Despite Rough 1st Year Under Patrick Graham, Top 5 Plays From Raiders Defense

Under Patrick Graham, the defense of the 2022 Las Vegas Raiders didn’t significantly improve from the previous season. According to ESPN, they ended up giving up the fifth most yards per game and the seventh most points per game. There weren’t many highlights outside of Maxx Crosby, but they did give us some thrilling plays. Let’s analyze the five best defensive plays made by the Raiders during this past campaign.

No. 1: Chandler Jones’ Truck-Six vs. the Patriots

The Raiders were in trouble after blowing a double-digit lead to the New England Patriots. However, they scored a touchdown in response to even the score at 24. The Patriots were obviously attempting to drag this game into overtime with 30 seconds remaining. Rhamondre Stevenson received the ball from Mac Jones and made a gain of roughly 30 yards. Jakobi Meyers received the ball after Stevenson lateraled it. Then Meyers tried to lateral it back to Jones, but Chandler Jones was already standing by. The game-winning touchdown was scored by Jones, who saw the ball, caught it in midair, stiff-armed Jones into the ground, and returned it 48 yards. What a coincidence that Jones’ best performance of the year came against his former team!