Silver And Black Pride
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...
