Las Vegas Raiders: 5 musts for the defense to succeed in 2021
By Brad Weiss
If the Las Vegas Raiders defense is to improve in 2021, these are the five things that must happen on that side of the ball.
The Las Vegas Raiders struggled mightily on the defensive side of the ball last season, finishing near the bottom of the NFL in total defense. There were major issues on all three levels, and this offseason, the front office did a great job trying to fix most of them.
In 2020, the Silver and Black could not get a pass rush, leading to 21 sacks as a team, and only 14 if Maxx Crosby was not on the roster. They also saw a dip in production from newly acquired Cory Littleton, and the secondary, outside of Trayvon Mullen, was unwatchable at times.
Still, there is a lot of young talent on this defense heading into 2021, and newcomers like Yannick Ngakoue, Tre’Von Moehrig, and Casey Hayward should be able to improve the unit as a whole. The Raiders do not have to be in the top-10 in total defense to make the playoffs, they just have to be solid, as the offense has enough firepower to put up points with any team in this league.
As we look towards 2021, here are five things that must happen for the defense to be successful.