Versus: Putting pressure on Baker Mayfield will be top priority for Raiders defense

Dec 04, 2024 at 04:28 PM

Levi Edwards

Digital Team Reporter

The Las Vegas Raiders make their second road trip to Florida this season when facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 14.

The Silver and Black have a tall task at hand trying to break their eight-game losing streak while facing a Buccaneers team that's won two straight games and is vying to win their fourth straight NFC South title.

"Tough, physical defense," Antonio Pierce said. "When you look at them on the other side of ball, I mean they're built, they're big, big bodies man. Look at the nose tackle, look at their guards. It's going to be a dogfight, it's going to be a scrappy game. They're very explosive on offense ... but down the trenches man, you really got to strap up."

Here are three matchups to look forward to in this battle of the pirates.

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K'Lavon Chaisson vs. Baker Mayfield

The last time the Raiders faced quarterback Baker Mayfield, things didn't go according to plan.

Mere days after being claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Rams, Mayfield defeated the Silver and Black, 17-16, in Week 14 of the 2022 season. The quarterback threw a game-winning 23-yard touchdown with nine seconds left in regulation.

Two seasons later, the Raiders will face Mayfield once again in Week 14, but in a much different scenario. He signed with the Buccaneers last season, enjoying a Pro Bowl campaign with 28 passing touchdowns and over 4,000 passing yards. This season, he's ranked third in the league in passing touchdowns and pass completion percentage.

Arguably his most impressive metric in 2024 is his 74.1 completion percentage in the red zone with a 18:1 touchdown to interception ratio inside the 20-yard line.

"[H]e's just a guy that's very resilient as well," Antonio Pierce said of Mayfield. "I mean, he's the number one pick that's kind of bounced around a little bit and found his home at Tampa Bay. He plays the game kind of like Brett Favre, who I played against in league. He's very fiery, he'll do whatever it takes to make a play. The play's never dead with him. You've got to keep your eyes on him and then stay in coverage. So, that'll be a challenge. But, I mean obviously he has the arm talent, very talented player."

The one drawback to Mayfield's play this season has been turnovers, having thrown 11 interceptions which are currently the third-most in the league. This may be due to being blitzed 123 times this season with an average time of 2.1 seconds in the pocket – tied for least amount of time to throw in the pocket among starting quarterbacks. Therefore, getting pressure on the quarterback will be vital this Sunday, which is something K'Lavon Chaisson has been able to do lately.

Chaisson, who signed to the Raiders practice squad in September, has found opportunities for playing time due to injuries and ultimately signed to the active roster in October. He's coming off his best game in the Silver and Black against the Chiefs, with 1.5 sacks and three quarterbacks hits. He also generated eight pressures in the Black Friday game for a 42.1 percent pressure rate, the highest pressure generated in a game this season (minimum 15 pass rushes), according to NFL Next Gen Stats.

"Just trusting in the rush plan," Chaisson said postgame last week. "Making sure all four of the defensive linemen, we're rushing together and containing and maintaining our lane."

Raiders secondary vs. Mike Evans

It's not every day you line up against an anomaly at receiver like Mike Evans.

At 31 years old, the 11-year veteran currently leads the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in touchdown receptions (seven) despite missing three games. The five-time Pro Bowler also ranks in the top three on his team in receptions (39) and receiving yards (521).

What has made Evans such a matchup nightmare throughout his career is his unique blend of strength, size and speed at 6-foot-5, 231 pounds. He's too big to cover for smaller cornerbacks and too fast to cover for more physically imposing defenders. Not to mention his impeccable route-running abilities that've allowed him to go for over 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first 10 NFL seasons.

The Raiders could deploy multiple cornerbacks to take on Evans, including Jack Jones who leads the team in pass deflections (10). Rookie Decamerion Richardson may also get a few cracks at the Bucs' WR1 as he lined up in man coverage on nearly 45 percent of defensive snaps against the Chiefs, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.

"There's going to be a lot of different routes that he has not seen, or he's not used to, and understanding splits where the receivers are on the field, where they are on the numbers," Pierce said of how Richardson can continue improving. "I think for him, and we'll do it again this week, just constantly focusing on his eyes, understand his leverage. Where's your help, right? You're not out there on an island. It's not you out there by yourself. It's team football, you got 10 other guys that can help you, so use your help."

Also keep in mind that Evans' status for the game may be up in the air. He was a non-participant (hamstring/calf) in Wednesday's walkthrough, per the injury report.

Raiders offense vs. penalties

Playing smart football will be crucial for the Raiders.

The team has been plagued by penalties recently, including an illegal shift that resulted in a game-winning fumble recovery for the Kansas City Chiefs last Friday. Pierce attributed the team beating themselves to several issues within the offense, which has especially struggled in the red zone.

"We've had several penalties when we've been down there inside the five and 10-yard line, got to do a better job with that, can't get backed up," Pierce said. "And then making the most of our opportunities. I mean, to be honest, half the time we're down there, we're four-down territory. We want to go for it, but if we get pushed back or have negative plays, you've got to do what you've got to do to put points on the board. So, something that we're constantly working on. You can see the improvement on defense. We've got to see that same improvement on offense."

Penalties will equally play a factor against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have committed only one less total penalties this season than the Raiders.