Raiders' Defense Wants Another Dominant Performance

The Las Vegas Raiders had a dominant performance against the New York Giants and they aim to have a similar outing against the New York Jets.

The Las Vegas Raiders' defense performed well again in Sunday's 30-6 victory over the New York Giants. However, Interim Coach Antonio Pierce still sees areas the defense can improve on heading into Sunday night's game against the New York Jets.

“Run defense, although it was great getting eight sacks," Pierce said. "It's not cool giving up 100 yards rushing. That's not cool. The cool part about it is being heavy-handed dominant up front, making a team one-dimensional. I don't care what team what year of football we are in; you stop the run. You've got to be stout up front; you've got to be heavy-handed, the linebackers have got to be hammers. 

"The cornerbacks have got to come out there and be secondary support players, and our back end has got to come down and bring that thump. And until you really establish that, you can't be the defense we really want to be, and that's what Maxx [Crosby] is saying.

"So, for us, it's really about being heavy-handed up front. PG [Patrick Graham] and Matt Edwards and Robbie Leonard do a great job of that every week, of just harping that, but now we've got to do it each and every week. We've got to be consistent. We've got pass rushers, and they showcased that the last couple of weeks.”

Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham praised the Raiders' defense for their performance against the Giants.

"It starts with the players, first and foremost," Graham said. "In terms of executing their assignments and the game plan for that game, they did a good job with that. But the thing that stands out the most when you look at all the pressures was the effort, just the guys' relentless pursuit to the ball.

"They were hungry to get to the football. And I would say, again, I can't give you the exact number, but a lot of sacks throughout this league starts with the effort of those players playing really hard on each play and making the play. 

"That's where a lot of sacks come in this league. And a combination of that and obviously on the back end, sacks aren't possible without the coverage. That's all tied together. So, again, it's all about team defense, knowing the coverage and the rush all being tied together."

The Raiders' defense hopes to continue taking steps in the right direction, as the rest of the season will depend on their ability to do so.

The Silver and Black will remain at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas to take on the New York Jets on Sunday, Nov. 12, at 8:20 p.m. EST/5:20 p.m. PST.

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