The Raiders aren’t that far off from being a playoff team this season. In fact, you can make a strong case that the team should have made it to the tournament last season, but dropped two easily winnable games against the Jaguars and Broncos to finish out the year.
If the Raiders are going to make a push for a serious playoff spot in 2020, their defense is going to have to take a big step forward.
Last season, the team finished 24 in points per game allowed and 19th in total yardage. Over the final six games of the season, the team allowed over 28 points per contest as they tried to make a run at the playoffs.
In a recent article by Doug Farrar of the Touchdown Wire, he ranked all 32 defenses heading into the 2020 NFL season. Not surprisingly, the Raiders finished in the back half of the league, coming in at No. 25. Take a look at Farrar’s thoughts on the defensive side of the ball for the Raiders this season:
Last season, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock picked up some real steals in the draft, and on defense, edge-rusher Maxx Crosby and cornerback Trayvon Mullen made important contributions. But the rest of the secondary was a mess, which the Raiders’ brain trust has tried to fix with the first-round selection of Ohio State cornerback Damon Arnette, and fourth-round cornerback Amik Robertson from Louisiana Tech. Both are aggressive man-coverage defenders, which fits the team’s current ideology.
For the Raiders to make the next step on defense, the secondary has to get better. And the team is hoping the selections of Arnette and Robinson and the veteran signings of Prince Amukamara and Damarious Randall will help improve the unit.
If the Raiders can get even average play out of their defense this season, they should stand a great chance to make the playoffs in the AFC. The offense should be highly efficient once again and they just need a competent defense to keep them in games. Look for the success of the defense to dictate how the season goes for Las Vegas.
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