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There became once a time now now not that prolonged ago when it looked the Las Vegas Raiders may maybe well well contain turned a page. It looked the team may maybe well well basically be onto something true through its first season in Sin City.
The Raiders jumpy the Kansas City Chiefs on the road support in Week 5. After pounding the Denver Broncos in Week 10, they contain been 6-3 and in the thick of the playoff hunt.
Since that expend over the Broncos, though, the Raiders contain dropped three of 4—the most up-to-date being a lopsided 44-27 loss to the Indianapolis Colts at home. They’ve gone from 6-3 and humming alongside to 7-6 and on the exterior of the playoffs taking a peep in. And contain been it now now not for some astonishingly negative defense by the Modern York Jets on the stay of a Week 13 matchup, they would well well be using a four-game shedding hotfoot.
Simply attach, the Raiders contain been exposed over the closing month. They’d well maybe now now not be a negative team, nonetheless they are now now not an in particular correct one, both. They surely aren’t correct ample to knock off the likes of the Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC.
And till Vegas does something a couple of defense that has been fully embarrassed in recent weeks, it be a paper pirate of a franchise and a pretender of a challenger to Kansas City’s throne in the AFC West.
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Another time, the Raiders aren’t a negative team.
Offensively, they’re fairly correct.
Quarterback Derek Carr topped 300 passing yards for the fourth time Sunday and entered Week 14 with a career-ideal passer ranking of 104.1. Working support Josh Jacobs is interior striking distance of a second consecutive 1,000-yard season on the bottom.
Wide receiver Nelson Agholor is averaging 16.7 yards per expend and scored his seventh landing of the season Sunday. Darren Waller trails ideal Travis Kelce of the Chiefs amongst tight ends in most offensive categories.
Add in a couple of complementary avid gamers like rookie extensive receiver Henry Ruggs III and also you may maybe per chance well maybe want an offense that entered Week 14 ranked 15th in yards per game and 11th in factors per game. It be admittedly now now not Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, nonetheless it be gentle lovely correct.
Then there may maybe be the defense, which is…now now not.
Longtime Raiders fan (and Portland Path Blazers star) Damian Lillard is exaggerating when he says the Raiders contain the worst defense in the NFL. Nonetheless he will not be always exaggerating by powerful.
Las Vegas came into Sunday’s game wearing the league’s 22nd-ranked defense by manner of yards allowed (378.2 per game). It ranked 24th in lag defense, 28th in scoring defense (28.9 factors per game) and 29th in sacks with 15.
Sooner than Sunday’s loss, head coach Jon Gruden acknowledged the Raiders wanted to purple meat up across the board after a lackluster Week 13 efficiency that saw the woeful Jets tally 28 factors and rack up 376 yards of entire offense.
“I deem want everyone wants to contain a sense of urgency in the NFL, otherwise you decide up your block knocked off,” he defined. “We bought to play better in all phases, we bought to coach better, we bought to be ready. There is different chips on the table.”
That did now now not happen even honest a shrimp.
The Colts spent powerful of Sunday’s contest transferring the ball at will. They rolled for 456 yards of entire offense and scored 44 factors. After allowing the Jets to gouge their defense for 206 rushing yards, the Raiders gave up 212 yards on the bottom at 6.8 yards per elevate in Week 14.
You would be now now not successful many games allowing nearly seven yards per pop on the bottom, and also you surely aren’t beating correct groups that manner.
It be now now not good one side of the defense, both. There are considerations at every degree.
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The entrance four cannot generate stress with any consistency. Maxx Crosby has regressed very a lot after a promising rookie year. Clelin Ferrell has had a tall game right here and there, nonetheless he hasn’t advance shut to residing up to his position because the No. 4 total resolve in 2019.
The Raiders spent tall in the offseason on the linebacker pickle, nonetheless to this level, there may maybe be been shrimp return on that investment. Reduce Kwiatkoski has been OK, nonetheless he’s been out and in of the lineup with injuries. Cory Littleton is making nearly $12 million per season nonetheless has struggled so badly that he hasn’t been on the enviornment for bigger than 60 p.c of the team’s snaps since the Raiders beat the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 9.
The Raiders contain spent main draft capital on the support stay, as smartly. Nonetheless young people like security Johnathan Abram and cornerback Damon Arnette contain had injure problems of their contain.
It be a defense that lacks a strength nonetheless has varying levels of weaknesses from support to entrance and ranks 24th in defensive DVOA (defense-adjusted tag over moderate) at Football Outsiders.
It be additionally now now not going to be an straightforward repair. There is now now not good one wretchedness to take care of. And admittedly, given the success (or lack thereof) Gruden and standard manager Mike Mayock contain had the exercise of early picks on defenders in recent times, self belief in their capacity to spark a temporary turnaround mustn’t be in particular high.
One thing no lower than appears walk: Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther had to head.
Whether it be the broken-document nature of the defensive lapses, the incapacity to place younger avid gamers or good the all-round sloppy play (all six penalties against the Colts came on defense), it had change into certain to anybody with eyes that Guenther wasn’t the man who would mildew this unit into even an moderate defense.
The Raiders perceived to stare that, too. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, he became once let lag after the game.
Making that circulate would, on a point, observe that the Raiders know 2020 will not be always their year and the defense will not be always ready. Cutting bait now affords Gruden a head launch on assorted groups that will seemingly be making instructing adjustments after the season ends.
Nonetheless so prolonged because the Las Vegas defense continues to pitch and lurch its manner across the enviornment, the Raiders aren’t going to be any plot of official contender in the AFC. Contenders don’t enable 298 yards of first-half offense and extra than one ratings of 40-plus yards. They surely don’t roll over defensively just like the Raiders did closing week in Modern York.
All this will not be always to tell the Raiders aren’t headed in the supreme course. With games left against the Chargers and Broncos (groups with quite so a lot of their contain considerations), they contain a correct probability at their first successful season since 2016 and good their second such advertising and marketing and marketing campaign since 2002.
Nonetheless the Raiders aren’t ready to hang with their opponents in Kansas City yet. Or with Pittsburgh. Or with Buffalo.
In Week 14, it became once made abundantly certain that these Raiders aren’t even ready to hang with the Colts.
No longer with a defense so offensive.
