Last week the Oakland Raiders faced off against the New Orleans Saints. Or at least, the offense did. While Derek Carr and the Raiders offense was putting on a clinic, the defense may have been better off staying at home. As far as Drew Brees and the Saints were concerned, the vaunted Raider defense was nowhere near the Super Dome.
Understanding the Oakland Raiders Defensive Struggle
Last week, Drew Brees had over 400 passing yards and four touchdowns and both Brandin Cooks and Willie Snead had over 100 yards receiving. After an opening drive that saw the Raiders force two incompletions before Bruce Irvin forced a fumble, the Raiders defense was dreadful.
Pass Rushers
After an off-season where Khalil Mack was crowned “the next big thing” by practically everyone, the All-Pro pass rusher failed to register a single sack. The Raiders defense received a ton of hype because they had so many capable pass rushers. Mack, Irvin, Mario Edwards, the suspended Aldon Smith, and rookies Shilique Calhoun and Jihad Ward were supposed to terrorize quarterbacks this season.
Instead of coming out in some kind of revolutionary front that saw the Raiders rotating rushers and alternating between a 4-3 and a 3-4, the Raiders remained in a 4-3 and rarely brought extra pressure.
Misused Secondary
The biggest disappointment for the Raiders this week was free agent acquisition, corner Sean Smith. Smith was given a huge contract this off-season, and smart money says Jack Del Rio and the Raiders didn’t expect Smith to be benched halfway through his first game.
It’s not all Smith’s fault, as the Raiders didn’t use the corner the way he should have been. While Smith is 6’3, he’s not remarkably fast. Smith is at his best in short spaces, when he can break up passes. He struggles when he has to cover receivers down the field. Against small, fast receivers like Cooks and Snead, Smith was in trouble, especially without a pass rush to throw off Drew Brees.
Safety Nate Allen was inactive, and Karl Joseph was stuck playing special teams. The Raiders had to ride with Keith McGill at safety, which worried many Raider fans. Oddly enough, Pro Football Focus actually rated Keith McGill’s performance as the best of any Raider on the defense.
Of the team’s five leading tacklers, four were members of the secondary. Reggie Nelson, David Amerson, D.J. Hayden, and McGill did most of the tackling for the Raiders, and that’s not a good thing. Linebackers and defensive linemen should’ve been the ones bringing down ball-carriers, not corners and safeties. If the Raiders are going to improve on defense, the front seven will have to take pressure off the secondary.
Much like an offensive line, secondaries take the time to gel, and with all the new players in Oakland’s secondary, there were bound to be growing pains. It certainly doesn’t help that the Raiders had to experience these growing pains against someone like Drew Brees.
The “Drew Brees” of It All
Frankly, no defense is going to play well against Drew Brees, especially not in New Orleans. Drew Brees is well on his way to shattering every NFL passing record, and that doesn’t happen if he struggles with normal defenses. Brees understands his offense and most defenses.
For a young unit which is playing in its first regular season action together, there are few tougher challenges than Drew Brees and the wild Saints offense. It could be argued that Brees and the Saints would have explosive performances against all but the most elite defenses. Perhaps in the coming weeks, the Raiders will find their identity on defense, and be able to take more chances.
Hot Takes
It was only week one. It’s important to remember that the season is long, and this is far from the last version of the Oakland Raiders defense that we’ll see. Khalil Mack will still end up with double digit sacks, players like Calhoun, Aldon Smith, and Mario Edwards will play a more pronounced role, and rookie Karl Joseph will find his space in the secondary. The Raiders defense won’t give up 500 yards a game every week, but there’s definitely still work to be done.
