Knee Jerk Reactions Following Raiders’ Week 6 Victory

No Gruden? No problem, as the Las Vegas Raiders left Mile High with a win!

Best Defensive Line This Century

In 25 years of watching the Raiders, it’s hard to remember a defensive line that won this consistently. They seem to have several guys beating blocks on almost every play. Also, it’s not just the top guys. Sure, the addition of Yannick Ngakoue has helped a lot. Yes, Maxx Crosby might be a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. 

Nevertheless, the most impressive thing about this group has been its depth. They seem to come in waves. This is “Knee Jerk Reactions,” so I don’t have an exact stat for this, but it feels like ten different defensive linemen have sacks this year. Even with all the injuries that the unit has had, it doesn’t seem to matter. That is by far the best group the Raiders have had in a long time.

The Broncos Are Who We Thought They Were

Speaking for most of Raider Nation, I’d say that the preseason hype surrounding the Denver Broncos never made much sense. That hype was only exacerbated when they beat a bunch of garbage teams and jumped out to 3-0. Since then, they’ve been beaten by Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and, of course, Las Vegas. At this point, it is clear that Denver is the worst team in the AFC West.

Investment at Running Back Finally Paying Off

Between the first-round pick (and the big contract that comes with it) on Josh Jacobs and the hefty salaries being collected by Kenyan Drake and Jalen Richard, the Raiders have more invested in the running back market than most teams. Now fans are seeing the benefits. 

Jacobs is clearly “the guy,” and gets the lion’s share of the work. When he does come out, the Raiders have two excellent change of pace backs at their disposal. Both Drake and Richard can run, catch, and block well. That allows the offense to be much more balanced. All three had great games yesterday in their respective roles.

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*Top Photo: Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal