Las Vegas Raiders: 3 Reasons for hope for the rest of 2021

Las Vegas Raiders: 3 Reasons for hope for the rest of 2021

No. 1: Gus Bradley’s defense

The Raiders defense has continued to show vast improvement from last year under new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. Through five games this season, the Las Vegas defense has improved from last year’s rankings of 25th in yards allowed and 30th in points allowed, to 17th in points allowed and 10th in yards allowed.

It seems that after years’ of being a bottom three defense, Bradley has finally turned the Raiders’ defense into a respectable unit. He has also been able to bring in several talented defensive pieces, who are familiar with his scheme, such as Denzel Perryman and Casey Hayward.

There is no reason to believe that after the departure of Jon Gruden, the defense will not continue their upward trend. Even with cornerbacks Trayvon Mullen and Damon Arnette being placed on injured reserve prior to last Sunday’s loss to Chicago, the Raiders still were able to hold the Bears to just 20 points.

The Raiders defense should only continue to improve as the season progresses and their young players get more familiar with Bradley’s scheme. There is no question the unit will also benefit tremendously as key pieces, like Mullen, become healthy and return from injury.

Raiders fans have been clamoring for even just an adequate defense for several years, and it looks like it has finally arrived under Gus Bradley. It doesn’t look like that is going to change anytime soon, either.