Raiders Third-Down Defense Showing Its Impact

The Las Vegas Raiders third-down defense has shown great improvement since the 2020 season.

It’s no secret that the Las Vegas Raiders defense has improved since the arrival of defensive coordinator Gus Bradley.

The Raiders' third-down defense has shown a significant improvement as well.

Las Vegas head coach Jon Gruden says the key to getting stops on third down is applying lots of pressure.

“Well, I think it all starts with pressure,” Gruden said. “The quarterback has got to make a quick decision.”

“We can’t let him stand back there and make two or three look-offs and get the ball to his secondary and third receiver.”

“We’ve done a better job with the rush and our coverage has been better being quite honest. Our secondary has played better, our underneath coverage is better. So far, so good.”

The numbers back up what Gruden said as well.

According to Team Rankings, last season, the Raiders opponent's third-down conversion percentage was at a whopping 48.78%. The Silver and Black were 30th in the NFL ranked only ahead of the Carolina Panthers and Tennessee Titans.

Meanwhile, three games into the 2021 campaign, the Raiders opponent's third-down conversion percentage is at 33.33%. Las Vegas is sixth in the league entering Week 4 action.

However, three games are just a start. Now it must be sustained.

“You can’t write a book after three games. We got a long way to go until we truly define who we are and what we are.”

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