Raiders' Defense Focused on Stopping the Run for All Four Quarters Against Ravens

The Las Vegas Raiders' defense contained the Los Angeles Chargers' rushing attack for three of four quarters on Sunday. It is focused on doing so this week as it prepares for the Baltimore Ravens.

Sep 8, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins (27) breaks away from Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Divine Deablo (5) and runs for a touchdown in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders were expected to have one of the best defenses in the National Football League this season.

Through the first three quarters of their season-opening matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, they proved they can undoubtedly live up to expectations this season. This is especially the case if the Raiders’ offense can score more points against opponents, which would help keep the Raiders’ defense fresh.

The Raiders' ineffective offense eventually began to impact their defense against the Chargers, as the defense started to wear down against the run in the fourth quarter. After containing the Chargers’ rushing attack for nearly the entire game, they recorded most of their longest runs against the Raiders’ defense in the fourth quarter. 

Veteran defensive lineman Christian Wilkins acknowledged that the defense played well against the run for most of the game but needed to do a better job of finishing games strong, regardless of how well the Raiders’ offense is or is not playing.

Wilkins said containing an opponent’s rushing attack for three quarters, only to falter in the fourth quarter, happens sometimes, but the defense plans to work on not letting it happen again.

“Yeah, that's just football,” Wilkins said. “And that's what keeps you humble in this game; you never have all the answers. The job's never done until it's completely done, but that's just football. That's just how the game goes. But that's kind of what it was [against the Chargers] and just things we can learn from as a team, and things we can learn from as a unit and just build off of it moving forward.”

The Raiders' run defense has been a topic of conversation since the preseason when the starting defense allowed multiple opponents to rush for over 100 yards. However, since it was the preseason and the Raiders were trying to keep their defensive plans under wraps, the Raiders’ run defense was deemed a non-issue. 

It will soon be determined how much of an issue or non-issue the Raiders' run defense is as the Raiders travel to face the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.  Quarterback Lamar Jackson’s 122 rushing yards against the Kansas City Chiefs led the Ravens, as they nearly rushed for 200 yards as a team. The Raiders’ defense must be prepared to stop the run for all four quarters against the Ravens.

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