Raiders Face Lions LB Anzalone in a Career Season
The Las Vegas Raiders have struggled offensively this season and are looking for a spark on that side of the ball.
They will travel to Ford Field in Detroit to take on the Detroit Lions for a Monday Night Football game, and the Lions' defense has been playing well this season.
The Lions were expected to have a good defense this season, but they have exceeded expectations through seven games. Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn and his unit have been firing on all cylinders.
One primary reason the Lions’ defense has been so good is linebacker Alex Anzalone's play. Linebacker was a question mark for the Lions going into the season, but Anzalone has answered it.
Anzalone has posted 50 total tackles, two tackles for losses, a sack, and four passes defended. He is the Lions’ fourth-highest-graded player on Pro Football Focus and ranks 20th out of 82 linebackers.
Detroit Lions LB Alex Anzalone has been playing fantastically and looks to show the nation versus the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night.
Junfu Han-USA TODAY NETWORK
Anzalone joined the Lions during the 2021 free-agency period. He struggled in his first season in Detroit, posting 21 missed tackles and allowing an 85.6 passer rating. He improved slightly in 2022, but the numbers still were not where the Lions wanted them to be. He posted 17 missed tackles and allowed a 90.8 passer rating.
This season, Anzalone has turned his play around. Through seven games, he has earned his highest overall PFF grade at 76.8 and an excellent 76.7 coverage grade. After two years of lackluster play, Anzalone has started to put it together for the Lions this season.
Not only is Anzalone turning in outstanding individual performances week after week, but he also wears a green dot for the Lions’ defense, meaning he is responsible for calling defensive plays. Anzalone is in charge of the rest of the defense, and the unit has played well.
The Lions’ defensive turnaround can be credited mainly due to the improved play of Anzalone, the man in the middle. The 29-year-old seems to have found consistency in 2023, and his career year is paying dividends for himself and the Lions.
The Raiders must find ways to move the ball against the Lions' defense if they want to bounce back and try to find some offensive consistency, but that might prove difficult with the way Anzalone is playing this season.
The Silver and Black will stay on the road to take on the Detroit Lions on Monday night, Oct. 30, at 8:15 p.m. EDT/5:15 p.m. PDT.
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