Nobody is going to confuse the Raiders’ defense with the ’76 Steelers or the ’85 Bears, but at least the group is relatively healthy for a change.
Two starters, safety Karl Joseph and tackle Stacy McGee, will be back for Saturday’s wild-card game in Houston.
“Our defense needs to step up and play at a high level,” head coach Jack Del Rio said Wednesday. “We’ve sputtered throughout the year and had our moments, but we have not put together a complete game yet. It would be nice to get that, starting Saturday.