What the Raiders' Defense Badly Needs Moving Forward

LAS VEGAS, Nev.--The Las Vegas Raiders' defense is hands down the strongest unit on the team. For better or for worse, this season's Raiders team will depend, and has depended heavily on its defense shouldering the load, as its offense has been unable to figure things out through 14 games.

All things considered, Las Vegas' defense has done an admirable job of carrying the team. However, the unit has begun to show the normal wear and tear that comes with a regular season in the National Football League, especially after as much time as the unit has spent on the field.

Watch Graham discuss below.

Recently, Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll noted several issues that have plagued the defense this season. Carroll and Raiders Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham have worked together to mesh defensive ideologies this season, with mixed results. It has been a struggle at times.

"Well, yeah, we've worked really hard at it to bring our thoughts together. And so, we're a combination, and I give Pat [Patrick Graham] a lot of credit and a lot of background of a lot of things that he's done that we hadn't done,” Carroll said.

“And so, we've been mixing since we started. I think it took us all the way to get rolling into the season before we had a feel for what we're trying to get done and really clear about how it would mesh together. But I have so much respect for him. He's smart as hell. He's got great background and adds to whatever I've been doing all these years."

Carroll noted that several key factors have contributed to the Raiders' poor defensive play as of late. The unit must help itself by getting off the field on third down. To do that, they must do a better job on first and second down.

"Yeah, well, there's a number that's really telling here, and it's third-and-ones and twos, and the number of them, we've had more than anybody in the NFL by a bit. And so, that opportunity to get – and we're basically average in getting off the field in those situations, but we just had too many of them,” Carroll said.

“ And so, that does come back to what's going on on second down and the way the offenses are attacking us, and they're patient to go ahead and just get to the third down situations. We've played some really good third-and-short teams as well, and the numbers are just out of whack. And I can't even imagine, I think we have 32 third-and-ones already. I think that's the number, something like that."

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