Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Leonard has done more than survive his first two weeks on the job - he’s made a serious early case that this unit can be a problem for offenses all season.
After a sharp debut against the Miami Dolphins, Leonard’s defense backed it up in Week 2 with another strong showing, holding the Los Angeles Chargers to 14 points in Las Vegas’ two-score win. And this one came with a wrinkle: the Raiders did it without starting cornerback Darien Porter.
That matters because it wasn’t just a repeat performance. It was a different kind of domination against a better opponent, and that’s what pushed Leonard to an A- grade. The defense still has rough edges, but the early returns are hard to ignore.
The box score tells the story quickly. The Chargers finished with 14 points, three turnovers and only 310 total yards. That’s the kind of output that usually gets a team beat, and Leonard’s defense was the group forcing that script.
Justin Herbert had a rough afternoon, completing just 55% of his passes for 192 yards and throwing two interceptions to rookie Zeke Masses. He also fumbled three times. And if that wasn’t enough chaos, the Chargers put the ball on the ground six times overall, though the Raiders only recovered one of those fumbles.
The pressure was relentless. Las Vegas sacked Herbert three times and logged 21 total pressures, including nine quarterback hits. That kind of heat wears on a passer, and it showed late, especially on Herbert’s ugly interception to close out the game.
Through two weeks, the Raiders are sitting on the NFL’s highest pressure rate at 50.0%, fueled by a 45.2% rate against Los Angeles. Even more impressive: they’ve done it without leaning on the blitz, ranking eighth-lowest in blitz rate so far.
The back end held up, too. Outside of a 53-yard gain to Tre Harris, the Raiders kept the Chargers from breaking the top off the defense, limiting them to one explosive play. They also came away with two interceptions and a fumble recovery, a strong day for the secondary by any measure.
On third down, the defense stayed sturdy again, allowing just five conversions on 13 tries. That kind of consistency is a big reason Leonard earned the grade he did.
Still, it wasn’t spotless.
The run defense was the one clear problem, especially early. The Chargers ran for 127 yards on 32 carries, averaged 4.0 yards per attempt and punched in a touchdown. Their second-quarter scoring drive came with the kind of downhill running that Las Vegas simply didn’t answer.
The good news for the Raiders was that the game script kept Los Angeles from leaning on the ground game for long. Leonard’s defense kept giving the offense the ball back, and the group settled in a little better against the run in the second half while making a few key stops.
Even so, the next test matters. Better running backs and stronger offensive lines are coming, and this defense will need to stiffen against the run when opponents start to find their rhythm. For now, though, Leonard has the Raiders’ defense off to a strong start, and this was another performance worthy of the A- grade.
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The question now is whether Koonce can sustain that level when the opposition gets tougher up front. The Raiders have been searching for help to lighten Crosbys load, and Koonces tape offered reason for optimism, but there is still a noticeable hurdle when he goes against top offensive linemen. Until he starts finishing those rushes more consistently and getting home faster in those matchups, the pass rush remains more of a work in progress than a finished answer. [Read more 🡒]