Raiders' Matchup Advantages in the AFC West: Defense

If the Las Vegas Raiders want to have success in their division, they will need to take advantage of these matchups on defense.

As the Las Vegas Raiders turn their attention to the regular season and set their sights on returning to the postseason, they will look to improve on the defensive side of the ball in 2023.

The Raiders have invested in their defense during the offseason with hopes that those investments will pay off, and they will bring the Raiders out from the bottom of the league in several defensive metrics.

The Raiders are hoping to win more games in 2023, and that starts in their own division. They have a date with the Denver Broncos Week 1, a chance to get an early jump on divisional victories.

The AFC West boasts some of the best offenses in the NFL, so the Raiders will have their work cut out for them when they take on each of their division opponents.

With that, let’s take a closer look at some areas where the Raiders have advantages on defense against the AFC West.

The Broncos did not have a great rushing attack last season, scoring on the ground only 11 times and finishing in the bottom-10 in yards per carry. This will help with the return of Javonte Williams, but he is coming off of a torn ACL.

If the Raiders can stop the run, they will make quarterback Russell Wilson throw more. Wilson had one of the worst seasons of his career in 2022 when his passing volume increased.

The more the Raiders can keep the ball off the ground against the Broncos, the more opportunities they will have to get the ball back for their offense.

The Los Angeles Chargers are in a similar position, but they have one of the better young quarterbacks in the league, Justin Herbert, who posted a 93.2 quarterback rating under pressure last season.

The Raiders will need to limit running back Austin Ekeler in the passing game and force him to stay between the tackles as a runner. If their athletic linebackers Divine Deablo and Luke Masterson can slow down one of the more electric players in the NFL, this limits a massive element of the Chargers’ offense.

The Kansas City Chiefs are the best offensive team in football. It is difficult to find any flaws for them on that side of the ball.

If there are any, it is the fact that they do not have a truly dominant No. 1 wide receiver -- although tight end Travis Kelce is Patrick Mahomes’ favorite weapon. On the outside, however, there isn’t an overly dependable player.

This can play into the Raiders’ favor, as Marcus Peters will line up against their best wide receiver, who might end up being Marquez Valdez-Scantling. If the Raiders want to beat their bitter rivals, limiting them on the outside could be a good start.

The Silver and Black open the regular season at the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Sept. 10, at 4:25 p.m. EDT/1:25 p.m. PDT.

Please tell us your thoughts when you like our Facebook Page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.