3 reasons Raiders fans should not panic after the Week 1 loss to the Chargers
1. Raiders defense should keep them in games all season long
Going into this season, it was clear that if the Raiders were going to win games, they would have to get strong play from their defense. The truth is, the Las Vegas defense has the talent to be one of the best in the league this season, but they have to do a better job against the run if that is going to happen.
Las Vegas got tough news the week of the game, as Malcolm Koonce was played on IR after a non-contact injury to his knee. 2023 first-round pick Tyree Wilson was supposed to play a big role in Koonce's absence, but he ended up leaving the game early with a knee injury of his own.
Still, Maxx Crosby did what he always does, impacting the game in a big way coming off the edge. Christian Wilkins was the big body the Raiders have been lacking in the middle of the defensive line, while Robert Spillane once again led the way with double-digit tackles.
The Raiders defense is going to continue to mesh as the season wears on, and we even got to see a strong play from Jakorian Bennett early in the game on a perfectly thrown ball by Justin Herbert down the sideline. This defense is going to continue to get stops, and they dominated Herbert early on, so there is reason to believe they should keep Las Vegas in games all season long.