Raiders Opponent HC Spotlight: Sean McDermott

The Las Vegas Raiders will take on the Buffalo Bills this Sunday, so we take a closer look at their head coach, Sean McDermott.

The Las Vegas Raiders defeated the Denver Broncos, 17-16, on Sunday to start the 2023 NFL regular season in the win column.

Now, they will make a long trip out to Orchard Park, N.Y. to take on the Buffalo Bills this Sunday. 

It is the first time the Raiders will play the Bills since Week 4 of the 2020 season, and the first time they will play in Buffalo since 2017. The Raiders lost both games.

The Bills are expected to be one of the best teams in the American Football Conference this season, and are considered to be the favorites in a loaded AFC East.

The Bills have been a force in the NFL since Coach Sean McDermott took over. McDermott became the head coach of the Bills in 2017 and has compiled a 66-40 record, making the postseason in all but one of those six seasons.

Before he was the head coach in Buffalo, he was the defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers for six seasons, leading an elite defense that made it to the Super Bowl. Before that, he spent 12 years with the Philadelphia Eagles in various roles.

McDermott also serves as the defensive coordinator in Buffalo, assuming the play calling duties after Leslie Frazier left that position.

With McDermott taking over the defensive play calling, the Bills might blitz much more than they did in 2022. They only blitzed 19 percent of the time last season, which was in the bottom 10 in the NFL. McDermott likes to be aggressive and should be more so in 2023.

McDermott traditionally runs a lot of 4-3 defense but will mix up his defensive fronts. The Bills have several good defensive linemen and edge rushers like Ed Oliver and Gregory Rousseau, who are all capable of being disruptive to offensive lines all throughout the game.

McDermott has a 2-0 record against the Raiders, defeating them, 34-14, in 2017 and, 30-23, in 2020.

The Raiders will be looking to hand McDermott his first loss to the Silver and Black this Sunday, and if they want to do so, will have to be mindful of his incredibly strong defense.

If the Raiders can limit McDermott’s defensive line and find success against their elite defensive backs like Tre’Davious White, Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, they will give themselves a great chance to win the game. 

The Silver and Black remain on the road next week as they travel to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Sept. 17, at 1:05 p.m. EDT/10:05 a.m. PDT.

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