Oakland Raiders: Five Positives from loss to the Vikings

3 of 6

Jun 10, 2014; Alameda, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders cornerback T.J. Carrie (38) and assistant defensive backs coach Marcus Robertson at organized team activities at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

2. Young Cornerbacks

Tarell Brown got beat up on Friday night, and Carlos Rodgers didn’t fare much better. Both veteran cornerbacks struggled in coverage against Corrdarelle Patterson and Greg Jennings during the opening drive. Brown got pushed around by the bigger, faster Patterson, who on one running play drove Brown nearly completely out of the field of play. Matt Cassell completed five of his six pass attempts on the opening drive, including 3 for 13 yards or more. Safe to say, defensive coordinator Jason Tarver was not impressed when they pulled the struggle first unit off of the field.

But when the Raiders second unit of DB’s entered the game, things began to change.

Chimdi Chekwa and rookie TJ Carrie spent most of the night as the outside corners for the Raiders defense, with undrafted rookie Jansen Watson worked in as a slot corner and at some points, a safety. The three young defensive backs turned in outstanding performances in the game. Chekwa, Carrie and Watson all logged important pass defenses at key points in Viking drives, with Chekwa having another outstanding pass defense wiped away by a penalty on another player.

While these young corners did not match up often against starters Jennings and Patterson, they did match up well against talented veteran receivers like Jarius Wright and Jerome Simpson throughout the game. Vikings quarterbacks Teddy Bridgewater and Christian Ponder, combined, completed nine passes on 20 attempts for a total of 88 yards.