Las Vegas Raiders

What's Wrong With the Oakland Raiders' Defense?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Sep 18, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack (52) stands on the field before the start of the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

A team projected to make the playoffs has looked anything but thus far, thanks in large part to the poor play of their defense.

No team in the NFL received more hype this past offseason than the Oakland Raiders.

A talented young roster coupled with productive organizational moves resulted in many penciling the Raiders in not only as playoff participants, but as AFC West champions.

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Through the opening two weeks, though, the Silver and Black bear a greater resemblance to the lowly team that hasn’t posted a winning season since 2002 rather than a real contender.

When searching for reasons as to why Oakland has struggled, look no further than the historically horrendous play of their defense.

And it has been truly horrendous.

The unit has been so bad, in fact, that they actually broke a record that has stood for 65 years. Over the course of their first couple of games, the Raiders’ defense has allowed a whopping 1,035 yards, supplanting the former mark held by the 1951 Yanks.

Following Oakland’s 35-28 loss on Sunday, head coach Jack Del Rio offered little in the way of answers for the defensive ineptitude.

“Simply demand it. Find out the why. Make sure that we’re teaching. I think all good staffs pride themselves on being good teachers. It’s not a lack of effort,” Del Rio said. “Guys are giving great effort. They’re trying really hard, but we need to get to the bottom of why are the eyes aren’t where they need to be so that we can just play together.”

The main problem for the Raiders at the moment lies within their overall execution. All three levels of the defense clearly aren’t clicking, and the majority of their star players have failed to live up to expectations.

A front seven that includes the likes of Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin has had trouble creating any sort of pressure. A mere two sacks, with neither coming from Mack, in as many contests isn’t going to cut it.

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The Raiders’ revamped secondary has been equally as ineffective, as the Saints’ Drew Brees and Falcons’ Matt Ryan both enjoyed notable outings versus Oakland, combining for 819 passing yards and seven touchdowns.

Without a pass rush or ability to cover downfield, the lowliest of teams could really push Del Rio’s squad.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Raiders’ currently field one of the worst defenses in the league. The highest graded starter is cornerback David Amerson, who is only considered to be playing above average by the analytics-based site.

Things are obviously looking bleak in Oaktown, as finding a solution to their defensive woes will be no easy task.

Del Rio and defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. need to go back to the drawing board and continue working out their difficulties.

There’s too much talent on the Raiders’ defense for it to be a personnel issue, so it seems as though there’s a disconnect in the implementation of the team’s game plan.

Nevertheless, Del Rio experienced these same sort of problems with the Broncos and it eventually led to his dismissal.

If he doesn’t get it together this season, a similar fate might again be in store for him.

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