An avalanche of takeaways broke the drought.
Behind a stupendous effort by linebacker Devin White — a strip sack, interception, and nine total tackles — the Las Vegas Raiders forced two turnovers and recovered another fumble for a trio of takeaways to power a 20-10 victory over the visiting Tennessee Titans last Sunday.
White, a 27-year-old reclamation pickup by general manager John Spytek, is having a topsy turvy season like the Raiders as a whole, but in a must-win game against an equally bad Titans team, the once do-it-all linebacker turned back the clock.
“I think my coach, JG (linebackers coach John Glenn), he worked hard, he always talked about it and being positive. We work on these things in practice, we don’t just come out here and do it,” White explained when asked what led to his impressive outing against Tennessee. “We actually do drills to simulate the things that we’re doing. Obviously, we’ve got a lot of stuff to clean up, so I know the drill is going be even harder this week, but it is what it is. We got the win, everybody’s happy. But now we’ve got to flush that and on to the next.”
But, like everything else that’s Silver & Black, will that kind of defensive performance merely be a fleeting thing?
The answer to that question will go a long way in determining how the Raiders fare the rest of the 2025 campaign. Because trying to gain all-important consistency and continuity is like trying to grasp a cloud when it comes to the desert marauders.
White stacking productive games together on the second level of Las Vegas’ defense would help in that regard. This past Sunday, he was an impact defender. But there are games where he’s a liability. Fortunately for the Raiders, the linebacker is well aware of the work he has ahead of him.
“I feel like I’ve got a lot more work to do. Like I said, I’ve got to clean some things up. Sometimes I just be running too damn fast, but at the end of the day, I’d rather run fast than be out there not giving my all for my team, and I think it shows. I think one week at a time,” White noted. “I’ve got to put together a full season, and then I can start talking about myself, being back to when I was playing at a very, very high level. It’s also going to come from the coaching staff putting me in the position, and my teammates trusting me to be where I’m supposed to be to make these plays.”
Another smothering pass rush led by defensive end Maxx Crosby (two sacks, two tackles for loss, and three total tackles this past Sunday; 25 total tackles on the year, with four sacks, and a league-leading 10 tackles for loss), defensive tackle Jonah Laulu (a sack, tackle for loss, and three total tackles in the win; 16 total tackles, four sacks, and sicks stops for loss on the year) along with coverage on the backend from the secondary, also helps in that regard. As will defensive coordinator Patrick Graham shifting from a primarily Cover 3-based defense (one that head coach Pete Carroll is a big believer in) to more Cover 2 and man concepts.
That all said, contributions from the offense are equally vital. Namely, quarterback Geno Smith not turning the ball over to the opposition.
Smith, the Raiders’ $75-milliion dollar man, leads the NFL with 10 interceptions thrown and is the third-highest sacked quarterback in the league at 18.
For reference, the Cincinnati Bengals’ Jake Browning is second in picks at eight and the Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa is third with seven. In terms of sacks, Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward is the most dropped signal caller in the league at 25. The New York Jets’ Justin Fields is second at 19, and the New England Patriots’ Drake Maye and Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts absorbed 18 sacks like Smith.
Las Vegas’ overall turnover and takeaway sum reads: 11 turnovers (Smith’s 10 interceptions thrown and an Ashton Jeanty fumble) to seven takeaways (four fumble recoveries and three interceptions).
Flipping the turnover rate is key for the Silver & Black the rest of the way. Because if the Raiders don’t, their desire to move out of the league gutter in terms of overall standings — 2-4 — won’t become reality.
And if the team can’t eliminate turnovers and generate takeaways at a consistent pace staring in Week 7 and beyond, the Raiders are likely in for a shellacking at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday.
The Raiders offensive line is improving and a dedication to Jeanty (23 carries for 75 yards and a touchdown against the Titans; 105 carries for 424 yards and three touchdowns on the year) and the run game will support Smith in his quest to eliminate turnovers.
And a healthy Michael Mayer is back to his productive ways both on offense (five catches for 50 yards and a touchdown this past Sunday against Tennessee) and special teams.
Smith acknowledge there’s a fine line between being aggressive and careful noting “You want to be aggressive, you want explosive plays, but you also want to be very efficient.”
Straddling the fine line is going to be a challenge, as Smith continued. But he’s the ball distributor for the Raiders offense and getting said rock into his teammates hands and not the opponent’s is mission critical.
“It’s extremely difficult because the opposing defenses that we’re going to face, they’re all going to be really good. And so, they know what we’re trying to get accomplished, and their job is to stop it. And there’s always this chess match going back and forth with our coordinator, their coordinator, me against the mike linebacker. So, there’s just like a lot of different things that go into it, but overall, I mean, you just want to complete passes and that’s the real thing. I mean, you just want to complete passes and move the chains 10 yards at a time, and then all those other things will come along.”
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