The Las Vegas Raiders' defense has been on a downward spiral in its last few contests. Since Week 3, the defense has given up 30 or more points in each game, averaging 35.8 points allowed per matchup. This is a major reason for the four-game skid that the team is currently experiencing.
When the Raiders hired Rob Leonard, they expected growing pains, as the former defensive line coach would be calling the defense for the first time. His tenure started with a bang, but the excitement has diminished now that the defense's tape is out and adjustments haven't been made.
A huge area that has slowed down in the past couple of weeks is the run defense. Las Vegas started the campaign 7th in EPA against the run over the first three weeks. From Weeks 3 to 7, however, they have ranked 31st in that category. Their issues against 13 personnel are at the core of this problem.
Las Vegas Raiders' run defense has to fix their issues fast
The run defense's underwhelming play has allowed opposing teams to keep the offense off the field, which hurts the Raiders' offense as a result. Teams have even found weaknesses in personnel packages, such as having three tight ends on the field, referred to as 13 personnel.
Over the last two weeks, the Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Rams have exploited this weakness. The Rams specifically dominated the Raiders in 13 personnel. Sean McVay’s running game rushed for 23 carries and 111 yards running out of this grouping in Week 7.
Las Vegas attempted to address this issue by running more base personnel. According to Sumer Sports, the Raiders were in base personnel on 64 percent of their snaps. However, the Rams ran for 123 yards when the Raiders were in base, which means it didn't make a difference.
Another issue for the Raiders' defense is tackling. The Raiders are 24th in missed-tackle percentage over the last four weeks. Rob Leonard feels they have to address it to improve.
“Run game in particular? Yeah. I mean, everybody says fundamentals, technique, but you’ve got to fit things consistently. You can’t go one-for-one with the front. You’ve got to pin the hip on the edge with the DBs and be in position to make tackles. You have to funnel the ball correctly. But it's fundamentals, it’s fundamentals one-on-one.”
Hopefully, the Raiders find answers to these issues quickly. The New York Jets run 13 personnel at the 13th-highest rate in the NFL and could ramp it up even more because it's a weakness for Las Vegas. They are 27th in rushing EPA, though, so they don't have a strong running game.
They could get Breece Hall back from injury, which could cause problems for the Raiders. Even if he doesn’t strap up, the team needs to make adjustments and stop the run.
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