Las Vegas Raiders fans were quite confident that Klint Kubiak would have this offense humming right away. But nobody quite knew what to expect from Rob Leonard, a first-time defensive coordinator. At the very least, it stood to reason that bumps would be had, and that he'd have to grow into the role.
But the Raiders' defense has been stout through the first three weeks of the 2026 NFL season, thanks in large part to Leonard's creativity. Added talent certainly doesn't hurt, as the group has a few players playing out of their minds right now, but Leonard is the puppeteer. And seemingly a good one.
This isn't the time for him or anyone in Las Vegas to rest on their laurels, though. The expectations are changing for this team, and the whole Kubiak mantra is to be present and to look for ways to get better. So, here are some areas that the defense can still improve in amid their hot start.
5 areas that the Raiders' defense must still get better in amid hot start
1. Stopping the run
Through three games, the Raiders have allowed 349 yards on the ground, which is 116.3 per contest. Even worse is the fact that they are relinquishing 4.5 yards per carry, and they haven't exactly faced an elite rushing attack yet, nor are any big outlier runs driving this number up dramatically.
If Las Vegas wasn't winning for the majority of the first two games, forcing their opponents to throw the ball more, then these numbers might look even worse. The Kansas City Chiefs have one of the NFL's best ground games, so the Silver and Black need to lock in before Week 4.
2. Getting off the field on third downs
Although the 41.03% conversion rate that the Raiders are allowing on third down is not disastrous in a general sense, it is still in the lower portion of the middle of the pack. And after allowing only two conversions on 10 attempts in Week 1, they've gotten worse in each of the last two matchups.
Kansas City is one of the best in the league at converting on third downs, so this needs to get buttoned up before Sunday. If Las Vegas continues its trend of getting worse, then they'll allow more than a 60% conversion rate at Allegiant Stadium, which gives one very little chance of winning.
3. Covering tight ends
From a pure yardage perspective, tight ends haven't been killing the Raiders. But they've logged five receiving touchdowns in three games, and all four of the Saints' scores through the air went to tight ends in Week 3. Clearly, something is broken here.
To keep beating a dead horse, the Chiefs still have a very good tight end in Travis Kelce, who, no matter how old he gets, will always be the Silver and Black's kryptonite. If Las Vegas doesn't step up to the plate and cover him and Noah Gray, who is coming along again, then it could be a long game.
4. Having a quicker and more consistent pass rush
The bottom-line numbers look pretty good for this group, as they are among the NFL's leaders in pressures and sacks. But in a way, those stats are a misnomer, as the Raiders' pass rush hasn't been all that consistent or quick to get after the quarterback. They are getting a lot of coverage sacks.
And there is nothing inherently wrong with this, as it's complementary football at its finest. But only 18 of the team's 59 pressures have come under 2.5 seconds, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, and the coverage won't always hold up. If one player can expose this, it's Patrick Mahomes in Week 4.
5. Not giving up so many yards in the flat
This, admittedly, goes hand-in-hand with the "covering tight ends" piece. But Las Vegas has given up a lot in the flats, allowing 15 completions on 17 attempts for 113 yards and three touchdowns in three games. The bulk of that production was in Week 3, as Tyler Shough found a loophole in the defense.
If Kellen Moore noticed this deficiency and embedded it into his game plan, surely Andy Reid will as well. It's not like giving up receptions in the flat is equivalent to giving up explosive plays, but it's an area that the Saints had a lot of success in, and the Raiders have to patch it up.
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