It was important for the Las Vegas Raiders to escape with a road win against the New York Jets in Week 8. Their season was hanging in the balance, and they didn't give up in the contest, as they came roaring back in the second half to pull off the comeback and even their win-loss totals for the year.
But let's not act like Sunday was all sunshine and rainbows. Klint Kubiak and his team overcame plenty of self-inflicted adversity, particularly on defense. And while the pass rush wasn't great yet again, or even good, the secondary was a letdown on Sunday. Eric Stokes was the main culprit.
Believe it or not, Geno Smith actually picked on Stokes, who is the Raiders' No. 1 cornerback. Even after Darien Porter left following the first play of the game, Stokes was who New York targeted when it needed a completion. This may not make it better, but Stokes was not the only one who struggled.
Raiders CB Eric Stokes had a tough day at the office vs. Jets
Typically, fans only notice a cornerback when he makes mistakes. And for that reason, an inaccurate picture is often painted of the position because they get no credit when they go unnoticed, which means that they have done their job. And Stokes has been pretty unnoticeable so far this season.
Against the Jets, though, he was a mainstay on Raider Nation's television screens, as Smith and the Jets continued to throw his way and have success, particularly in the first half. A lot went into this, but the results are the results, and there is no hiding from the numbers that Stokes produced.
While he contributed eight tackles, including one for a loss, and two pass breakups in the contest, Stokes was pretty much a liability for the Las Vegas defense. For the first time in his tenure with the Silver and Black, he looked unplayable and like someone whom Rob Leonard could justify benching.
All told, Stokes was targeted a whopping 11 times (over one-third of Smith's passing attempts) and gave up seven completions for 81 yards and a touchdown. Smith had a 116.1 passer rating when targeting him, and if not for a few bad throws, things would have looked even worse for Stokes.
Last week, Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson was seen shouting at Smith on the sidelines, potentially because he wasn't getting targeted enough, so it seemed like there was a concerted effort to get him going early on. And that's who Stokes was guarding, so that's why several targets went his way.
When it became clear that Stokes didn't have his best stuff on Sunday, though, Smith kept going to the well. And Adonai Mitchell became the main target, as his speed and precise route-running were too much for Stokes to keep up with. He caught five passes for 73 yards and a score vs. Stokes.
He also had a big drop that bailed Stokes out. And to be honest, both of the pass breakups that Stokes had against Wilson were unimpressive, as he never turned his head to locate the ball on either. Smith underthrew Wilson on both of them, and Stokes batted the ball away with the back of his head.
That's not tremendous defense by any means, even if he was in a good enough position. And this was a bit uncharacteristic for Stokes, who has been solid for a year and a half now. But again, he was far from the only person who struggled on the Raiders' defense in coverage.
Las Vegas' secondary did not show up against New York
Instead of inserting Zeke Masses into the lineup when Porter went down with an injury less than a minute into the game, the Raiders opted for Jermod McCoy, who hadn't yet played an important rep this season. And once the Jets got done testing Stokes, they tested McCoy.
In just 22 coverage snaps, McCoy gave up two catches for 40 yards and a touchdown on three targets. He got beat near the sideline on a route by Mitchell, and on the next play, Isaiah Williams got behind him for an 18-yard touchdown. McCoy also held him, but the penalty was declined.
Not long after that, Masses started getting reps.
The Jets also targeted the Raiders' safeties on deep routes, knowing that Leonard would leave his guys back there to cover speedsters, which isn't their strong suit. Stukes gave up a 47-yard catch to Mitchell and another nine-yard catch.
Chinn allowed two catches for 22 yards as well.
Nobody was free of blame in the Las Vegas secondary on Sunday, despite the team's winning effort. While Stokes was the main offender, McCoy also got picked on at times, and the Raiders' safeties made mistakes in coverage as well. This unit needs to be a lot better going forward.
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