Blitz or no blitz, it’s the same result for the downtrodden Las Vegas Raiders defense—it’s hit and miss. It seems no matter what defensive coordinator Patrick Graham dials up, the proposition of execution of said play is 50/50.
Sometimes the play call and execution blend perfectly for a stop. That creates a much-needed reprieve for a unit labeled as the clear-cut weakness for the Silver and Black. But then there are times when miscommunication and lack of execution hit the defense hard.
The Raiders were the aggressors defensively against the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday night. And one play in particular stood out: the 3rd-and-7 play in the first quarter, where Las Vegas showed blitz and didn’t get home. Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett stood tall in the pocket, got the protection needed, and fired a dart to fleet-footed wide receiver Calvin Austin III, who beat both Vegas cornerback Marcus Peters and safety Marcus Epps.
Calvin Austin III ran a 4.32 40-yard dash at the 2022 NFL Combine. The Steelers haven’t had a deep threat like this since Mike Wallace. pic.twitter.com/K8c6O7xJss
— Billy Hartford (@BudDupreeFan) September 25, 2023
Raiders Defense: damned if they do, damned if they don’t.
What a hell of a conundrum for Graham and his Raiders defense, eh? And you wonder why former Raiders owner Al Davis loathed the blitz and preferred natural front-four pressure from the defensive line.
But that play, where the Raiders aggressively tried to attack and bring down the quarterback without being able to disrupt the signal-caller, is just one glaring miscue on what really ails the defense: Las Vegas is one of the two teams in the league to not have a single takeaway. The New York Giants are the other squad to have a big fat donut—an emphatic zero—in the takeaways column in defensive stats.
How pathetic is that?
It gets even lower considering all offseason, and the Raiders said over and over again that taking the ball away was a point of emphasis. Interceptions, forced fumbles, and strip sacks—with both eventually leading to fumble recoveries—were the big talk of Raiders defenders and coaches. None of that has happened yet.
The floodgates of takeaways in offseason joint practices and preseason games haven’t materialized when the games actually count and matter. Through three grueling games, the defense still seeks to actually take the ball away from the opposing offense. And the Raiders have no choice but to remain positive and look forward to generating those precious turnovers. What else can they do, really? They’re already pathetic, and being optimistic is better than the alternative, even if it sounds truly teary.
We can go in circles all we want, but at the end of the day, the defense stinks. Sometimes you just have to call a spade a spade—the analytics, the film, all of it—it points to that synopsis.
Just how bleak is it? The Raiders have zero takeaways with 3 games under their belt… pic.twitter.com/wlNcX0Ktb2
— RaiderRamble.com™ (@TheRaiderRamble) September 27, 2023
Is frustration setting in for the Raiders?
“It’s very frustrating,” said Raiders slot cornerback Nate Hobbs during his media session after this past Sunday’s loss. “But the football gods, they’re going to repay you. You keep going hard, you keep playing, and you keep trying to get that ball; they’re going to give it to you. So, we’ve just got to keep going.”
“Sometimes turnovers come in waves, and we’re just waiting for our wave,” Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels said, being captain positive. “I thought we had a number of opportunities (Sunday) and got our hands on some footballs. We’re just going to need to get some of them to turn our way.”
Las Vegas had its opportunities, though. Peters, who habitually made interceptions and Pick 6s routine throughout his career, couldn’t snare a walk-in pick for a score. Perhaps the complexion of that Sunday night debacle flips if that first takeaway occurs. And perhaps the turnovers will arrive at some point.
“Always trust the process,” Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham said during his mid-week press conference. “Find ways to practice forcing turnovers and find ways to measure them. Just practice the habits, make sure that we’re trying to attack the ball, and really just stick with the process and make the tweaks to see if we can get more opportunities. But just keep grinding away at it.”
Grinding… that’s interesting. Because that’s what Raider Nation’s collective teeth are doing when the defense is on the field.
*Top Photo: Getty Images