Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins is set to play his first game for the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. The 2019 pick by the Miami Dolphins is expected to make the Raiders’ pass rush even more formidable this season.
Wilkins is coming off a career-high nine sacks last season with the Dolphins. Wilkins was used to seeing divisional opponents with less-than-stellar quarterback play in recent seasons. The Raiders need Wilkins to make a big difference in a division that has elite quarterback play.
Wilkins will get his first opportunity to play an AFC West opponent on Sunday when the Raiders play the Los Angeles Chargers.
Christian Wilkins is ready to tackle the AFC West
Per the Raiders website, Wilkins said he was excited to play his first AFC West game:
“It’s exciting for a lot of different reasons: a divisional game, divisional opponent, my first official game as a Raider, my first division game,” Wilkins said. “There’s just a lot to be excited about and just to kind of start the 2024 season out the right way as a team. We’ll learn a lot about ourselves and about our opponent and the rest of the league as well.”
The Raiders have heard plenty of noise about their team this offseason. The Raiders have Antonio Pierce in his first season as the full-time head coach. The Raiders had a public quarterback battle in training camp that left much to be desired for Pierce.
The Las Vegas Raiders are focused on themselves
Wilkins said the team isn’t worried about what anyone on the outside thinks:
“We’re focused on us,” he said. “I feel like we’re focused on the right thing. We’re not focused on the outside noise, just building each and every day, and that’s been the mentality since OTAs. Get one percent better each and every day. That’s really our focus, and again, just bringing it all together as a team now and continue to strive to get better and putting the process over the results.
“The results will come, but just being really process-oriented and focused.”
The Raiders will get a true test against Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh on Sunday. Maybe Wilkins can make the difference by making it hard for Herbert to pass the ball to his inexperienced receiver corps.
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