Defensively, the Raiders have played some of their best football during this late stretch. They’ve accounted for eight turnovers over their last four games after totaling five in their first 12 games. In that span, they’ve also complied 12 sacks while allowing less than 17 points for opposing offenses.
“It’s the small things for me,” defensive coordinator Patrick Graham said. “Tyree [Wilson] with his base, playing with a base more often. [Zach] Carter playing with pad level, because he’s naturally cut high, playing with lower pad level. Spill [Robert Spillane] having run stuffs on the other side of the line of scrimmage or at the line of scrimmage more than he had last year. … Those small things that aren’t catchy or anything like that, that’s what I’m proud about but most proud when they win because I want them to get the reward of all their hard work.”
The defense has also generated a 47.5 percent pressure rate without Maxx Crosby on the field. The 2024 Pro Bowler has been out of action since Week 14 with an ankle injury that put him on injured reserve. Edge rushers K’Lavon Chaisson and Tyree Wilson have stepped up in his absence and combined for four sacks and six tackles for loss since that Week 14 outing.
“Nobody [is] blinking, no matter where we are in the season,” Wilson said. “No matter what our wins and losses are, everybody is going in with that hungry mindset to finish the right way and now going into 2025 to start this year off right as a Raiders defense.”
The Silver and Black have a chance to win their third consecutive game this Sunday. The main objective remains the same – closing out the season on a high note against their divisional foes.
“We all signed up for 17 games, an 18-week schedule,” Pierce said. “We’ve had really a good month in my opinion, regardless of record, just seeing the improvement, things that we talked about, and now just a great opportunity against a divisional foe that we know very well, that we saw in Week 1, to finish.”