Raiders' Defense Saves the Day Again

For the second week in a row, a victory for the Las Vegas Raiders was sealed by an outstanding play by their defense, capping a 21-17 victory over the New England Patriots.

After last week's victory over the Green Bay Packers ended on a Jordan Love interception in the end zone by Amik Robertson, the Las Vegas Raiders' defense came into this week wanting to prove that last week's three-turnover game wasn't a fluke.

Consecutive good games for the Raiders' defense confirm that the defense is headed in the right direction. 

"We've talked about it a lot," Coach Josh McDaniels said. "I think we have a lot of guys playing and we're scratching and clawing. We gave some things up today more in the middle of the game I think than anything else." 

The Raiders have almost depended more on their defense to keep them in and win them games than their offense. 

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"But we battled and when you play defense and your punter puts them back there, and then I think we had the holding penalty, that's where you want to be," McDaniels said. "You want to go ahead and close the game if you can, and I thought they did a great job of executing at the end."

Star defensive end Maxx Crosby and defensive tackle Bilal Nichols ended the game by combing for a sack of quarterback Mac Jones in the end zone for a safety, essentially putting the game out of reach for the New England Patriots.

"I see everything," Crosby said. "I was very calm. The play before I came through clean, and they blew the whistle. So, I was like: 'Alright, I got to get this shit. Like, I got to get home.' And I saw [tight end Mike] Gesicki come over to chip, so I knew I had to beat him clean. And then it would have given me a chance to win on the edge.

"So, yeah, we work it every single day. It’s just a regular routine -- working my technique, getting off the ball, and finishing, and that's what happened. And Bilal [Nichols] had a great rush as well. So, yeah, there's no better feeling closing the game out. 

"We talked about it last week and the week before. Our defense is improving, and I think we're seeing that every single week. So, it's good to see." 

The Raiders are back to .500, with three of their next four games being very winnable, followed by a tough two-game stretch. The next few games will give the Raider defense even more opportunity to show whether or not they are the real deal.

The Silver and Black will head on the road to take on the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Oct. 22, at 1:05 p.m. EDT/10:05 a.m. PDT.

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