Oakland Raiders Need More from Their Defense

The Oakland Raiders (4-1) sit atop the AFC West ahead of the Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos (4-1). The Raiders’ division record gives them the top spot but they will not hold it for long if they can’t get better production from their defense.

In four out of its five games, Oakland’s defense has allowed 28-plus points. As well, the Raiders gave up 431 yards to the San Diego Chargers and now sit dead last in the league, giving up an average of 452.6 yards per game.

The defense is a talented unit that has shown that it can make huge stops. However, one glaring issue is its inability to stop opposing team’s offenses on a consistent basis.

For instance, the defense might dominate on one series, giving up minimal yards. But on the very next, it might give up several explosive plays that result in quick points for the opponent.

“The biggest thing in this league is being consistent,” Raiders linebacker Bruce Irvin said to reporters. “We can’t have… we’re good a couple plays but then we’re back to giving up explosive plays. Unless we fix that — and that’s everybody including myself — we’re going to continue to be an inconsistent defense with a lot of talent. Once again, I’m happy about the win… our guys played our butts off. But we are far, far from where we need to be.”

The Raiders have proven that they are the real thing offensively and QB Derek Carr has shown that he can lead this team to victory when the chips are down.

For the most part, however, it takes offense, special teams and defense for a team to secure a playoff spot late in the season. If the Raiders want to take the next step, that latter unit will need to give more than it has.