The Oakland Raiders are Learning New Ways to Win

Late game heroics notwithstanding, the Raiders offense was unable to sustain drives on Sunday.  Seven of their 14 possessions were three-and-outs, yet the team only trailed for 1:24 of game time, in large part due to their ability to dominate the field position battle. In the first half, the Oakland special teams did most the heavy lifting. Four of Marquette King‘s five first half punts forced Baltimore to start drives inside their own 20 yard line, and two pinned them inside their own 10. One sequence in particular encapsulated the Raiders special teams success: after King landed a punt at the Baltimore five, the Raiders forced a three and out. Rookie Jalen Richard, who has been a revalation thus far, returned the ensuing punt 47 yards to the Ravens six, and Derek Carr hit Seth Roberts for a touchdown on the very next play.

The only special teams lapse in the first half came in kick coverage, when Devin Hester was allowed to break free for a 60 yard return that lead to a Ravens field goal. Other than the one hiccup — at the expense of the greatest return man in history, no less — the unit couldn’t have been better.

The Raider defense also did its part to pick up the slack on a day when the offense struggled. In terms of raw statistics, Week 4 was another disappointment. They allowed 412 yards, 25 first downs, and 5.0 yards per carry — numbers that, on the surface, do not indicate improvement. But the unit did succeed in certain areas, particularly in defending the pass. Back-end communication errors have been reduced, and, for the first time this season, the Raiders were able to generate a consistent pass rush.

Khalil Mack recorded three hits on Joe Flacco, including his first sack of the year. Bruce Irvin set up a Raiders scoring drive with a strip sack of Flacco deep in Ravens territory. Pressure and solid coverage forced Flacco to miss a lot of throws, and he was never able to find a rhythm. On the day, he averaged just 5.7 yards per attempt, a number aided by a YAC-heavy 52 yard touchdown from Steve Smith. While there is still room for growth, Sunday’s version of the Oakland defense more closely resembled people’s preseason expectations than the version we saw in weeks one and two.

Despite Week 4’s poor showing, the Raiders offense is still among the best in the league. The team will be able to rely heavily on Carr and company moving forward, but in the meantime, it is encouraging to see that the Raiders are capable of winning games on the strength of its other units.