had a dominating performance in what feels like an eternity at this point. A matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders could be just what they need to find some positivity.

Where are the Raiders most vulnerable on defense? Let’s dive in.

Personnel

Dec 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) and defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) in the tunnel against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

As is the case every year with this Raiders defense, edge defender Maxx Crosby is shouldering the load on the pass rush while also being the most reliable run defender.

Crosby has a team-leading 53 pressures this year, which is more than the second and third-place players, edge rushers Tyree Wilson (28) and Malcolm Koonce (24) combined.

Wilson and Koonce fill the rotation opposite Crosby, who rarely comes off the field, although neither has been particularly impressive this year.

This interior defensive line rotation consists of Jonah Laulu, Adam Butler, and Thomas Booker IV, which is mediocre at best.

The Raiders had plans for a stronger interior presence. Still, they lost Christian Wilkins before the season even started and eventually parted ways with him, leaving them without their intended star running mate next to Crosby.

This current group on the interior better resembles players who should be sporadic rotational players on an average team, rather than starters on any team.

The linebackers in Las Vegas have some names that will make fans think, “Where have I heard that name before?”: former first-round picks Devin White and Jamal Adams, as well as former Patriots, Dolphins, and Steelers defender Elandon Roberts.

White is still the same linebacker he’s been for years, one who possesses some elite athletic traits and is going to rack up the tackle numbers, but he’s also a liability in coverage that will miss tackles in space.

Adams and Roberts will fill out the rest of the snaps with White at off-ball linebacker, and while neither has been awful this year, they also aren’t anything to write home about.

Long gone are the days of Adams making eye-popping hits and being a leading pass-rusher as a safety.

Ever since Kyu Blu Kelly went on IR earlier this month, the Raiders are running just a two-man rotation at cornerback with former Packer Eric Stokes and rookie Darien Porter out of Iowa State.

Porter has struggled significantly since becoming a full-time starter, but Stokes has been one of the very few bright spots on this defense this year.

When the Raiders go to their nickel defense, starting safety Jeremy Chinn is their nickel defender. In contrast, Lonnie Johnson steps in as the safety opposite starter Isaiah Pola-Mao.

Unsurprisingly, this is another room that struggles for the Raiders as Pola-Mao has been nothing short of a liability in coverage this year, and Chinn’s usage has been questionable at best.

Chinn was one of the most promising young safeties in the NFL when he lined up all over the formation and was used both in coverage and as a pass-rusher, but this year he has been playing almost exclusively in coverage.

Scheme

This Raiders defense blitzes slightly more than the league average at 24.6% of their passing defense snaps, but the ways they blitz are fairly predictable at this point.

It’s almost exclusively White or Adams from their linebacker spots that blitz with very little variance, using a nickel or safety to generate the rush.

Both White and Adams have been effective in generating pressure on their opportunities, but the sacks haven’t shown up for either.

The Raiders are also one of the worst pressure-generating teams in the league despite their blitz rate, mostly because the only viable pass-rusher is Crosby.

In coverage, this is still a Patrick Graham defense that will live in Cover 3, playing it more than any other defense in the NFL.

The change-up is either going to cover two or four, which will be seen somewhat often in this game, but will still live out of cover three.

There will be some two-high looks pre-snap, but more often than not, the Giants can assume the Raiders will be playing Cover 3.

Overview

It’s been well over a month since Giants fans have been able to see their young franchise quarterback, Jaxson Dart, have a big game, but that could change this week.

With the Raiders being somewhat predictable but generally bad on defense, Dart should have time to get into a rhythm and attack the secondary.

Expect to see tight ends and slot receivers work the seams against single-high looks with the occasional sideline shot to challenge Porter on the outside.

The Raiders have a strong run defense in 2025, largely because of their single-high defense, which brings another defender into the box to help with run support.

Still, the Giants should be able to find success on the ground but may need to run more East-West and less North-South to do so.

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