Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers: 5 things we learned

Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers: 5 things we learned

Raiders defense was a liability yet again

The Raiders defense has been tough to watch this season as they continue to give up big plays and struggle to generate a consistent pass rush. Before Sunday’s game where they registered two sacks, the Raiders had not sacked a quarterback since the Week 5 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. This was assisted by the Chargers starting a few backups on the offensive line and a rookie QB who is still working on his decision making in the pocket.

Aside from the pass rush, the defensive backs struggled to contain the Chargers weapons as wide receivers Mike Williams and Keenan Allen were running free through the secondary on nearly every drive. Both players are tough covers and the Raiders were down their two starting cornerbacks but the amount of blown coverages we see on a weekly basis is absurd.

The lack of aggression by the secondary was an issue as well as the defensive backs seemed to wait for runners in the field to make contact rather than initiating it. Never was this more evident than Erik Harris letting Williams bowl over him on a third and 16 conversion rather than trying to stop him short of the line to gain.

Perhaps that is due to coaching where they are trying to think too much rather than simply reacting to the play but either way that is something that needs to be addressed. The game came down to a defensive stop and to be frank the Raiders were fortunate to stop the Chargers on the final drive as LA shot themselves in the foot with poor clock management.

The Raider defense has been a liability all season and despite the stop on the last drive, they were a liability on Sunday as well. The coaching staff needs to call games knowing they can’t trust their defense and if that unit makes a play, it’s a bonus but it’s not to be expected as we have seen time and time again this season.