Oakland Raiders vs. Atlanta Falcons Full Report Card Grades for Oakland
Last year, the Oakland Raiders allowed 889 yards and 66 points in their first two games. This year, the defense has surrendered 1,035 yards and 69 points with more talent on the defensive side of the ball.
After Sunday’s 35-28 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, head coach Jack Del Rio and defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. must find solutions to various holes within the defense. It’s one thing to coach a brand-new team and implement new schemes. However, it’s year two in Norton’s system, and covering tight ends remains an issue.
The Falcons tight ends logged 10 catches for 180 yards and a touchdown to go along with wideout Julio Jones’ 106-yard performance. Running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman added 139 rushing yards to the offensive onslaught in Oakland.
In the final series, Del Rio took over play-calling duties. During the postgame press conference, he chose not to answer a question about his or Norton’s defensive responsibilities going forward.
We’ll delve into specific units on defense and the offense with analysis and corresponding grades.
Quarterback
1 of 9
Due to a porous defense, many overlook Derek Carr’s development and production. He went 34-of-45 passing for 299 yards and three touchdowns. For the most part, he stood in the pocket with poise, threw with accuracy and used his legs to escape the pass rush.
For the nitpickers, it’s easy to criticize his late throw to tight end Clive Walford early in the game on third down, but his overall performance shows impressive growth.
With all those positives, offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave must extend the leash on his signal-caller and allow him to sling the ball downfield in the first halves of games.
Grade: A
Running Back
2 of 9
Here’s another position on the roster that’s improved, but it's overshadowed by the negative on the other side of the ball. Latavius Murray and DeAndre Washington combined for 103 yards on 14 attempts.
On Sunday, Murray ran with power and purpose—an approach that led him into the end zone on a one-yard carry behind two offensive linemen. He averaged a little more than seven yards per carry.
Washington and Jalen Richard switched roles, as the latter took the backseat against the Falcons. The fifth-round draft pick logged six carries for 46 yards, averaging nearly eight yards per touch as a ball-carrier.
According to Del Rio during the postgame press conference, everyone in the backfield platoon will have an opportunity to play week to week.
Grade: B+
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 9
Walford put together his most productive performance as a pro. For the first time in his career, he finished with six catches while accumulating 50 yards and a touchdown in one game. His statistical breakout didn’t come without one blemish—an early drop in the open field.
Amari Cooper led the team in receiving yards but failed to reach the end zone. Late in the game, he stepped out of bounds, caught the ball and dashed for a game-tying score. As Del Rio explained to local reporters, the Falcons didn’t illegally force him out. The refs made the correct call to negate the touchdown.
Cooper needs to work on his field awareness. Whether it’s sideline catches or knowing his whereabouts in the field of play, he needs to become mindful of his footing at all times.
Grade: B-
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Offensive Line
4 of 9
Carr endured few hits in the pocket, and the running backs ran through wide lanes throughout the contest. Kelechi Osemele continued to seamlessly fill in at left tackle due to Donald Penn’s injury. The decision to pay him the highest salary among guards, per Spotrac, doesn’t look questionable at this point. He’s lined up on the blindside in both games.
Menelik Watson missed Sunday’s game, and Austin Howard played up to par on the right side. Despite the shifts over the past two weeks, offensive line coach Mike Tice leads a cohesive unit. The Raiders continue to win in the trenches, which allows Carr to remain upright and the running backs to move downhill.
Grade: A-
Defensive Line
5 of 9
After Stacy McGee’s sack on the third play of the game, the pass rush disappeared. Del Rio placed more blame on the coverage, but Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan didn’t exactly run for his life throughout the game.
Someone should place Khalil Mack’s roster photo on the side of a milk carton because he’s been missing in action as a dominant pass-rusher in the first two games.
He spoke to local reporters and admitted to his mistakes in playing the bootlegs as opposed to cuts. Many people viewed Mack as a strong Defensive Player of the Year candidate, but so far he’s shown nothing close to becoming a front-runner for the award.
Grade: C-
Linebackers
6 of 9
Bruce Irvin flashed on occasion against the run, but the Falcons didn’t allow him to lay a hand on Ryan, and the defense as a whole failed to disrupt his rhythm.
Ben Heeney lost the green-dot responsibilities before the season opener, but he’s seems to have lost his swagger on the field with it. Ryan targeted him in pass defense and continuously succeeded in embarrassing fashion. The 2015 fifth-round pick looked lost when matched against the tight ends.
Malcolm Smith shared Heeney’s embarrassment as a pass defender against the tight ends. It’s a new year with the same coverage problem in the middle of the defense. It doesn’t matter who’s wearing the green dot, without Neiron Ball, the Raiders desperately need a cover linebacker.
Grade: D-
Secondary
7 of 9
The front office signed defensive backs Sean Smith and Reggie Nelson to rectify pass coverage lapses, but neither found success in blanketing Jones. The star receiver started slow through the first 18 minutes. Then, he broke away on a slant route for a 21-yard touchdown catch. Nelson provided help over the top, but Ryan squeezed accurate throws into tight windows.
David Amerson’s interception boosts this grade to a D-minus. His interception could’ve turned the game around in the third quarter, but the Raiders failed to capitalize on the turnover. Del Rio told reporters Amerson left the game with a concussion and lists as questionable for Week 3.
Grade: D-
Special Teams
8 of 9
Del Rio felt the team lost in two phases during Sunday’s game. He pinpointed the defense and special teams as the obvious problem areas that gave the game away. As usual, Marquette King boomed punts 60-plus yards downfield to pin the Falcons deep.
However, the special teams coverage allowed wideout Eric Weems to return a punt 73 yards downfield, which set up a field goal at the end of the first half. Taiwan Jones also bobbled a kick return. The corresponding drive started at the 2-yard line.
Grade: D
Coaching Staff
9 of 9
Musgrave’s offense performed well, but the unit can reach a much higher ceiling with more aggressive play-calling in the first 30 minutes.
Del Rio deserves credit for winning both challenges and gambling on a fourth down early in the final quarter. Instead of settling for a field goal, wideout Michael Crabtree put six points on the scoreboard.
Eventually, his luck ran out at the blackjack table. Later in the fourth quarter, the Raiders went for another conversion on 4th-and-2 on their 49-yard line. The Falcons stuffed Richard and proceeded to score six points on a short field.
Del Rio felt the need to compensate for the poor defense with more scoring opportunities, but the risk backfired in a critical moment.
Norton lost his play-calling duties in the final series, and Del Rio didn’t definitively say who’d call plays in the next game.
Grade: D+
All postgame comments provided by the Oakland Raiders' official website.
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