Las Vegas Raiders 2020 Week 4 review: Studs and Duds
Las Vegas Raiders 2020 Week 4 review: Studs and Duds
The Duds
LB Cory Littleton
It may seem to harsh to single out Cory Littleton as the entire defense struggled but the big money free agent signing has yet to make a splash with the Raiders. Littleton continues to struggle against the run and has not been the stud coverage linebacker we saw with the LA Rams.
He had his season high in tackles against Buffalo with 7 combined but he made no noticeable impact on the game. If things don’t turn around quickly for Littleton he may end up being yet another defensive free agent that seems to forget how to play football when he put on the Silver and Black.
Offensive Line
There was hope for a better performance from the offensive line with the return of Sam Young which would allow Denzelle Good to slide back to his natural position at guard but that was unfounded. The offensive line struggled to create holes for any of the backs and it was Josh Jacobs‘ third game this season where he averaged less than four yards per carry.
If the Raiders can’t run the ball effectively then it undoubtedly makes everything else harder for Carr and the offense so we need to see better performances from that group. There is hope that Trent Brown should be back in the lineup after the Week 6 bye so we can take heart there but next up is Kansas City who have the fifth ranked defense so it won’t get any easier.
The Bills also did a great job of creating pressure and making the pocket a very messy place for Carr and once the Raiders were chasing the game it was even easier for Buffalo cause havoc. Buffalo had 8 sacks coming in and recorded another two against Carr in big moments that swung the game.
The Defense
Giving up 30 points a game and not being able to generate a consistent pass rush is a recipe for disaster and that is the best way to describe the Raider defense right now. The only sack of the game came in a play where Josh Allen scrambled around for 10 seconds and a smarter QB would have thrown it away.
Next. Raiders run defense is a cause for concern. dark
It was tough to watch the defense consistently give up first downs on third and long and get picked apart by a QB that is playing well but is not in the upper echelon of the league. Paul Guenther’s seat was hot during the offseason but if the Chiefs put up 40 in Week 5 he might start sending out his resume before he boards the flight back to Las Vegas.