Jon Gruden on Raiders Forcing TOs: 'We've Got to Get More Pressure' on the QB

Head coach Jon Gruden could use a pass-rushing force on the Oakland Raiders after a 1-4 start to the 2018 NFL season.

Someone like Khalil Mack.

"It starts with pressuring the quarterback; we've got to get more pressure on the quarterback," Gruden said of his team's defense and its lack of forced turnovers, per Ann Killion of the San Francisco Chronicle. "We've got to force him to make some bad decisions."

The Mack-less Raiders are tied for last in the league with the New York Giants with six sacks. By contrast, Mack's Chicago Bears are second with 18 sacks even though they had a bye in Week 5. Mack has five on his own and appears to be well on his way to a fourth Pro Bowl appearance and his third All-Pro nod.

The turnovers also haven't come for the Raiders. They are tied for 20th with three interceptions and have recovered just three fumbles.

Oakland has allowed at least 20 points in all five of its games, including 42 to the Cleveland Browns in its only win.

These are far from Gruden's first comments referencing the team's lack of a pass rush after the Raiders traded Mack this offseason.

"Yeah, it's hard," Gruden said of the trade, per Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "It's hard to trade one of the best players on your franchise. It's hard. It's hard on the players. We didn't get anything for him that's going to help us this year."

The Raiders can at least point to the 2019 and 2020 first-round picks, 2019 sixth-round selection and 2020 third-round pick they received from the Bears in the deal that sent Mack to the Windy City at the beginning of last month. Those selections may go to future pass-rushers, but the current iteration of Gruden's defense has not succeeded in consistently pressuring the quarterback or creating turnovers.