The Raiders offense came alive last week, breaking out with several long plays in a 45-42 overtime victory over the Cleveland Browns. It was Oakland's first win of 2018.
But to get Win No. 2 this Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Raiders defense will have to get much stingier. This season, the Raiders defense consistently has given up big plays. While the defense may look solid for a series, a quarter or a half, it suddenly yields a long pass play or run to allow a touchdown or keep a drive alive.
Against the Browns, the Raiders gave up seven plays of more than 20 yards, with four of those going for more than 40 (gains of 41, 49, 59 and 63).
According to Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Raiders have given up 23 plays of 20 or more yards (tied for second most in the NFL) and have allowed an NFL-worst six touchdowns of 20 or more yards.
It’s a big change from just a few years ago, when future Hall of Fame safety Charles Woodson was wearing silver and black. As Josh Dubow of the Associated Press wrote this week, with Woodson on the field from 2013 through 2015, the Raiders allowed 15 plays of 50 or more yards in 48 games. In the three years since, the Raiders have allowed an NFL-worst 24 plays of 50-plus yards in 36 games.
Now the Raiders have to contain an explosive Chargers offense with veteran quarterback Philip Rivers, running back Melvin Gordon and playmaking receivers such as Keenan Allen, Antonio Gates and Tyrell Williams. The Chargers, in fact, lead the league in big plays from scrimmage, with 25 plays for 20 or more yards.
Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said that working this week in practice to eliminate mistakes that allow big plays is his priority. He said it’s “absolutely the main focus.”
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“If we can have teams going 12-, 14-play drives, get them in the red zone, hold them to three, that’s what we have to do,” he told Gehlken. “We can’t give up 60 yards on the grass where we can’t catch a player. It’s a matter of angles, a matter of speed to the ball to get the guy on the ground.”
The Raiders defense doesn’t have the speed across all positions, making it vulnerable to big gains. So, said Guenther, “the margin of error is razor thin for us.”
NFL oddsmakers have made the Chargers 5½-point favorites. The Raiders-Chargers game Sunday at the Home Depot Center in Carson is scheduled for a 1:05 p.m. kickoff.
