Oakland Raiders at Arizona Cardinals: 5 takeaways from Week 11

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GLENDALE, AZ – NOVEMBER 18: Maurice Hurst #73 of the Oakland Raiders celebrates a sack with P.J. Hall #92 in the first half of the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on November 18, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images) /

Defensive spotlights

Once again the effort on the defensive side of the ball was a pleasant surprise as the unit backed up their inspired effort from last week and carried it into the desert for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals. Granted this Arizona team is led by a young rookie quarterback, but given that the Oakland defense was shredded a few weeks back by a third-string quarterback, their effort as of late has been noteworthy.

Maurice Hurst, Rashaan Melvin, and Gareon Conley each deserve kudos for their play on Sunday. Melvin and Conley were the two highest graded defensive players on Sunday (82.2 and 80.5 respectively) per Pro Football Focus. Conley set the tone with an interception off Josh Rosen early on and Melvin played strong coverage. Hurst again proves to be a steal in the draft, recording five solo tackles and sack on the day.

It remains to be seen who remains a part of the future for the Raiders defense, but Hurst, Melvin, and Conley were standouts on Sunday. Here’s hoping they carry that inspired play to finish out the season.

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