How can the defense improve from an already impressive start to the preseason?
From the outset of the Raiders win against the 49ers, it was clear that the defense was going to win the day. The Las Vegas defensive line pressured Trey Lance every time he dropped back to pass, and in the end, the only score they allowed came off a fluke catch in the end zone off a dropped interception by Duke Shelley.
Linebacker Amari Burney was outstanding in his NFL debut, the secondary was solid, and actually got a turnover thanks to a Sam Webb interception. Overall, it was the kind of effort Raiders fans had not seen from the defense in quite some time, and the most impressive part about it was they did not play nearly all of their defensive starters.
On Saturday, the Raiders will be taking on the Rams, who will likely once again trot out Stetson Bennett at quarterback. Bennett is not afraid to take chances, and has some good mobility, so it will be a good test for the Silver and Black, especially up front along the defensive line.
We may see a bit more star power on Saturday on the defensive side of the ball, but after getting good play from all three levels on Sunday, it is going to be hard to match the effort.