There’s not many things scarier than envisioning a top-three passing unit, led by Pro Bowl quarterback Justin Herbert, facing off against your club’s struggling defense; isn’t that right, Raider Nation? With 308.7 air yards per game, the Los Angeles Chargers entered Week 4 with the third-most passing yards across the NFL. Now, it was Maxx Crosby the Las Vegas Raiders’ turn to face their division rivals from California.
This is going to get ugly, quick.
Would you believe me if I said that’s not how things played out? Fans representing both sides of this contest expected the Silver and Black to bend at Herbert’s will, but that’s not at all what happened. The Raiders’ defense had an easier task with both running back Austin Ekeler and wideout Mike Williams sidelined, but Keenan Allen and Quentin Johnston both stand as premier weapons.
Las Vegas ultimately lost this Week 4 bout, but it was no fault of the team’s defense.
A magnificent performance by the Las Vegas Raiders defense
The game began by Josh McDaniels‘ squad deferring the coin toss, giving Los Angeles the contest’s first possession. In nine plays, the Chargers moved the football 86 yards to get into the end zone. This drive took a mere 4:22 off the clock, giving the impression the Raiders’ defense was in for a long day.
Yet, that’s not what happened. Not remotely close, either.
Las Vegas allowed two more touchdowns in the first half, but each of the two scores were courtesy of offensive turnovers that set the Chargers up with incredible field position.
Los Angeles’ second touchdown drive of the game started with a fumble recovery at the Raiders’ 36, and thanks to a 15-yard penalty handed out to Jerry Tillery, the Chargers only marched 21 yards to get to the end zone. On the very next drive, Las Vegas once again fumbled, and Los Angeles started at the Raiders’ 35. This would set up the Chargers’ third and final touchdown.
After this, the Silver and Black were lights out defensively. They proceeded to force three three-and-outs, one four-and-out, and even notched the first turnover of their 2023 campaign.
Making life difficult for Justin Herbert
By all accounts, the Raiders’ defense made things tough for Herbert and his offense. Las Vegas held Herbert to his lowest completion percentage since Week 18 of the 2021 season (54.16%), gave the Pro Bowl quarterback his first interception since Week 16 of the 2022 season, and limited him to the lowest total passing yards in a single-game throughout his entire NFL career (167 yards).
The bit about holding Herbert to his lowest single-game passing yards total is particularly interesting when noting an uncalled offensive pass interference penalty by wideout Josh Palmer on the 51-yard game-ender. This instance isn’t brought up to complain about flags – or lack thereof – but rather to note how the defense should’ve been responsible for even less yardage than the career-low amount they surrendered. Jakorian Bennett did his job; if a penalty isn’t called on an illegal move, it’s not the fault of the defender.
Altogether, Patrick Graham’s unit recorded one interception, seven pass deflections, five tackles for a loss, four quarterback hits, and two sacks. Maxx Crosby had an additional sack, but a neutral zone infraction by cornerback David Long wiped it off the board.
Talk about a good day in the office.
In fact, it was such a good day that the Raiders had three defenders earn a defensive grade of at least 90.0 via Pro Football Focus in Week 4: Maxx Crosby (93.6), Tre’von Moehrig (90.6), and Luke Masterson (90.3). To find another week where Las Vegas had two defenders – not even three – earn a grade of at least 90.0 in the same game, you’d have to travel back to Week 1 of the team’s 2021 campaign.
Recognizing individual performances
Is it any surprise Maxx Crosby was the team’s best defensive player? With a pass-rushing grade of 92.4, no player league-wide had a higher grade than Crosby in Week 4 (min. four pass rushing snaps). The fifth-year defensive end not only led the Raiders with 8 pressures, but totaled the third-most pressures out of all players across the NFL.
Crosby’s performance may not come as a shock, but Tyree Wilson’s might.
A rookie who’s struggled to find momentum thus far, Wilson showed up in the fourth game of his young professional career. The seventh-overall pick in this year’s draft notched two pressures in addition to a third that went uncounted due to an unrelated neutral zone infraction. Wilson was also involved in two tackles at the line of scrimmage on running plays.
Tre’von Moehrig enjoyed his best day as a pro himself. His 88.4 coverage grade was the highest league-wide at his position (min. eight coverage snaps), breaking up two passes and earning a passer rating of 0.00 when targeted. More than that, the 24-year-old notched the Raiders’ first interception of the season.
Against the run, Moehrig also shined, finishing the week as the league’s 17th-highest graded safety on running plays (69.4).
Moehrig’s leap this season can be attributed to him taking on the same deep safety role he thrived at during his rookie year. Through four weeks, the TCU alum has totaled 145 snaps at free safety; a number much higher than the 49 free safety snaps he had through four weeks in 2022. Currently, Moehrig’s 38% pass breakup percentage ranks third-highest in the NFL among all defenders with at least five coverage snaps.
Note: All above rankings are prior to Monday night’s contest between the Giants and Seahawks.
*Top Photo: Benjamin Hegar/Las Vegas Review-Journal
