There are a lot of reasons why the Raiders are struggling right now. The offense just isn’t consistent, the defense can’t create takeaways and they aren’t getting enough pass rush from players not named Maxx Crosby.
But one of the biggest reasons they are struggling right now is their red zone defense. According to ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez, the Raiders have allowed 15 touchdowns on 15 goal-to-go situations this year. That is the worst in the NFL by a mile. Here is what Gutierrez had to say about the defense going into Week 10:
“When, or if, the Raiders will play a solid 60 minutes of football. Blowing three games in which they led by at least 17 points is a sign of a squad that doesn’t know how to finish, a shocking development for a team that was in the playoffs a year ago and supposedly took a step forward with a seemingly elite playcaller in McDaniels. Plus, the defense giving up 15 touchdowns in 15 goal-to-go situations is more than mind-numbing.”
Opponents are scoring touchdowns on more than 74 percent of their red zone trips this season. That is the second-worst rate in the NFL, ahead only of the Vikings (79 percent).
The Raiders aren’t going to win any games if they can’t tighten up their red zone defense. It’s a major problem right now and it’s the reason they are 2-6, rather than 6-2 midway through the season.
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