It used to be that reaching 1,000 yards was a big deal. Not in today’s NFL of high-powered passing attacks. It’s still impressive to reach 1,000 yards, but a lot of receivers do it each season, often with more than one on the same team.
Now it would appear the number to shoot for is 1,200 yards. While 29 receivers hit 1,000 yards last season, only five reached the 1200-yard plateau.
Those receivers are Michael Thomas (1,725), Julio Jones (1,394), Chris Godwin (1,333), Travis Kelce (1,229), and DeVante Parker (1,202). Missing the mark by one yard (1,199) was Keenan Allen.
These guys obviously give defenses fits and no team will face these guys more than the Raiders. They face all of them next season, two of them twice (Kelce, Allen). So, for half their games this season, an elite receiver will line up for the Raiders’ opponent.
The Raiders’ pass defense was among the worst in the league last season. They were 25th in yards allowed (4,107), 27th in passing touchdowns allowed (33), 29th in interceptions (nine), and 30th in net yards allowed per play (7.4).
The way opposing offenses were going after the Raiders’ defense had them going after it in free agency and the draft. Some key additions the team made to try and fix the pass defense included Cory Littleton, Carl Nassib, Prince Amukamara, Damarious Randall, and first-round pick Damon Arnette.
It’s a tall order for these guys to be the answer to stopping the above receivers. They can hope to keep them from running wild on them.
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