After losing back-to-back games, the Las Vegas Raiders are coming off a win that few saw coming. However, as good as the victory is for the team, the season is not over yet. Hopefully, they got it out of their system during their bye week because they are about to go against a defense this week who just shut down one of the best offenses in football.
How did they do it? That’s easy, the Buccaneers have some really good talent on defense. If you have watched them all season that is how they have been able to stay in games. These three ‘Bucs’ defensive players are one of the reasons why the unit has been so good and the Raiders must find a way to neutralize them.
The Raiders offense will face a stout Bucs defense in Week 7
1. Antione Winfield Jr, safety
You read that right, it’s not Antione Winfield, the former NFL cornerback, but his son who is currently playing safety. The Minnesota product may not be on his dad’s playing level yet but is already making a name for himself. The Buccaneers love to use him as a box safety and through six games, he has blitzed on around 17% of his snaps. So far, he’s registered two sacks, three hits, and has forced a fumble. The Raiders can attack him through the air when he is in coverage. He has allowed a 68% completion rate when opposing teams have targeted him.
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2. Devin White, linebacker
Devin White is one of the best young defensive players in the league. Through six games, he has played every single defensive snap for the Buccaneers. That goes to show how much head coach Bruce Arians and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles trust him. The two stats that really pop out to me are his five tackles for loss, almost one per game, and his 5.7 missed-tackle percentage which is very low for a player who has played every snap in 2020.
Shaquil Barrett, Linebacker
Shaquil Barrett might not just be one of the best players on the Buccaneers, but one of the best in the NFL. Over the last past 22 games, he has recorded 22.5 sacks, 44 quarterback hits, and six forced fumbles. Most of the time when you see an opposing player get hit in the backfield or stopped at the line, it’s the linebacker causing havoc. Whoever ends up starting in Week 7 will have his hands full against Barrett.
Final thoughts about the Raiders heading into Sunday
The Raiders need to play the way they did against the Chiefs. It won’t be easy as they may be missing some of their starters in the offensive line. Nevertheless, they are healthy at other positions such as wide receiver and running back. They need to set the tone early and running back Josh Jacobs could help them do so, smack them in the mouth as they say.
The Silver and Black’s offense needs to put its foot on the pedal and just not let go till the clock hits zeros. Even if the game doesn’t turn out to be a shootout, they can’t afford to get behind because if they do so, they may have a hard time coming back from a deficit.
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Top Photo: Mark LoMoglio/Associated Press