Las Vegas Raiders' defensive coordinator Patrick Graham spoke on Thursday ahead of a highly anticipated matchup with a depleted Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense.
LAS VEGAS -- Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has been a steady leader for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024.
One of the best in the league, Graham oversaw a defense that nearly beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 13 on Black Friday. This week, the Raiders face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, an offense that is depleted. Graham spoke on Thursday at his weekly presser, and we have the full video right here:Q: Last week, Bucky Irving had a pretty good game for Tampa Bay.
Coach Graham: “They do a good job of running the ball. They've established an identity this part of the season, so you can see they are a run first team, and they mix in the play action pass. They have a quarterback that could get them in and out of good run plays and give them the right looks for the pass game. So, it's a good combination, and then they're solid on defense. So, to me, it falls right in line with what you would think with a defensive head coach.
Q: They're one of the best teams in the league, both on third down and in the red zone. What have you seen that separates them maybe from some other teams in those areas? Coach Graham: “For me, it's the ability to run the ball, because they'll mix in the run on third down. So, you got to be alert for that. I always thought that was one of the tougher things once you get in those situations where most of the league, once it's third and two-plus, you're dealing with pass game. That's just historically what you're dealing with in the league. But once you involve the run game and the dynamic ball carriers they have, now we got to respect that.
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