The Las Vegas Raiders’ pass defense as a whole has been rancid all year long, and Saturday’s display against the Miami Dolphins was the worst of the bunch.
The struggles continue for the Raiders defense, whether it’s Paul Guenther or Rod Marinelli, nothing’s working. Either the players aren’t trying or they aren’t in the correct positions on the field. It also doesn’t help that fundamentals such as tackling are lacking as well. After parting ways with Paul Guenther, there was some hope Marinelli could inspire the defense. Alas, there’s something wrong at the core of all this. It might be the roster that’s been assembled or the coaching staff simply needs to be replaced.
As far as Saturday’s debacle versus the Dolphins, it served to exacerbate the problem, giving up big plays has become the Raiders’ mantra.
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What happened to the Raiders pass defense?
Overall, the Dolphins passing game did just enough to get the win on Saturday. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa completed 17 of 22 pass attempts, throwing for one touchdown. Journeyman signal-caller Ryan Fitzpatrick came in late in the game and revived a stagnant offense. Speaking of giving up big plays, in true Raiders fashion, the defense gave up a 34-yard pass with just 19 seconds left on the clock.
Settling for field goals really came back to haunt Gruden in this one. To make matters worse, outspoken defensive end Arden Key committed a senseless roughing the passer penalty that sealed the game. During the course of that play, cornerbacks Damon Arnette and Isaiah Johnson were out of place. This in turn allowed Mack Hollins to go unchallenged.
Another big play that the pass defense gave up was one that went to Myles Gaskin that turned into a 59-yard touchdown pass from Fitzpatrick. Saturday’s display continued to show that the Raiders pass defense has a long way to go before it can be deemed serviceable. Raider Nation can only hope the next defensive coordinator can place these youngsters in better positions to succeed.
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*Top Photo: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
