Raiders Hoping to Fix This Pressing Issue in Second Trip to Los Angeles

The Las Vegas Raiders have struggled mightily on both sides of the ball. Still, they hope to have a much more productive trip to Los Angeles the second time around.

Aug 19, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Ronnie Rivers (30) runs with a ball against Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs (39) during the first quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders will face a Los Angeles Rams team with numerous injuries. Still, the Rams possess an offense the Raiders’ defense cannot overlook.

Veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Kyren Williams give the Rams just enough firepower to compete with a Raiders’ defense that has struggled recently.

Williams has gradually improved over the last few weeks, rushing for over 100 yards in his most recent outing. The Raiders are missing defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, leaving a massive hole to refill for the Raiders. However, the Raiders’ run defense struggled well before Wilkins went down.

Raiders coach Antonio Pierce noted that Williams’ running style caught his eye. Pierce concluded that the Raiders would have their work cut out for them. Las Vegas’ defense has allowed a 100-yard rusher in many games this season. 

"I think with the Rams, I talked about it earlier this week, but when you look at [Kyren] Williams and what they do up front, very powerful runner,” Pierce said. “Not the biggest guy, but man, he runs behind his pads. He runs like a big boy.”

The Raiders are near the league's top in missed tackles this season. The issue has plagued the team since the season’s first game in Los Angeles. Pierce and the Raiders have focused on the fundamentals of tackling in practice week. Now, they must find a way to ensure their efforts on the practice field translate to the field on Sundays. 

“So, for us, I think the most important thing when you're playing defense line, hand placement, pad level, your eyes,” Pierce said. “And before you make a tackle, you've got to whoop that man's tail in front of you and beat him. And if you're asked to do something for the linebackers and hold them off, do the same. 

“But, I think the way our defense is built, especially when we've got John Jenkins in there, Adam Butler, a lot of this stuff we like to funnel between our tackles, and our linebacker, right? Our middle linebacker, Robert Spillane. So, just doing your job, again, not trying to replace Christian Wilkins on the stat sheet, but just more so doing your job and doing the technique that we ask you to do."

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