5 Las Vegas Raiders to get excited about in Week 1 vs. Baltimore

5 Las Vegas Raiders to get excited about in Week 1 vs. Baltimore

Defense

Unlike the offense, the Raiders defensive struggled mightily last season, and will be a focus for this organization moving forward. Las Vegas brought in a bunch of new faces via the NFL Draft, and free agency this offseason, and we will get our first look at them in real action on Monday night.

Tre’Von Moehrig, Safety

As was the case at all three levels last season, the secondary struggled in a big way, and the hope is that the new faces can step up and fix that in 2021. At safety, the Raiders traded up in the second round to get Tre’Von Moehrig, and he will be inserted as the starting free safety from Day 1 for this Raiders defense.

All signs point to Moehrig becoming a star in the Silver and Black, but we also jumped the gun on Johnathan Abram a few years back as well. Hopefully, both Moehrig and Abram can succeed for this Raiders defense in 2021.

Gerald McCoy, Defensive Tackle

A recent addition to this Raiders defense, Gerald McCoy is a player that I am very excited to see go to work on Monday night. He fought his way into a roster spot with the Raiders, and if he can show glimpses of the player he used to be, you can be sure this is a major upgrade on the interior of the team’s defensive line.

McCoy has looked very good this summer, displaying some of the old twitch he had when he was making Pro Bowls, and could end up being a gem of a find for this team late in free agency.

Yannick Ngakoue, Defensive End

In 2020, the Raiders mustered only 21 sacks as a team, and that was something this organization fought hard to fix this offseason. Their biggest addition in free agency was Yannick Ngakoue, a mastermind when it comes to getting after the quarterback, and he should team with Maxx Crosby to give this Raiders defensive line a dominant pass rush.

Las Vegas Raiders Game Monday: Raiders vs. Baltimore Ravens odds and prediction for NFL Week 1 game

The Raiders kick off their 2021 regular season against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night, in the first game in front of fans inside Allegiant Stadium.

Ngakoue has had some big-time success at the NFL level, and he fills one of the biggest voids on this roster right away. If the Silver and Black are going to do anything this season, they have to get better at getting after the quarterback, and Ngakoue could be the perfect player to help them achieve that this Fall.