Raiders on the Brink: Can They Survive the Colts

As the strongest unit on the team, the Las Vegas Raiders' defense will be a critical part of the team's Week 5 results against the Indianapolis Colts. Las Vegas' defense must find a way to hold the Colts' offense in check long enough to allow their teammates on offense to figure things out.

Raiders' Strength vs. Colts Strengths

The Raiders are in the top half of the league against the run. Jonathan Taylor and the Colts offense are in the top 10 of the league in rushing. Something has to give on Sunday, when the Raiders and Colts face off. Las Vegas aims to continue their impressive play from the season's first four games.

The Colts can afford to have a bad game rushing; the Raiders cannot allow the Colts' ground game to get going under any circumstance. The Colts' offense has room for error; the Raiders' defense does not. Las Vegas' defense must focus for a full four quarters to make the Colts one dimensional.

Witih the Raiders' run defense being the best aspect of the defense, if Las Vegas cannot stop the run, they will likely be in trouble aganst the Colts. Prior to Thursday's practice, Raiders Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham noted how formidable of a rushing attack the Colts have.

Graham also noted how having one of the top rushers in the National Football League has helped the Colts' passing attack. Indianapolis' ground game has opened up the field for quarterback Daniel Jones and the rest of the Colts' offense.

"Absolutely. Their offense, again, they lead the league or I think they're real high in play action pass. They have the top rusher in the NFL. So, I mean, it starts there. You got to stop the run to try to minimize the effectiveness of the play action,” Graham said.

“But that's going to be a great challenge with the combination of their O-line, their tight ends who block, the quarterback getting them in the right checks and the fact that they have vertical threats. So, you commit too much here, then they're running by you. So, we got to be mindful of that."

The Raiders do not have time to dwell on their 1-3 start, they must quickly turn things around to avoid letting the season spiral out of control.

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