NFL Panic Button: Saints, Colts among 5 teams looking for reset button after Week 2
By Shaun Church
Oakland Raiders
Quotable
"It’s disappointing. I don’t know what else to say about it. Like I said, coming into the season, felt a lot better about where we were at that point. For whatever reason, we haven’t put it together on the field. … Everything (negative) that other people say about [the team], we’re proving them right. It’s almost like we’re allowing other people to write our story. We’re not doing anything about it. That’s hard, man. I’m really embarrassed."
–Raiders safety Charles Woodson, via Scott Bair of CSN Bay Area
Why the reset button?
The Raiders are minus-21 in points-differential through two games—fifth-worst in the NFL. Offensively, they have converted just 5-of-21 third downs (23.8 percent). They’ve run 11 plays in the red zone, which is tied for fifth-worst in the league.
To his credit, rookie quarterback Derek Carr has been great in the red zone, completing 6 of 8 passes (75.0 percent) with two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 125.5 passer rating.
On the other hand, the run game early on has been pitiful.
Carr is the team’s leading rusher through two games, with five carries for 57 yards. Darren McFadden has 52 yards on 16 carries (3.3 yards per carry), and free-agent addition Maurice Jones-Drew, who sat out Week 2 with a hand injury, had nine carries for a measly 11 yards (1.2 YPC) in Oakland’s Week 1 loss to the New York Jets.
The Raiders have struggled mightily on defense, as well.
The Jets’ Geno Smith went 23-of-28 passing (82.1 percent) for 221 yards, a touchdown and a pick for a 96.6 passer rating. And Houston Texans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick went 14-of-19 passing (73.7 percent) for 139 yards and two scores for a 129.1 rating.
Collectively, Oakland has allowed a 111.0 passer rating in its two losses. Its run defense is no better, allowing 400 yards rushing and 5.0 yards per carry.
Situational defense is not good, either. Opponents have converted 51.9 percent of third downs so far, which is in the bottom three of the league.
The Raiders spent a lot of money this offseason to improve their roster and thought they would compete, at least for an AFC wild-card spot. The addition of free agents Jones-Drew, wide receiver James Jones, defensive ends Lamarr Woodley and Justin Tuck, cornerback Carlos Rogers and safety Charles Woodson were seen as “win-now” moves.
Then there’s quarterback Matt Schaub, whom they traded for in the offseason, only to see him get hurt in the preseason and lose his starting job to the rookie.
That “win-now” mentality may soon turn to a “with-the-first-pick” mentality if the Raiders don’t figure out how to win some games.
They are the first team that wishes it could hit the reset button on the 2014 season. The next also spent truckloads of money this offseason and was looking to compete in the NFC South. Let’s find out what’s wrong with them.