Las Vegas Raiders: Young defensive stars have future looking bright

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 02: Maxx Crosby #98 of the Las Vegas Raiders reacts after recording a sack in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at Allegiant Stadium on October 02, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 02: Maxx Crosby #98 of the Las Vegas Raiders reacts after recording a sack in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at Allegiant Stadium on October 02, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
1 of 4
Raiders
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 11: Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham of the Las Vegas Raiders on the sidelines during a 24-19 Los Angeles Chargers win at SoFi Stadium on September 11, 2022, in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The Las Vegas Raiders may not have a solid record to start the 2022 season, but their young group on defense gives reasons for optimism moving forward.

Heading into their bye week, the Las Vegas Raiders were sitting at 1-4, and already had two losses within the AFC West. Maybe for the Silver and Black, the break came at the best time, as the schedule gets a bit softer after the bye week, and gives them a chance to reestablish themselves as a playoff contender in the AFC.

For years, the Raiders franchise has struggled to play consistent football on defense, and that has reared its ugly head at times in 2022 as well. The Tennessee Titans dominated the Raiders in the first half of the Week 3 loss, and there were times on Monday night against Patrick Mahomes that he was having his way with this defense.

Still, you can see the strides that the defense is making, and a lot of the production has come from the young players on this roster. In fact, the Raiders’ defense, in terms of playmakers, is loaded with young talent, something that is going to benefit them for years to come.

Finally, Las Vegas has some young talent on defense, and this could be the start of something special on that side of the ball.

Schedule