2010 Oakland Raiders: Can the Defense Carry This Team to the Playoffs?

November 13, 2010   ·   Raider Card Addict   ·   Jump to comments

For the Oakland Raiders, a strong defense has always bided well for the team in the long run. Ask any Raider fan about those days of glory, with names like Tatum, Thomas or even Davidson to explain how a team's defense can change the course of a season.
This was long before the Ravens employed a "smashmouth" methodology, electing to use brute strength to dictate how games would be won or lost. Some for the Raider Nation would point to Jim Plunkett as being a good key to the Raiders winning titles in 1980 and 1983, but there was Lester Hayes making interceptions and Lyle Alzado bringing pain to the Steelers in the 1983 playoffs would be brought up and rightfully so.
This season, the Raiders seem to either find a new way to win, or so completely dominate an opponent that the opposing teams' fans are seen leaving before halftime. With a win over the Chargers, a key defensive blitz got into Philip Rivers' zone of comfort, causing a fumble.
In a trashing of Denver, the game l...

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