Oakland Raiders' Strengths Become Weaknesses in Loss to Detroit Lions

As the Oakland Raiders developed hope for the future, two things became apparent staples in most games until recently: The run defense would hold ball-carriers under 100 rushing yards, and the passing offense would put up points in bunches.

Those strengths, along with the Raiders' playoff hopes, took a critical hit during Sunday's 18-13 loss to the Detroit Lions.

Oakland has allowed an average of 189 rushing yards per game in the last three contests and failed to stop the worst rushing attack in the league on Sunday. The Lions maintained possession for the final seven-and-a-half minutes of the game thanks to their trio of running backs.

The Raiders’ high-powered offense has scored 27 combined points in two games and failed to score in four consecutive quarters from the second half of the previous outing into the first half of Sunday’s game.

Oakland’s defense cannot sustain success on any level without the offense either scoring points or at least controlling possession with the ground attack. In order to regain a competitive edge, the Raiders must add extra wrinkles to the offensive game plan to help out a now-healthy defense.

Commitment to Excellence

The news concerning edge-rusher Aldon Smith’s suspension dropped expectations on the pass rush, but the Raiders maintained a high level of intense pressure in the pocket.

The best aspect of the Raiders' relentless pass rush focuses on two young talents who recorded sacks. Defensive lineman Benson Mayowa and linebacker Ben Heeney each logged a takedown on Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford.

It’s encouraging to see a rookie and a modest free-agent pickup flourish when given the opportunity to play.

As a rookie, Heeney became a fan favorite in the preseason for his motor and ability to cover the run sideline to sideline. He also showed some pass-rushing ability, which flashed when he recorded his first official sack.

Heading into the season, Mayowa’s role remained undefined, and an injury delayed the process of integrating him into the defense.

He could etch his position as an every-down defensive end or a situational pass-rusher going forward.

Silver Lining

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Oakland now stands 0-5 when running back Latavius Murray fails to reach 50 rushing yards. He accumulated 28 yards on 13 carries against the Lions' 28th-ranked rush defense.

Many question why the passing offense hasn’t been as aggressive with deep throws in the previous two outings.

It’s plausible to think the Raiders played scared and didn’t want to risk turnovers. It’s actually a schematic issue. An ineffective ground attack allows both safeties to play deep in coverage, which clouds the passing lanes—especially in a zone design.

Beck Diefenbach/Associated Press

In a postgame press conference, quarterback Derek Carr briefly mentioned his struggles with dissecting the Minnesota Vikings' two-high-safety pass defense. The Lions likely duplicated the scheme to neutralize the Raiders’ deep passing attack.

Coaches watch hours and hours of film to see what works against an opponent. Carr probably hasn’t completely figured out where to accurately target his throws when facing two high safeties in a zone scheme.

Without a threat on the ground, the defense sat back in coverage. Of course, the drops from receivers made the defensive backs’ jobs fairly easy.

There’s a remedy for congested passing lanes, which involves fully committing to the run or attacking the middle of the field.

The Raiders have talented playmakers capable of adding wrinkles to the offense, but the team refuses to utilize these unique talents with consistency.

On Sunday, rookie tight end Clive Walford caught two passes in the second quarter and faded into the background. He’s an essential piece in exploiting zone coverage as a big target (6'4", 250 lbs) over the middle.

Marcel Reece didn’t catch any passes against the Lions but could’ve posed a threat to the linebackers in the flat.

Finally, Oakland must force a safety to step into the box to play the run. The score remained relatively close, but the Raiders opted to shy away from the ground attack, which negated Murray and Jamize Olawale as weapons in the backfield.

When the Raiders limit their offensive attack to a pass-heavy approach, the opposing team can anticipate throws and routes with only two prominent receivers (Michael Crabtree, Amari Cooper) on the field.

This makes the play-calling seem somewhat predictable.

Black Cloud

Now, we’ll finally see how much this team has changed from years past. Is this the team that folds when adversity strikes? Can it pick itself up, regroup and play a better football game?

CSNBayArea.com's Scott Bair and Fallon Smith captured the scene in the locker room, and it didn’t paint a pretty picture:

The emotions have been flushed out, and now it’s time to correct the mental errors through practice and film study.

Offensive tackle Donald Penn owned responsibility for his holding penalty in the end zone.

"It’s crazy that you play a whole game and there are two plays you wish you could have back,” Penn said, per Bair. "I feel like I let my team down with that safety at the end of the game. I take full responsibility for it. My team has my back. I have theirs. We’re going to be all right.”

When addressing the local media, Carr took the blame for poor clock management and head coach Jack Del Rio attributed poor awareness to the delay-of-game penalties, via Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle:

We all saw Cooper pound the turf in frustration after dropping a pass on a potential third-down conversion.

Now what?

As a young team, it’s time to clean up those miscues and use them as a learning tool going forward.

A few weeks ago, playoff talk surrounded the Raiders' progression. Now, amid a three-game skid on a rocky road to resurgence, the first step to relevance focuses on this team’s resiliency.

The Raiders are experiencing growing pains as an improved team, but how will they respond to them?

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All statistics are provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com, Pro Football Focus and Team Rankings unless otherwise noted.