The Raiders did not come away with a win in Week 11, but that wasn’t because of the defense. Facing one of the best offenses in the NFL, the Raiders held the Dolphins to just 20 points and forced three turnovers.
The defense has been highly impressive over the last three weeks despite lacking talent in the backend. They are playing at a higher level than we’ve seen over the last decade and that unit has given them a chance to win just about every game.
In a recent article by ESPN, they wrote about how the defense and why their stock is way up coming out of this matchup:
With three takeaways — fumble recoveries by safety Marcus Epps and cornerback Nate Hobbs and an interception by safety Isaiah Pola-Mao — and a fourth-down stop, the defense kept the game within striking distance for the Raiders despite giving up 422 yards.
The Raiders will face another test in Week 12, hosting the Kansas City Chiefs. The Raiders benefit from getting to watch the Chiefs play on Monday Night Football, but we will see how Antonio Pierce plans to stop Patrick Mahomes and company in a must-win game next week.
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