Atlanta Falcons

Three and Out: Oakland Raiders vs. Atlanta Falcons

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:44 p.m. ET

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Three and Out is a weekly series that will examine three areas where the Oakland Raiders played well, and three areas where they didn’t.

Welp. After a comeback victory in Week 1 over the New Orleans Saints, the Raiders failed to recapture the comeback mojo against the Falcons, and fell 35-28 in the home opener.

It was a heartbreaking loss for many reasons, and there are of course several areas where the team needs to improve ASAP. But even in a loss, there are also several areas where the team played well.

Let’s start with the positives. Here are three areas Raiders fans should feel good about following Week 2.

Sep 18, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) prepares to throw a pass against the Atlanta Falcons in the first quarter at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

1. Derek Carr

For the second week in a row, Carr gets a nod in this spot. Completing 34 of 45 passes for 299 yards and three TDs will do that. Oh, and he also had zero turnovers for the second consecutive game.

Carr ditched the stigma of the “sophomore slump” in 2015, and the third-year quarterback seems primed for an even bigger season in 2016. It’s early, but Carr is already showing some notable improvements from either of his first two NFL seasons, such as his ability to maneuver in the pocket.

The only issue is some conservatism with check-downs, but much of that looks to be by nature of the offense. Regardless, it’s time to unleash Carr — for an entire game, and just not when the team is trailing.

2. Running Back by Committee

Are the Raiders officially a running back by committee? After accounting for around 80 percent of Oakland’s rushing yards in 2015, it looks like times are changing in the backfield.

Latavius Murray had eight carries, DeAndre Washington had seven, and Jalen Richard was given six. The trio’s 21 carries went for 120 yards — good for a 5.7 yards-per-carry average. A very good mark.

A 29-yard gain by Richard was negated by a penalty, and “if’s” obviously don’t mean anything, but the Raiders trio were one penalty away from 22 carries for 149 yards — a 6.7 YPC. With or without that extra carry, it was great to see all three backs getting some run, as all three are talented and capable of making an impact.

Lastly, the extra level of competition as well as the luxury of staying fresh might be paying dividends for Murray. He’s been quite impressive through two weeks, so this RBBC seems to be a good thing all the way around.

3. David Amerson

Given the performance of the defense as a whole, it’s hard to even include one player on that side of the ball in the positives segment, but Amerson handled his business.

Amerson’s primary responsibility was covering Mohamed Sanu, and he did so with great success. Sanu was limited to three catches for 19 yards on the day.

On the day, Amerson recorded three pass deflections, and he also is responsible for the defensive highlight of the game — an interception in the endzone on a pass intended for Jacob Tamme.

Not only was Amerson impressive in his coverage duties, but he also was second on the team in tackles, with eight.

In a column during leading up to the game, I suggested that Amerson cover Julio Jones. Considering what has happened to Sean Smith two weeks in a row now, maybe Amerson should get the first crack at the next top wide receiver the Raiders face.

Sep 18, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) runs with the ball after making a catch against the Oakland Raiders in the fourth quarter at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The Falcons defeated the Raiders 35-28. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

1. The Secondary

Save for David Amerson, who has already been highlighted for his positive performance, it was another terrible day for Oakland’s secondary.

Matt Ryan tallied 396 yards through the air, completing 26 of 34 attempts. He threw three touchdowns with one interception — good for a QB Rating of 131.5.

Three different Atlanta pass catchers topped 75 yards receiving, with Julio leading the way at five catches for 105 yards and a touchdown.

For the second week in a row, Sean Smith had a rough outing. To his defense, facing Brandin Cooks and Julio Jones in back-to-back weeks is no easy task. But on the other hand, as a no. 1 cornerback, he is paid to cover these guys to at least some success, and that hasn’t happened thus far.

But it’s not just Smith who is the problem. Reggie Nelson’s tackles look good in the box score, but he hasn’t looked like the ball hawk he was in 2015. Keith McGill looked slow, lost, and simply just bad. D.J. Hayden is still D.J. Hayden and there really just isn’t much to be optimistic about here.

Let’s hope Karl Joseph can be the savior of the secondary.

2. Ben Heeney

The Ben Heeney “era” might be coming to a close in Oakland.

Prior to Week 1, Heeney lost his green dot — a sticker given to the defensive player who receives the play calls in their helmet. In Week 2, Heeney was benched late in the game in favor of sixth-round rookie Cory James.

Both of those were warranted. Heeney has always just been an athlete, and not much else. He still struggles to take on and shed blocks, fill gaps, tackle in general, and for as athletic as Heeney is, he sure is bad in coverage.

On consecutive plays late in the game, Heeney was absolutely torched for long passes downfield. Heeney’s primary coverage responsibility is to cover tight ends. To be fair, Malcolm Smith is in the same boat here, but here is the stat line for Atlanta’s TEs — 10 catches, 180 yards and one touchdown.

The formidable trio of Austin Hooper, Jacob Tammer and Levine Toilolo did that.

3. No Pass Rush

Through two games, Oakland’s supposedly vaunted defense has logged exactly one sack. And that happened in the loss to Atlanta, courtesy of Stacy McGee.

The switch to 3-4 is off to a rough start, and it’s hard to see things getting any better, at least with the current defensive personnel. Perhaps when Mario Edwards Jr. and Aldon Smith return, it could be more effective, but not right now.

Now, Oakland isn’t running only a 3-4, as they use a variety of looks. But it seems to be the preference at the moment. The key thing to get this defense going would be to get their best player going — Khalil Mack. With only three down-linemen, he’s getting smothered with double teams, sometimes with the additional help of a tight end or a running back.

Getting an extra lineman out there, such as Denico Autry or Darius Latham, will help keep Mack a little bit cleaner. Anything that can be done to give him the opportunity to get after the quarterback needs to be done, and this is the first step.