Oakland Raiders: 5 takeaways from win over Kansas City Chiefs
By John Buhler
Yes, NaVorro Bowman is going to work in the Raiders’ defense
When the Raiders signed former San Francisco 49ers inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman, it did feel like a bit of an act of desperation. The Raiders needed a spark on defense to hopefully end that awful four-game slide.
While some were skeptical about the amount of production the Raiders would be getting out of a 29-year-old Bowman, he certainly delivered on Thursday Night Football this week. He had a game-best 11 tackles, six solo, one for a loss of yardage and a quarterback.
Though he was new to the Raiders defense, you could tell right away that he provided a level of energy and confidence the Raiders’ front-seven has been lacking. His sound play allowed the Raiders to get constant pressure on Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith all night long.
To come in and make a huge difference in a short week is remarkable. Bowman set the tone for the Raiders in the front-seven. You can see that it has alleviated somewhat of a burden at inside linebacker, allowing the edge players and defensive linemen to play more freely. It’ll be interesting to see how this defense grows with essentially a player-coach in Bowman on the field the rest of the way.