Where Raiders' Defense's Focus is as Ahead of Week 2

The Las Vegas Raiders' defense played well for nearly the entire game against the Los Angeles Chargers. They go back to the drawing board this week in preparation for Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.

Sep 8, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders safety Tre'von Moehrig (7) attempts to intercept a pass against the Los Angeles Chargers in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders' offense struggled mightily against the Chargers on Sunday.

They scored only one touchdown and did not score another point until making a field goal in the fourth quarter after the Chargers had the game firmly in hand. The Raiders' defense did not get much help from the offense, as the Silver and Black failed to play complementary football against the Chargers. The Raiders’ offense’s inability to score points or sustain drives eventually impacted the defense as the unit began to falter in the fourth quarter. 

However, whether it was a turnover by the offense or the offense failing to convert on third down, the Raiders repeatedly put their hard hats on. After every miscue they made as a defense and every miscue the Raiders’ offense made, their defense went back to work, routinely stopping the Chargers' offense from scoring a touchdown for nearly the entire game. The majority of the points the Chargers scored were after turnovers from the Raiders' offense. Still, the Raiders' defense continued to do its job.

Veteran defensive lineman Christian Wilkins said that regardless of the offense’s miscues and inability to score, the Raiders’ defense has the same focus every time they step onto the field: to get the ball back to the offense, one way or another. He noted the defense was too locked in on the task at hand to be mentally or emotionally impacted by the offense’s poor play against the Chargers and that the unit’s primary goal every series is to get off the field as quickly as possible.

"You just definitely continue to emphasize just the pillars of our defense and the things we're built on, kind of just lock in on your technique a little bit more,” Wilkins said. “You don't really necessarily think about stuff like that as the game goes on. You're just like whenever you've got to go out there, 'Let's just get off the field.' That's our job to get the ball back to the offense. So, I mean, that's all the real big focus is, and that's where I felt guys did a good job of just being locked in for the most part."

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and IG @HondoSr and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.