Raiders Bounce Back Behind Relentless Defense & Ground Game

Dominant defense, a clutch strip sack, and two game balls — here’s what the Raiders’ win over the Titans really means.

Author

Jesse Merrick
October 13, 2025

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

"You just see them evolving, and it’s been so cool. Jonah’s (Laulu) playing his ass off; he’s making more and more plays every week. (Thomas) Booker, I mean, that dude is a freaking fridgerator that can fly. So, he’s a scary combination of talent that can go out there and make plays. We have a lot of guys that are trying to prove themselves, so whatever I can do to help them, I’m gonna do. I love those guys, they’re playing their ass off.”

— Maxx Crosby, Raiders Defensive End, on his running mates

Photo Courtesy: Arnie Bazemore

In today’s newsletter, we dive deeper into the win over the Titans to see what it could mean for the Raiders going forward. Plus, we peel back the curtain on Devin White’s game-changing strip sack, and hand out a couple of game balls to a pair of the team’s top performers.

TITANS VS. RAIDERS POST-GAME BREAKDOWN

Check out our latest Silver & Black Sports Network Podcast, filmed from the field at Allegiant Stadium right after the game. I dive into how the Raiders’ defense completely shut down the run and rattled No. 1 pick Cam Ward. Plus, we unpack the offense’s more balanced, run-heavy approach and what this win means as Vegas turns the page toward Kansas City. Hit play above for the full postgame reaction and analysis.

RAIDERS SNAP THE SKID, BEAT TITANS 20-10

Photo Courtesy: Arnie Bazemore

DEFENSE DOMINATES

The Raiders’ defense deserves all the credit in this one; they dominated the Titans, and that’s thanks in large part to Patrick Graham’s willingness to crank up the pressure against No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward.

“They did a good job mixing up some coverages. They pressured a lot more in this game than they had going into it. They zero blitzed us (with no deep safety) a few times, which is not something they had done a lot of.”

— Brian Callahan, Titans Head Coach

That extra aggressiveness led to six sacks, eight QB hits, seven tackles for loss, 22 pressures, 13 hurries, and three turnovers by the Titans’ offense. Third downs were also massive in this one. A week after allowing the Colts to convert 8 of 10 third downs, the Raiders held the Titans to just 3 of 13 third downs, thanks in large part to putting Tennessee in third-and-six or longer situations on eight of their 13 third downs.

EFFICIENT OFFENSE

Offensively, the Raiders took a much different approach to the game than we’ve seen from them in recent weeks. They actually took what the defense gave them this time and committed to running the football from start to finish.

"We took a lot of stuff underneath today, which is what they gave us. They played a lot of shell, a lot of Cover 3, a lot of quarters. The safeties played pretty deep for the most part, which allowed us to run the ball well."

— Geno Smith, Raiders Quarterback

They were fine with dinking and dunking their way down the field, and Geno didn’t even attempt a pass that traveled 10 or more air yards until early on in the fourth quarter. In fact, he averaged just 2.9 air yards per pass against the Titans. That’s down from the 8 air yards per attempt he averaged in the previous five weeks combined.

On top of that, the run-to-pass ratio looked more like what Pete Caroll had been preaching the last few weeks. They ran it 32 times and only threw it 23 times, and even though the running game wasn’t very effective, Pete thought it changed the game for them.

“All in all, we tried to run the football a lot today, ran it a lot. A lot of times, we didn't run it very effectively, but yet, when you attempt the run like that, it sets the game in a certain motion, and that's what we've been trying to get to. So, it fits the whole club and the way we present, or the way we're trying to win games. Today was a good format for that, with all kinds of areas to improve. Glad the fans got to see us win."

— Pete Carroll, Raiders Head Coach

WHAT’S IT ALL MEAN?

The Titans are a bad football team; everybody knows that. But the Raiders really needed a win, and they got it. That’s a step in the right direction. Aside from the game against the Commanders, I think they’ve played winning football on defense. Even in the Colts game, all of those 40 points weren’t on them. Offensively, it’s been about getting the running game going and not turning the ball over. Yes, Geno still threw a pick, but they committed to the run (even when it wasn’t working) and played an efficient brand of ball on offense. Geno looked more like a game manager, which is great given the way he turned the ball over in the first five weeks. Is that a sustainable approach going forward? It is, if the offensive line can get better. They need to shore up their struggles against stunts by the defensive line and be able to clean up some things in the running game. If they can do that, they might have found a recipe for success.

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PLAY OF THE DAY

Devin White balled out on Sunday (more on him below) and came away with the play of the day on the strip sack above that gave the offense the ball on the two yard line and eventually put them up 10-0 over the Titans. Here’s his breakdown of the blitz that changed the game:

“We ran that play in practice and they blocked it, our practice squad guys, blocked it just like they blocked it, so I was ready. You know, I made the play in practice on it, obviously I didn’t hit the quarterback, but I just knew that I was going for the ball if they doubled Maxx and they went over there and chipped Maxx. So I knew it was going to leave me free.”

— Devin White, Raiders Linebacker

MISS ANYTHING?

Catch up on some of our recent stories:

Is Geno Holding the Raiders Back? + 3 Keys to Beating the Titans

— Breaking down the Raiders’ path to victory in Tennessee — and whether Geno Smith is really to blame for the offensive struggles.


Raiders Collapse in Indy: What Went Wrong vs. the Colts


— Key moments, costly turnovers, and a QB decision that left fans stunned — unpacking the Raiders’ tough loss to the Colts.

GAME BALLS

Photo Courtesy: Arnie Bazemore

DEVIN WHITE

Devin takes home our first game ball from Sunday. He posted an insane stat line, racking up a team-high 9 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 pass defensed, 1 QB hit, a forced fumble, and an interception.

“I don't know anybody could put up more numbers than Devin White did today. Geez, it's a stat line. He made a bunch of plays and with a pick and, I think, a forced fumble, and tackles for losses, and all that nine full total tackles is what I saw. That's a great football game for him, and he missed three tackles that he could have had a ridiculously great game.”

— Pete Carroll, Raiders Head Coach

MICHAEL MAYER

Michael Mayer takes home the game ball on offense in my book. He missed the last two games (mostly) with a concussion and played really well in his return to action on Sunday. He was second on the team in receicing yards, hauling in 5 passes for 50 yards and a touchdown. I also thought he blocked really well, too. Go back and watch that big catch and run from Tre Tucker, Mayer helped open that one up.

“I got a lot to give. Yeah, I got a lot to give. This is what, year three for me? I got plenty of football left and I got plenty more chances to help the team win. Especially in the run game, too. I think I blocked pretty good today and helped spring Ashton a couple times. But yeah, I got a lot of good football left, a lot of good touchdowns to score, and things like that.”

— Michael Mayer, Raiders Tight End

WHAT’S NEXT?

Pete steps back up to the mic today at 11:00 a.m. to help us dive deeper into the win over the Titans before the Raiders officially turn the page to Kansas City to square off with Patrick Mahomes and company who are coming off of a big win over the Lions on Sunday Night Football.

Also keep an eye out for the next episode of the Silver & Black Sports Network Podcast dropping on Wednesday morning. We’ll be previewing the matchup with the Chiefs with a beat reporter from KC.

Catch ya next time,

Silver & Black Sports Network is an independent media outlet. We are not affiliated with, endorsed, or sponsored by the Las Vegas Raiders or the NFL.

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