Las Vegas Raiders new-look defense will be tested early in 2021
By Nick Ellis
The Raiders’ defense was a massive liability last season, but with new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley along with a much-improved roster, the team looks to take the next step.
The Las Vegas Raiders head into 2021 with new additions on the defensive side of the ball, such as Yannick Ngakoue, Casey Hayward, and Trevon Moehrig. Also, they will hopefully see some more development in players such as Clelin Ferrell, Maxx Crosby, Trayvon Mullen, Johnathan Abram, and Damon Arnette under new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley.
With that being said, the new Raiders’ defense will be tested early, as they head into the new season with a Monday Night game against the versatile Baltimore Ravens offense. The Raiders’ run defense was terrible last year against running backs, but they will have to worry about more than just JK Dobbins Week 1.
The Ravens will attack the Raiders with a run-heavy offense with Lamar Jackson, Dobbins, and Gus Edwards, as well as new additions to the passing game in Rashod Bateman and Sammy Watkins. Along with a solid offense, the Ravens still have a great defense despite losing some key pieces, so the Raiders’ defense may have to deal with some adversity in terms of field position at times.
Raiders head East on a short week in Week 2
After the Ravens, the Raiders will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team that although is known for their defense, have an underrated offense. On a year looked at as a big decline by most, Ben Roethlisberger still threw for 33 touchdowns, and although he struggled down the stretch, he still will be a strong test for the Raiders’ defense.
The team also has a strong group of receivers in Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, and JuJu Smith Schuster, as well as first-round pick Najee Harris likely to have a massive role in the offense early this season. Although the Steelers offense is far from the best in the NFL, it will likely be the perfect test to see exactly where this new Las Vegas defense is.
The other big issue is that Las Vegas will be heading East to play the Steelers in Week 2 on a short week, so hopefully, they can stay healthy throughout the Ravens game. The offense should be able to put up points, but the fans want to see stops on defense, and a jacked-up Allegiant Stadium is going to be fired up to see this new defense in action.