Deeply Flawed Raiders Still Don't Look Like Playoff Contenders

The Oakland Raiders went on the road in prime time Sunday night and beat a team with a winning record. That's an accomplishment, as all NFL away victories are.

But take a deep look at the Raiders' performance in a 27-24 win over the Miami Dolphins, and it becomes clear that Oakland still isn't close to a legitimate Super Bowl contender. 

A defense that entered the evening ranked 26th overall in yards allowed per game and 31st in DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average), per Football Outsiders, was carved up by the league's sixth-lowest-rated passer. Jay Cutler, who has to be reminded at least once a week that he is not retired, completed all but eight of 42 passes for 311 yards and three touchdowns in a turnover-free performance. 

It was one of the best games of the 34-year-old's career, and it came just two weeks after he cracked several of his ribs.

It all served as a reminder that the Raiders were overrated coming into the 2017 season and that they aren't going to contend in their current state. 

You don't get to brag about barely beating a Dolphins team fresh off a 40-0 loss to the mediocre Baltimore Ravens, one which had been held to six or fewer points on three occasions this season. That's especially true when you surrender 395 yards, 23 first downs and 24 points in the process. 

The Dolphins beat the Dolphins on Sunday night. They drew 107 yards' worth of penalties, many of which served to bail out an Oakland defense that can't defend the pass, is vulnerable against the run and doesn't generate takeaways or sacks.

All of those problems were on display at Hard Rock Stadium, where Cutler looked like a dramatically more conservative version of Dan Marino, Jay Ajayi replacements Kenyan Drake and Damien Williams combined for 83 rushing yards on 16 carries and Miami committed only one turnover while taking just a single sack. 

Was franchise quarterback Derek Carr good? Yes, and Raiders fans have reason to be encouraged about Carr's chemistry with new tight end Jared Cook, who caught eight of the nine passes he was targeted on in his second 100-plus-yard performance in the last three weeks. 

But a strong passing game aided by one of the league's finest offensive lines won't be enough to carry the Raiders. Carr's receivers are still dropping too many passes, the offense still lacks balance due to an inconsistent running game—Marshawn Lynch, Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington were good Sunday night, but they've all struggled far too often this season—and that lowly defense lacks teeth. 

The Raiders did recover a second-quarter Drake fumble Sunday night, but that was just their second takeaway in the last six weeks, and they now rank dead last in the NFL with an average of 0.67 turnovers forced per game. Cutler was sacked for a loss of a mere two yards on a 2nd-and-20 play in the fourth quarter, but that was just their 13th sack of the year, and they're now averaging an AFC-low 1.44 sacks per outing. 

Pretty remarkable for a team that employs Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin. 

Team	Games	Takeaways	Rate
Oakland Raiders	9	6	0.67
Atlanta Falcons	8	6	0.75
Cincinnati Bengals	8	6	0.75
Denver Broncos	8	7	0.88

The Raiders are fortunate to be in a surprisingly weak division. They're only two games behind the AFC West-leading Kansas City Chiefs, who have lost three of their last four games, and the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos have their own problems at 3-5. It's a wide-open year, and they reside in a winnable division in the poorer of the two conferences. While Oakland's season isn't over by any means, we've reached November, and a team's true identify is usually revealed by now. 

The reality is the Raiders are a so-so team that took the league by surprise last season. That element is gone now, and they've been exposed as a result. Carr hasn't been as effective, they continue to commit too many mental mistakes, the line has cracked more than expected and the defense is a blatant liability. 

A lot of those issues existed last year as well, but we're now seeing why their success in 2016 might have been an aberration. 

Sure, they survived Sunday night. But winning like that isn't sustainable, especially with matchups against the New England Patriots, Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles looming in the weeks to come.

The Raiders can still turn it around, but it isn't a good sign that they needed help from the Dolphins to beat the Dolphins. Just like it isn't a good sign that they were lucky to beat the Chiefs at home in Week 7, or that those are their only two wins in the last seven weeks. 

A win's a win, but Sunday's victory confirmed that many of the concerns regarding this Raiders team aren't going away. 

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012.