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Oakland Raiders’ secondary could benefit from early season opponents

By John Buhler

NASHVILLE, TN- SEPTEMBER 10: Safety Karl Joseph No. 42 of the Oakland Raiders deflects a pass intended for wide receiver Eric Decker No. 87 of the Tennessee Titans in the first half at Nissan Stadium on September 10, 2017 In Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) )
NASHVILLE, TN- SEPTEMBER 10: Safety Karl Joseph No. 42 of the Oakland Raiders deflects a pass intended for wide receiver Eric Decker No. 87 of the Tennessee Titans in the first half at Nissan Stadium on September 10, 2017 In Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) ) /
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After playing well against the Tennessee Titans in Week 1, the Oakland Raiders’ secondary may be the biggest beneficiary of the early season slate of games.

Perhaps the most pleasant surprise of the Oakland Raiders’ Week 1 victory over the Tennessee Titans was how well the Oakland secondary played. Though Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota had 256 passing yards, most of them were of the empty variety. Tennessee did not have a passing touchdown all game. Mariota’s 10-yard scamper was the only time the Titans found pay dirt in Week 1.

The Raiders definitely got great play out of front-seven players like Justin Ellis, Khalil Mack and Eddie Vanderdoes, but hats off to the guys playing in the back-end. According to Pro Football Focus, three Raiders defensive backs earned a grade for Week 1 of 80.0 or better. Those players were free safety Reggie Nelson (80.0), cornerback T.J. Carrie (80.6) and cornerback Sean Smith (86.3).

Strong safety Karl Joseph was inconsistent (66.1) and it wasn’t the best game for David Amerson (56.0). Do keep in mind that this was Amerson’s first game back after being in concussion protocol. He’ll likely be better in Week 2 versus the New York Jets.

You can purchase either the PFF Edge or PFF Elite packages at Pro Football Focus for all your Raiders and fantasy football needs.

This brings to mind something interesting about the Raiders’ schedule. Now that they have beaten the Titans in Nashville, Oakland doesn’t face what many would consider to be a top-10 quarterback until the middle of October. These first few weeks could be the time where the Raiders’ secondary and the defense overall gains confidence to be the best unit it can be.

Looking at the Raiders’ upcoming games, here are the quarterbacks they’ll face: Josh McCown, Kirk Cousins, Trevor Siemian, Joe Flacco and then Philip Rivers. McCown just doesn’t have the personnel to succeed in New York, as he is the quarterback placeholder for the Jets.

Cousins is good, but his team may not be now that former offensive coordinator Sean McVay is coaching the Los Angeles Rams. Siemian can win games for the Denver Broncos, but he’s not going to get significantly better than he is now. Flacco is a bottom-third quarterback in football. His Baltimore Ravens win with defense and everybody knows that.

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Even though Rivers is almost certainly a Pro Football Hall of Famer, the Los Angeles Chargers are inherently dysfunctional and all his weapons could be hurt by October 1. After that, the next three games for the Raiders are the Kansas City Chiefs, the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins.

Alex Smith was unbelievable against the New England Patriots in Week 1. He may just let it rip in what will likely be his last year with the Chiefs. However, he does have reputation as a dink-and-dunk quarterback.

Buffalo seems to have one foot out the door on Tyrod Taylor. He is a mobile, but inconsistent passer for the Bills. Then there’s Jay Cutler with the Dolphins. He has an elite arm, but we haven’t seen Miami play yet. Who knows how Cutler and Miami gel in 2017?

To bring it all back home, the Raiders’ secondary has a long time to get ready for the New England Patriots passing attack in Mexico City on November 19. Playing in what looks to be the weaker of the two conferences this year should be beneficial for the Raiders’ defense to get better as the season progresses.

Oakland still has a long way to go to be elite defensively. Not to say that the team will get there in 2017, but the schedule absolutely helps the secondary. It’s not like the Raiders have to go against the Atlanta Falcons, the Green Bay Packers, the New Orleans Saints, the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ passing attacks this year.

Next: Raiders: 5 players to watch vs. Jets

Not getting burnt like toast against a vaunted aerial attack early is huge for the Raiders. Shutting down Cousins on Sunday Night Football in Landover Week 3 won’t be easy, but it is doable. You have to like what you saw out of the secondary in Week 1 in Nashville. Here’s to the Raiders getting better in the back-end every week going forward.

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