Raiders Defense Focused on Fixing Key Issues Ahead of Week 4

The Las Vegas Raiders defense did not have a good showing last week. Now they are looking to improve that this week, and they have to do a lot of digging.

Sep 21, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders defensive back Car'Lin Vigers (22) runs the ball during the second half against the Las Vegas Raiders at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders had a performance they want to forget in Week 3. The Raiders got outplayed in all three phases of the game, and they are making no excuses for that.

It was a tough watch for Raider Nation in that game, and now they are going to see if the Silver and Black will bounce back. They will return home in Week 4, and they have another chance to show that they are prepared for this much up and this game is very winnable for the Raiders.

One big thing we did not see coming from the Raiders was their defense struggling as much as it did in Week 3. The Raiders' defense did not have a game they would say was good. They did create a turnover early on in their Week 3 loss, but after that, they finally broke for the first time this season. It could have been a lot of different things, but they all said that their play was unacceptable. The Raiders, if they want to have a chance in Week 4, that defense is going to have to get cleaned up.

Aug 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Raiders Defense

"Yeah, I thought that the corners did well again," said Raiders head coach Pete Carroll. "We gave up the double move play. Kyu [Blu Kelly] got whipped on that one. That was a really nice play by them and all. We should have had a chance to stay on top. That was at a time in the game when that's what they're going to do, and unfortunately, we didn't take care of that."

"[Eric] Stokes played really well again, and it was great to get Darien [Porter] out there. It was the clear opportunity to throw him out, and made a couple tackles and looked comfortable in coverage and did like he's been doing in practice. So, those guys are developing. We got to make sure we're staying on top. Easy plays are just -- they're killers."

Aug 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Eric Stokes (22) against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Raiders are going to be facing a red-hot offense in Week 4 in the Chicago Bears. If the Raiders do not improve, they are going to have the same results they did in Week 3. This group is going to show how they respond after having a bad game.

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