Oakland Raiders now ready for the tough part of schedule

Oct 4, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Oakland Raiders free safety Charles Woodson (24) is tackled by Chicago Bears tight end Martellus Bennett (83) after an interception during the second half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

How to fix the little things

The Raiders don’t need to play a whole lot of zone defense anymore because they’re not good at it. Opposing teams have regularly taken advantage of the Raiders’ zone up the seams with the tight end. Speaking of the tight end, inside linebacker Curtis Lofton should never be left in coverage with him.

The best way to avoid that is to flip Lofton with Smith, the only Raiders linebacker with a pass defended on a tight end. Mack covers tight end pretty well himself but Woodson should be on tight ends at least 90 percent of the time. Keith McGill seems to have fallen out of favor at corner so if the Raiders don’t trust Larry Asante at free safety, McGill played the position in college.

That way, Carrie can move back to corner, where the Raiders need him to pair with Amerson. Then they could look at 2013 1st-round pick D.J. Hayden covering the slot because things aren’t working as they are. The biggest thing the Raiders need to do is play more bump-and-run coverage because the bail technique isn’t working.

All that’s doing is giving opposing quarterbacks somewhere to throw the ball quick and short when the rush gets there.

Next: Final thoughts