NFL film study: What happened to the Raiders?

Play #3

It’s 3rd and 19 from Washington’s 16-yard line. The Redskins lead 21-7 with 3:01 remaining in the third quarter. On the play, Oakland is in its dime defense while the Redskins are once more in 11 personnel. At the bottom of the screen is Thompson, a shifty running back split out wide. The Raiders, not wanting to be beaten deep, are in quarters coverage.

Washington is going to run a bubble screen to Thompson. After the snap, all four offensive line, save the right tackle, come out to form a wall.

The Raiders have plenty of pursuit here. The have two backside defenders on the way, with Nelson and rookie Gareon Conley (bottom of the screen) coming in from the secondary. This should be no more than a five-yard gain.

The issue is now twofold. Conley (24-yard line) is breaking down instead of running at Thompson. This allows him the time and space to cut back behind his blockers. The backside pursuit hasn’t gotten there, and Nelson no longer has the speed to make this play. He gets caught in the proverbial wash. We see that in the next screen…

Look at the yellow circle. Somehow, five Raiders defenders fit into it. Two Washington blockers took out half the defense, which consisted of poor angles and below-average speed. Thompson is now out in the open and off to the races.

The result is a 74-yard gain and an eventual field goal, putting Washington ahead 24-10 at the start of the fourth quarter.

Next: Top 20 NFL breakout candidates for 2017

Conclusion

Oakland’s problems run deeper than a single game. Against both the Titans and Redskins, getting pressure on the quarterback was difficult. For the season, the Raiders rank 21st with six sacks, but four came in a blowout defeat of the Jets.

Additionally, this is a slow unit. Nelson no longer has the speed to play effectively. Smith is in the same boat. At this juncture, he’s a strong candidate for a permanent benching and subsequent release after the season. The inside linebackers also struggle in space, leaving Norton with few options.

After watching the film, I don’t see the Raiders playing well against the pass. Norton needs to continue dialing up blitzes and hoping the pass rush wins the day. Dropping seven and eight is a no-no for this team considering it’s inability to cover in man or zone for more than a few seconds.

You can fix many problems in the NFL, but a pronounced lack of speed isn’t one of them.