Nate Hobbs Has High Expectations for Raiders' Defense

In the second half of the 2023 season, the Las Vegas Raiders were one of the best defensive units in the NFL.

They were solid in the first half of the season, but they really turned things around when Antonio Pierce took over as interim head coach. His strong leadership and charismatic ability to get the best out of his players helped the team play inspired football.

The team hopes the momentum it ended the 2023 season with carries into the 2024 season. If it does, this team could win more games than it expects to.

Cornerback Nate Hobbs is one of the players who will be a leader and cornerstone of the defense. He joined defensive end Maxx Crosby (the heart and soul of the defense and the entire team) on the latest episode of his podcast, "The Rush with Maxx Crosby," and talked about his expectations for the defense.

“It might sound cliche, bro, but it’s the truth,” Hobbs said. “We could take this s— as high as we want to. The sky is the limit for us. It boils down to, and I’m not saying this just to say it, this is real s---. I have legit faith in every person on our defense that they can win their one-on-one match-up at any time in the game. Any play with anybody in the NFL. I’ve seen it. I’ve seen everybody on that starting defense make a play against the best – so-called ‘the best.’”

Hobbs said that while the team does not have many household names, its defenders carry weight among league players.

“I saw most of us do it at a high level consistently," he said. "Whether it’s Maxx – and we have so many players on our team – they might not be household names, but the people in the league, they know them. They know them. And they’re playmakers. Real ones. The Jack Joneses; player. Different. He can win his one-on-one match-up with anybody at any given time.”

Hobbs took time to single out one player who made plays for the Raiders in the past and could do so again in 2024.

“Brandon Facyson, my rookie year, bro, the s--- he was doing, people just don’t know that," Hobbs said. "They’re just like, ‘Who’s this No. 35 on the Raiders?’ Go turn on that No. 31 tape, that 2021-2022 season. That boy was going head-to-head with Tyreek Hill, Mike Williams, Ja’Marr Chase, Devonta Smith, and these are names, you’re like, ‘What?’ Nah, go look at the tape.”

The Raiders have one of the sharpest defensive units in the NFL. If they want to make the postseason for the first time in three seasons, that unit may have to do the heavy lifting again in 2024.

Click here to watch the full podcast episode with Crosby and Hobbs.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and IG @HondoSr and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.

Add us as a preferred source on Google