Raiders linebacker Nakobe Dean (17) celebrates with teammates after intercepting a pass from Lo ...
Raiders linebacker Nakobe Dean (17) celebrates with teammates after intercepting a pass from Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) during the first half of an NFL game at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, in Las Vegas. Raiders lost 35-21. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Nakobe Dean has seen enough.
The veteran knows it’s past time for his defense to start producing better than what it did on the field in Sunday’s 35-21 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at Allegiant Stadium, the fifth straight game they have allowed at least 27 points.
“We have to be real with each other,” he said. “Coaches have to be real with the players, players have to be real with the coaches. But players have to be real with each other. It’s going to come down to us. We have to make plays.
“It’s a results-based lead. We need results.”
And they need to do it as a group.
“I have a lot of faith and belief in this team. We have a lot of great players,” Dean said. “We just have to put it together and play as a team and play as one. We can’t all be individual mercenaries out there.”
Dean, who tied for the team-high with 12 tackles and had an interception, said accountability will be a major point of emphasis as he tries to lead his team out of a four-game losing streak in which they have surrendered at least 30 points in every game.
“It’s a performance-based league and we have to perform,” he said. “At this point, we know where we’re not good enough as a defense and we have to pick that up. It starts with me and it starts with us being real with each other. I’m probably going to start holding guys way more accountable. I feel like I already do that, but I guess there’s another level to it that we need to take it to because it’s not working right now.”
That starts with doing the little things right.
“This game comes down to details,” safety Jeremy Chinn said. “We have to be sharp on those details every day.”
Dean said there are small errors that may ordinarily go unchecked in an NFL meeting room or on the practice field.
Not anymore.
“We can’t look past anything,” he said. “No matter how small it is. There are some things that happen that feel minuscule. But we’re done walking past anything. If I see it, from the coaching staff to the players, I’m going to say my mind and speak on it without being a germ. Just try to be real and make sure I’m not the only one doing it. Everybody has to hold each other accountable so that we’re not walking past anything no matter who it is.”
That process is too important to wait until Wednesday’s practice. Dean said there were some hard conversations in the locker room at halftime on Sunday after the Raiders gave up four touchdowns in the first 30 minutes.
“We weren’t playing at a high level and we knew we had to do better and we talked about it,” cornerback Taron Johnson said. “I definitely think we came out better in the second half, but it wasn’t enough because of how we started. It just wasn’t good enough.”
Not even close.
The Raiders forced a pair of turnovers and surrendered just seven points after halftime, but the damage had already been done when the Rams scored touchdowns on four straight possessions in the first half.
“They definitely had momentum in the first half, but we have to do our job,” Dean said. “We get paid to stop people from scoring. To stop people from running and passing the ball. We have to do that. We had a couple penalties that shot us in the foot that could have definitely swung that momentum (back to us).”
But the stops never came, particularly in the red zone where the Rams finished all five of their drives in the end zone.
The Rams led the league in pass attempts coming into the game, but without one of their star receivers in Davante Adams, they often chose to play with three tight ends and pound the ball on the ground.
It was a successful ploy against a Raiders defense that struggles against the run, but Dean said the problem was more about execution than scheme.
“We know we have to tackle,” he said. “You don’t go into a game saying our game plan this week is to tackle. It’s supposed to be a given. You just have to do it. Give them credit, they came out ready to play. But we have to tackle.”
The Raiders know they must find solutions fast.
“Nobody is coming to help us,” coach Klint Kubiak said. “We’ve got to figure it out ourselves as a coaching staff with the players.”
Dean is ready to start that process. But the only thing that will matter is how they perform when they are able to get on the field again next Sunday against the Jets.
That will require more than talk.
“We have to tackle,” he said. “In the end, it comes down to striking the block, getting off the block and making the play. That’s it.”
Easier said than done.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.