For all the heat the Raiders' defense has taken this season, one part of it keeps showing up in the wrong backfield. Through eight weeks, the Raiders rank ninth in the NFLin plays that end with a quarterback hit or a sack.
NFL defenses ranked by QB hits and sacks: pic.twitter.com/9RnU3246qr
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 5, 2026
They have 50 of those plays, made up of 18 sacks and 32 more hits, edging Cleveland by one and Green Bay and New England by two. Only eight defenses have been better, a surprising spot for a unit that has drawn most of its criticism for the coverage and the run defense.
Nobody is carrying this rush alone
The most interesting part is who's doing the damage. Twelve different Raiders have at least half a sack this season, and no one on the roster has more than three.
Edge rushers Malcolm Koonce,
Kwity Paye and Maxx Crosby account for nine of the 18 sacks between them. Linebackers Quay Walker (2) and Nakobe Dean (1.5) have added three and a half more, while safety Jeremy Chinn and cornerback Eric Stokes each have one. With five and a half sacks coming from linebackers and defensive backs, the pressure can arrive from just about anywhere.
Even the interior has joined in. Defensive tackles Tonka Hemingway and Tim Keenan III have a sack apiece, and Adam Butler, Jonah Laulu and Foley Fatukasi have half a sack each.
Spreading the wealth makes this rush a headache to plan for. Offenses can slide their protection toward Crosby all they want, and somebody else is still finding a way to the quarterback.
The AFC West picture
Only one division rival has been better. The Denver Broncos lead the league with 74 plays ending in a hit or a sack, and their 51 quarterback hits alone top the Raiders' combined total. Denver's 23 sacks are also five more than the Raiders have.
The rest of the division has been far quieter. The Los Angeles Chargers are tied for 23rd with 36, while the Kansas City Chiefs are tied for 26th with 34.
Kansas City's nine sacks are tied with Miami and the New York Giants for the league low, which might be the most surprising number on the entire chart. For years, the Chiefs were the measuring stick in this division, and right now the Raiders are getting home far more often.
Finishing is the next step
The pressure is real, but the payoff could be bigger. The Raiders have turned 18 of their 50 such plays into sacks, a little over a third. The Pittsburgh Steelers lead the league with 26 sacks and have finished about half of their 51.
The Raiders are also on pace for about 38 sacks, barely ahead of the 37 they finished with last season. Turning even a handful of those 32 hits into sacks would push this group from solid to scary. It would also hand a defense in need of good news something real to build on.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders' defense ranks among NFL's best in QB hits and sacks this year
