Lessons the Las Vegas Raiders can learn from the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV

Defense still wins championships, even in today’s NFL

Defense wins championships is one of the oldest clichés in sports, and particularly in football, but it was rarely more evident than it was during Super Bowl LV. The Tampa Bay defense controlled the game from start to finish and kept one of the most prolific offenses in NFL history out of the end zone despite several trips inside the red zone.

It was the first time a Patrick Mahomes-lead offense has been held without a touchdown in his career and is a feat that likely will not happen very often. On the flip side, the Kansas City defense played undisciplined football, and could not get out of their own way with penalties and mistakes, though the officials did them no favors with their tight calls.

In an era where offensive records are being broken left and right, the fact that in the biggest game of the year defenses can still have this level of impact is remarkable. The rules are geared towards more scoring and more wide-open play, but the Tampa defense still had their say on the outcome of this game.

Even with all of the talk of the matchup between Brady and Mahomes, it was the defense that was the deciding factor and that has often been the case in Brady’s career. Every year that he has made the Super Bowl, besides 2011, Brady has had a top 10 defense in points allowed supporting him, and on five occasions, he had a top-five defense.

So though he is the unquestioned GOAT because of his ability to come through in clutch situations and lead his teams to victory far more often than not, he has had plenty of help on defense. That was certainly a deciding factor in him choosing Tampa Bay over other suitors because of the talent and coaching they possessed on defense.

What does that have to do with Derek Carr you ask? Well, while Tom Brady has consistently had top-10 defenses, Derek Carr has had to work with defenses consistently in the bottom 5 or 10 in the NFL.

This is not to say that Derek Carr is blameless for his own struggles or the struggles of the Raiders, but he has been playing essentially with one arm tied behind his back for his entire career. In the two years where the Raiders had the 20th ranked defense, they finished 12-4 and 7-9 respectively and in 2016 earned their only playoff berth since the 2001 season.

Even Patrick Mahomes has had the benefit of a solid defense as a starter as the Chiefs have had on average the 13th ranked defense in points and were seventh when they won it all. Raider Nation has plenty of Carr detractors and while they make some valid points, they need to realize that no QB can do it alone and even the greatest QBs can’t always overcome a horrific defense.

The Raiders need to focus this entire offseason on putting a competent defense on the field and if they do so, they will be able to breakthrough into the postseason once again. They have the QB, the WRs, the TEs, and RBs they need, but they need a defense to help carry the load especially in the home stretches of the NFL season.