Technically, the reeling Las Vegas Raiders will face the reeling Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. However, only one of the two teams had Super Bowl aspirations entering this season, and it's not Las Vegas. Hence, only one team enters its Week 7 matchup reeling.
The Rams have a talented roster and coaching staff that can adjust to just about anything. Los Angeles also has the league's reigning Most Valuable Player, Matthew Stafford, starting at quarterback. No matter the Rams' overall health, stopping Stafford is a tall task.
Sunday's matchup against Stafford follows outings against Patrick Mahomes, Drake Maye, and Josh Allen. The past few weeks have been busy for Las Vegas' defense, to say the least, and they will have their hands full again this Sunday.
Raiders' Pass Rush Looks To Clamp Down
Las Vegas' defense played well against two of those three quarterbacks. In theory, all three should have helped prepare the Raiders' defense for Stafford's passing. Yet Stafford presents a unique set of challenges in his own right, as his accuracy could pose issues for Las Vegas.
Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Leonard offered insight into the differences between playing the likes of mobile quarterbacks such as Mahomes, Maye, and Allen, compared to facing the less-mobile, but just as accurate, Stafford.
“When you have a mobile quarterback, you fill up rushing lanes so the guy can’t buy as much time. Where do you want to allocate your defenders? Can we rush with four and get home? Can we get to the spot with three, four, five? That’s at least the way I think,” Leonard said before practice on Thursday.
“So, when you’re rushing a guy that doesn’t move as much, it’s just the same conversations. Where do you want to allocate your resources? Do we need to double a guy? Is the quarterback priority over our matchups? That’s at least the way I’m always thinking about it. There’s pluses and minuses to how you want to do it.”
What It Takes
For the Raiders to end their three-game losing streak, their defense must stop Stafford and the Rams enough times to help Las Vegas' offense score. Las Vegas' 3-3 start has confirmed the team will go as far as the defense takes them. Their past three games show the unit needs more production.
Their past three weeks have confirmed that, for this Raiders team, the difference between winning and losing will depend on the defense's ability to create turnovers, extra possessions for their offense, and pressure opposing teams' quarterbacks.
Given the Rams' injuries, Las Vegas' defense should be able to pressure Stafford into a mistake or two. Whether it is a sack, a turnover, or an incompletion, when combined with the Raiders' home crowd, Las Vegas' defense is in position to get back to the unit from Week 1 through Week 3.
That is what it will take for a Raiders' offense that plays significantly differently when its defense creates turnovers and helps it start with solid field position. Las Vegas' offense needs its defense to help put it in position to score consistently enough to win, or it will be another long Sunday.
The Raiders are on track. They have come close to upsetting two of the league's best teams in the past three weeks, even though they've barely begun rebuilding their roster. Las Vegas' future is bright, but at 3-3, with two winnable games on the horizon, it may be too early to look to the future.
Las Vegas has a roster that can compete with any team in the league this season. They admittedly have a long way to go to fully rebuild their roster, but a win on Sunday could spark a mid-to-late season run for a Raiders team still gelling after only six games together.
A fourth loss in a row is far from ideal. However, at the start of the season, few would have been surprised by the Raiders' three losses. The same is true about a potential loss to the Rams on Sunday. Winning is the goal, but things must be kept in perspective.
No one knows what will happen on Sunday, but a win would be huge for Las Vegas.
Add us as a preferred source on Google