Veteran linebacker Devin White leads Raiders' defense with huge stat line in win over Titans

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Devin White had every reason to boast after Sunday’s 20-10 win over the Tennessee Titans, sitting at his locker surrounded by reporters with the game ball he intercepted beside him.

Yet even after becoming the third Raider since 1999 to record a sack, a forced fumble and a pick in a game — and the first since 2016 — White chose to speak of his teammates.

“Great team win, man,” White said. “I knew coming in that I just wanted to be cool, calm, collected — and play hard.

“Obviously, everything wasn’t perfect, but that’s why you got teammates. They lift you up, and you just keep going, man. We had a positive mindset on the sideline. Whether it went good, went bad, we just stayed in it. Just proud to go out there with these guys and just dominate.”

The Raiders (2-4) dominated the Titans with a suffocating defense, holding them to 225 yards. White led the charge with nine tackles, including five solo, a quarterback hit and a pass deflection.

The 27-year-old White was a standout in five seasons with Tampa Bay, earning second-team All-Pro honors in 2020, before playing for Houston last season.

“He played a great game,” linebacker Malcolm Koonce said. “That’s the guy that we see make plays in practice. It’s great to see him do that on the field. He had a day today.”

White helped put the Raiders in position to score their first touchdown in seven quarters when he sacked Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward and forced a fumble deep in Tennessee territory. Defensive end Tyree Wilson was there to pounce on the ball, and three plays later, Geno Smith found Michael Mayer for a 4-yard touchdown.

White later intercepted Ward to thwart a Titans drive that got to the Las Vegas 30 and keep Tennessee scoreless.

“Devin’s been in the league many years. He’s made plenty of plays,” Wilson said. “So it was time to get back to the Devin we know, and he showed up today. He had big plays in the game that were keys to the win.”

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl