After eight games, there’s a lot to like about the Raiders, who are 4-4 and in the hunt for a wild-card playoff spot.
Still, there’s a lot to dislike, too, especially on defense. And especially the pass defense.
This past week, in a painful 38-35 loss to the Steelers in Pittsburgh, the Raiders gave up 402 passing yards and were helpless against elite wide receiver Antonio Brown, who had a franchise-record 284 receiving yards.
The Raiders rank dead last in the NFL in pass defense, giving up an average of 314.6 yards per game.
But when the Raiders host the 6-2 Vikings this Sunday afternoon at O.co Coliseum, they’ll have a deeper and more talented secondary than they had in Pittsburgh.
Nate Allen, the team’s starting safety who was lost in a Week 1 loss to the Bengals with an MCL tear, has returned to practice and is expected to play Sunday.
Versatile TJ Carrie, who also missed the game vs. Pittsburgh with shoulder and hip injuries, also is practicing again and expected to be in the lineup vs. the Vikings.
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Carrie, who started the season as perhaps the team’s best corner, shifted to take Allen’s spot at safety after Allen went down. Now Carrie can return to his cornerback spot or provide depth at safety.
“Nate was playing really well before he went down with the injury and we welcome him back,” head coach Jack Del Rio told the media this week. “He’s been working really hard on the side with trainers, with the strength coaches, joined practice for the last couple of weeks and he’s been moving along really well. He’s excited about joining this team.”
Carrie said this week he’s not certain where he’ll be playing – at cornerback, safety or both.
“I really don’t know the logistics of the game plan,” Carrie told Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group. “That’s something the coaches handle week to week, game to game. I’ll just go out there and compete to the best of my abilities and allow the coaches to make those types of decisions.”
However, Neiko Thorpe – pressed into service at cornerback in Carrie’s absence – says the return of Carrie and Allen will be a boost to the pass defense.
“It will have a great impact,” Thorpe told McDonald. “We started with those guys, now that we’ve got them back. Coming off a game like that (in Pittsburgh), it’s good to get a couple of guys back.”
