Isaac Brecken / Associated Press
Not long before it appeared that the Las Vegas Riders might have turned a page. In its first season at Sin City the team really seemed to be in for something.
The Raiders stunned Kansas City leaders in the 5th week. After attacking Denver Francois in the 10th week, they were 6-3 and the thickness of the playoff hunt.
Since beating the Broncos, the Raiders have dropped three-quarters — most recently, losing 44-27 to the Indianapolis Golds. They went 6-3 to 7-6 outside the humming and playoffs. And isn’t that for some surprisingly poor defense by the New York Jets at the end of a week 13 match? Four games lost.
Simply put, the riders have been exposed In the last month. They may not be a bad team, but they are not particularly good. They are certainly not enough to knock out the bosses at AFC, the buffalo bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Until Vegas does something about a defense that has been utterly embarrassing in recent weeks, it will be an owner’s paper robbery and a challenge to AFC West Kansas City’s throne.
Isaac Brecken / Associated Press
Again, the Raiders are not a bad team.
Dangerously, they are very good.
Quarterback Derek Car topped the 300 passing yards for the fourth time on Sunday and scored 104.1 points in its 14th week. Running Josh Jacobs back into the ground is within the second distance of the 1,000-yard season in a row.
Wide receiver Nelson Agolar averaged 16.7 yards per catch and hit the season’s seventh touchdown on Sunday. Darren Waller only chases first-rounders Travis Kells at the tight end in most offensive divisions.
Add in a few complement players like Rookie White receiver Henry Rux III, a crime that entered the 14th week puts you 15th in yards per game and 11th in points per game. Admittedly this is not Patrick Mahomes and Chiefs, but it’s still good.
Then there is security, it is not.
Longtime Riders fan (and Portland Trail Blazers star) Damien Lillard exaggerates when he says the Riders have the worst protection NFL. But he did not exaggerate greatly.
Las Vegas’ 22nd-ranked defense in the league for Sunday’s game came in on a per-yard basis (378.2 per game). It ranked 24th in pass defense, 28th in defense scores (28.9 points per game) and 29th in sacks with 15.
Prior to Sunday’s loss, head coach John Croton said the Raiders needed to progress on board after a tumultuous 13th week of performance, which saw the worst Jets score 28 points and lift 376 yards of total offense.
“I think everyone in the NFL should have a sense of urgency, or your block is knocked out,” he explained. “We had to play better at all stages. We were better coached. We had to be ready. There are a lot of chips on the table.”
It didn’t even happen for a bit.
The Golds moved the ball at will for most of Sunday’s game. They rolled for 456 yards of total offense and scored 44 points. After allowing the jets to defend 206 fast yards, the Raiders left 212 yards on the ground at 6.8 yards per car in the 14th week.
You haven’t won many games that allow seven yards for a pop on the ground, and of course you haven’t knocked down good teams.
This is not just an aspect of security. There are problems at every level.
Jeff Pottery / Associated Press
The front four cannot create pressure with any consistency. Max Crosby has suffered a significant setback after a promising rookie year. Cleo Ferrell had a great game here and there, but he did not come close to gaining his status as the 4th overall in 2019.
Riders spent a large amount of time in the line baker position in the office, but to date, there has not been much return on that investment. Nick Kuvyatkovsky was fine, but he was out of line with injuries. Corey Littleton earns nearly $ 12 million a season, but has struggled so badly that he has not been on the field for more than 60 percent of the team since the Raiders dropped the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 9.
The Raiders have spent significant draft capital on the back end as well. But youngsters like Safety Jonathan Abram and Cornerback Damon Arnett have been injured on their own.
It is a defense that lacks strength, but has a variety of weaknesses from back to front and ranks 24th in defensive DVOA (safety-adjusted value above average) among football outsiders.
This is not going to be an easy solution. Not a single issue to address. Apparently, given the success (or lack thereof) Cruden and general manager Mike Myok have used early selections on defenders in recent years, and confidence in the ability to trigger a quick turn should not be particularly high.
One thing seems at least certain: defensive coordinator Paul Gunther had to go.
Whether it was the broken-record nature of defensive defeats, the inability to produce younger players or the muddy mess everywhere (all six penalties against the Golds came to the defense), it was clear to anyone with eyes that there was no thug. This unit is the guy who designs even for an average security.
The Raiders appeared to see that as well. To NFL Network’s Ian Roboport, he was released after the game.
Making that move would, to some extent, mean that the Raiders know 2020 is not their year and the defense is not ready. Cutting the bait now gives Crouton a start on the other teams, which will make training changes at the end of the season.
But as long as the Las Vegas defense continues to roam the field, the Raiders are not going to be any legitimate competitor in the AFC. Competitors will not allow multiple scores of 298 yards and more than 40 yards of first half offense. They certainly didn’t roll as defensively as the Raiders did in New York last week.
That’s not to say the riders aren’t going in the right direction. With games remaining against the Chargers and Franோois (teams with their own issues), they have a good chance of their first win since 2016, and the second such campaign since 2002.
But the Raiders are not yet ready to hang out with their rivals in Kansas City. Or with Pittsburgh. Or with buffalo.
By the 14th week, it was abundantly clear that these Raiders were not even ready to hang out with the Golds.
Not with a defensive.