Silver And Black Pride
The Las Vegas Raiders’ run defense was a mixed bag of results in Week 9 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Raiders kept the Jaguars to 3.6 yards per carry as a team, and running backs Travis Etienne Jr. (22 carries, 84 yards) and Bhayshul Tuten (nine carries, 29 yards) were held to 3.8 and 3.2 ypc, respectively. Also, Las Vegas’ defense created several negative plays with seven tackles for loss. However, Jacksonville still managed to accumulate 151 yards and a handful of chunk gains on the ground.
So, what made the difference between the Silver and Black’s run stuffs, and where the unit’s run defense wasn’t up to snuff? Let’s flip on the tape and find out.
The biggest reason the Raiders were able to create negative plays in the running game is that defensive tackle Adam Butler defeated several blocks with the swim move seen above throughout the game. That’s how he recorded both of his tackles for loss and was credited with three defensive stops from Pro Football Focus.
In this clip, Jacksonville runs duo with Butler lined up in the A-gap as a 2i-technique. Now, he does gamble here by working across the guard’s face and into the B-gap, which linebacker Elandon Roberts is attacking. However, the bet pays off as Butler manages to make the guard miss with the swim move, allowing him to quickly beat the combo block from the guard and tackle.
That combined with keeping his pads low and using a rip prevents the tackle from being able to get a clean block on him, and allows the defeder to get back in his gap to make the play in the backfield.
This time, the Jaguars run inside zone with Butler on the backside of the play. He and Roberts are gap-exchanging post-snap this time, meaning Roberts is responsible for the A-gap while Butler works into the B-gap despite the two defenders lining up in the other’s assignment.
The defensive tackle uses that to his advantage, attacking the guard square before using his quickness and the same swim move seen previously to defeat the block and fill the B-gap. To finish, he comes flat down the line of scrimmage to hit Etienne in the backfield and make the tackle for no gain.
Meanwhile, Maxx Crosby is on the playside and is the one gambling this time, leaving the C-gap open while using his quickness and athleticism to defeat the tight end’s block to the outside. Then, he shows off some impressive flexibility and bend to get back into the C-gap and factor into the tackle with Butler.
You might have noticed Crosby winning in the previous play, too. The two defensive linemen were the Raiders’ biggest keys to creating negative plays in the run game on Sunday. For the most part, if they weren’t getting penetration, Las Vegas had a hard time recording stops.
One more positive rep for the Silver and Black before we dive into the bad ones, and the theme...
