Giving the Raiders Credit Where Credit is Due

The Las Vegas Raiders' season has already hit an obstacle just four games into the season. Las Vegas' 1-3 record is reflective of the current situation. The Raiders are a team that needs significantly more talent and development.

Still, the Raiders' first four games of the season showcased several aspects that should give Las Vegas' coaching staff confidence moving forward. Las Vegas has its issues, but it also has a few noteworthy positives.

Raiders' Productive Play

The Raiders' 1-3 record stands out and can overshadow some of the positive developments happening in Las Vegas at the moment. Still, the positives are worth noting, as they are easy to overlook. There is no good way to frame losing three out of four games.

However, individually, the Raiders have excelled in certain areas. This is primarily the case on defense, which is notable because of the questions the unit had at several positions entering the season. Four games into the season, and it is evident that the Raiders' defense is the team's strength.

The Raiders' defense has played solid football to start the season. Following the Raiders' loss to the Bears, Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll praised his defense for solid performances over the season's first four games.

"Yeah, the running game has really been in hand. What happened in the Commanders game, that got us off out of whack a little bit, but we're playing the running game as well as anybody right now. And Jonah's [Laulu] doing a really good job. Thomas Booker is doing a really nice job. All of the guys – Malcolm [Koonce] has given his contributions on the edge, so they're all contributing to it,” Carroll said.

"And then we play pretty big and strong with our linebackers, too. Those guys are a big part of that as well. So, I'm really pleased with that. It's where you start. You start on the deep ball and up front in the running game on defense, and our guys are, they're giving us that kind of performance right now, and we're going to have to build on it. We're going to need it throughout, so everything that's already happened is already gone. It's what you're going to do now that counts."