Raiders at Rams: 3 things we learned from the 34-17 victory in Preseason Week 2

2. The Raiders defense will be better than expected in 2023

For the second preseason game in a row, I came away very impressed by what the Raiders were able to do on the defensive side of the ball. They look deep and fast at all three levels, and after struggling on defense for so many season, could this be the one where they finally turn things around and at least be solid.

Safety Isaiah Pola-Mao has had a great summer, and he may have cemented his place on the roster with his 50-yard touchdown return against the Rams on Saturday night. At linebacker, rookie Amari Burney looks the part of an impact player for the Raiders, which will be huge due to the fact they do not have a ton of depth at the position group.

Finally, the defensive line was once again able to get push, and that made life very difficult for rookie quarterback Stetson Bennett. We also got to see some of the first-team guys on Saturday, including Marcus Peters and Robert Spillane for the first time in the Silver and Black, and overall, the talent on this defense may be the best they have had in years.