When discussing the Las Vegas Raiders' Week 7 opponent, it's easy to get lost in their top-end talent. While not all of them will be playing this Sunday, the Los Angeles Rams' roster is still packed with MVPs, Defensive Players of the Year, All-Pros and Pro Bowlers. It's a dream team they've assembled.
While their 2-4 record may not accurately tell the tale of how difficult a foe this will be for the Raiders, Klint Kubiak's squad will be challenged. This is especially true in the trenches, as Las Vegas' defensive tackle group, which has struggled for much of the year, will have to face a strong Rams interior OL.
This matchup may not draw all of the headlines because it doesn't involve Maxx Crosby, Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua or Brock Bowers, but it is a critical one for the Silver and Black to win. It would mark a massive improvement and give the Raiders a vastly improved chance to win against LA.
Las Vegas Raiders' DT group has struggled for much of 2026 NFL season
Composite stats rarely tell the full story for defensive tackles, as these players can be selfless stars who plug gaps and add pressure without being the ones to make the tackle or the sack. A lot of the time, their job description is to make the sacrifice and eat up space to allow others to clean things up.
That said, the Raiders' defensive tackle group's numbers are still very low. Through six games, Foley Fatukasi leads the group with nine pressures. Tonka Hemingway and Jonah Laulu are next in line with five apiece, and Adam Butler and Thomas Booker IV have managed just four each so far this year.
27 pressures in six games just isn't going to get the job done, especially when 13 of them came in the first two contests. 1.5 sacks in six games isn't enough. The residual effect of this has been that Las Vegas' edge rushers have a disproportionately tougher job because there has been no interior push.
And don't even get us started on the run defense. Las Vegas has allowed the fifth-most rushing yards during the 2026 campaign and the fourth-highest yards per carry. They've relinquished over 100 yards on the ground in each of their last five matchups, too.
Although those issues don't fall exclusively on the shoulders of the defensive interior unit, they haven't exactly been a part of the solution. The Raiders have been gashed between the tackles, and according to Pro Football Focus, only Butler is playing at even a league-average level.
It would benefit Rob Leonard's crew tremendously if the defensive tackles got back on track and started affecting the game more positively in Week 7. But the Rams' strong interior trio will not make it easy on them this Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.
Rams' strong interior OL is sure to keep Raiders' DT group at bay
Steve Avila, Kevin Dotson and Coleman Shelton aren't the A-list names on the Rams' roster, but they are a huge factor in their winning formula. And as the starting guards and center on Los Angeles' offensive line, they'll be matched up with the Raiders' floundering defensive tackle group.
To begin, none of these three players has given up a sack this season. They've pitched a shutout in six games, despite playing some excellent defensive fronts. All told, the trio has allowed 33 pressures and 11 hits, though, so there is a chance for Las Vegas to win some reps, even if they don't get home.
But this group has largely kept opposing pass rushers at bay, and there is no reason to think that the Raiders' unit will be the exception if nothing changes. This becomes especially true if they are without Tonka Hemingway again, who is arguably their best pass rusher and is still in concussion protocol.
When it comes to the run game, Avila, Dotson and Shelton all earn above-average to very good marks from PFF. The advanced stats also indicate that the Rams run the ball exceptionally well off their guards and center, as they have amassed 326 yards on 64 carries this year, good for 5.1 yards a pop.
Los Angeles is still running outside zone a lot and getting chunk plays running off their tackles, but it shouldn't surprise anyone to see them pound the Las Vegas interior on Sunday until they face some kind of resistance. And that is the crux of why the Raiders' defensive tackle group must step up.
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