The Las Vegas Raiders are now 3-3 after a loss on Sunday to the Buffalo Bills gave them their third loss in as many weeks. The game was close, with the Raiders falling 33-30, but Las Vegas doesn’t want to be close; it wants to be a winning organization.
Like many games that end with a one-score difference, there was a mix of good and bad for the Raiders. With Las Vegas giving up 33 points in the game, much of the bad came on the defensive side of the ball. That isn’t a good outcome for Raiders’ defensive coordinator Rob Leonard, who’s being evaluated closely in his first year as the team’s DC.
While it’s never good for a defensive coordinator’s unit to give 33 points, Las Vegas’ defensive performance on Sunday wasn’t primarily on Leonard. That’s why the first-year defensive coordinator receives a C- for Week 6.
Rob Leonard’s defense let the Raiders down against the Bills
Entering the game, it was evident that Las Vegas’ defense was going to have its hands full. Buffalo is one of the best offenses in the league, and it has a top quarterback in Josh Allen and a top running back in James Cook. Both guys had their way on Sunday, leading the Bils to 33 points.
However, the game didn’t really look like a matter of Leonard being outcoached. There were a few instances where the Raiders failed to cover the running back out of the backfield, and that could possibly be pinned on Leonard’s scheme or coaching, but for the most part, Vegas’ defenders just weren’t getting the job done.
That all started with defending the run. The Raiders were in the right defensive sets to stop the run, but they just weren’t good enough. Cook carried the ball 22 times for 95 yards and a touchdown, leading a Bills rushing attack that finished with 103 total yards on 29 carries.
The one good thing that Leonard’s unit was able to do was contain Josh Allen the runner. Allen is credited with five carries for just one yard. For a quarterback who could take over a game with his legs, that was phenomenal work by the defense to keep him behind the line of scrimmage.
Unfortunately, another area where the defense struggled — and why Sunday’s game was on the players more than it was Leonard — was getting Josh Allen down to the ground or forcing him to quickly throw the ball. Throughout the game, Allen was able to scramble around and extend plays until a pass catcher broke free. That’s not on Leonard; that’s on the pass rushers not getting in the backfield and finishing the job.
Whenever Allen did get the ball out of his hands quickly, it went to a receiver who had either created separation or was being held by one of the Raiders’ young defensive backs. Again, a players problem.
So while Leonard is docked for being the leader of a group that gave up 33 points, Las Vegas’ biggest issue on Sunday was its defensive players not being good enough.
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