The Raiders are getting to the quarterback.
asserted
Raiders → get → quarterback
They just aren’t getting off the field nearly enough.
And with Josh Allen and the Bills coming to Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, the distinction could become painfully obvious.
uncertain
distinction → get → Sunday
For all the disruption the Raiders have generated up front, too much of it is being undone by what happens when opponents escape that pressure, find an opening or turn an ordinary play into something considerably more damaging.
asserted
opponents → generate → something
Those have become harder to come by during a two-game losing streak that has exposed a troubling disconnect between the Raiders’ ability to create havoc and their ability to contain it.
asserted
that → become → it
They have surrendered 35 explosive plays, seventh most in the NFL.
asserted
They → surrender → NFL
Against the Patriots last Sunday, they allowed 21 gains of 10 or more yards.
asserted
they → allow → yards
Those are separate measurements, but they point toward the same problem: Opponents are covering too much ground too quickly.
asserted
Opponents → point → ground
Everyone knows that, coaches to players, everybody,” Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby said.
asserted
Crosby → know → players
“We all have to be able to hold each other accountable and hold ourselves accountable.”
asserted
ourselves → have → ?
Or, as Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Leonard put it: “We just got to stack good plays.
asserted
We → put → plays
Right now, we’ve had good play, bad play, good play, bad play.
asserted
we → have → play
The issue: a Bills offense that leads the NFL in rushing and just reminded the Rams how many ways Allen can hurt you not only from the pocket but also when he uses his legs to buy time outside the pocket or just tuck it away and run.
asserted
he → lead → it
“Backyard football, as I like to call it,” Raiders linebacker Nakobe Dean said.
asserted
Dean → like → it
At the risk of stating the obvious, the Raiders are looking at a three-game losing streak if their defensive day against the Bills mirrors their New England outing.
asserted
day → state → outing
“You got to improve,” Leonard said.
asserted
Leonard → got → ?
“We could go down the rabbit hole of areas, but we got to be better.”
uncertain
we → go → areas
Allen and running back James Cook combined for 232 rushing yards in Monday night’s overtime victory.
asserted
Allen → combine → victory
Allen accounted for 121 of them, another reminder that defending Buffalo’s quarterback requires considerably more than making him uncomfortable in the pocket.
asserted
him → account → pocket
Sometimes, that is when the real trouble starts.
asserted
trouble → start → ?
For a Raiders defense already struggling to limit big gains, the timing could hardly be more challenging.
uncertain
timing → struggle → gains
Two weeks ago, the Raiders ranked seventh in points allowed per game.
asserted
Raiders → rank → game
They now surrender the ninth most.
asserted
They → surrender → most
They have allowed the fifth-most total yards, ninth-most passing yards and fourth-most rushing yards.
asserted
They → allow → yards
That is too much damage in too many places to explain away as one bad afternoon.
asserted
That → explain → afternoon
And it complicates what otherwise would be an encouraging development.
asserted
what → complicate → ?
The Raiders rank ninth in the NFL with 13 sacks and second with 62 pressures.
asserted
Raiders → rank → pressures
Across pressure metrics, they have established themselves among the league’s better defenses at affecting the quarterback.
asserted
they → establish → quarterback
Instead, it has become a frustrating illustration of how one part of a defense can function without the entire operation working.
asserted
operation → become → defense
A pressure means little if the quarterback escapes and finds an uncovered receiver.
asserted
quarterback → mean → receiver
A sack loses some of its value when the next snap produces enough yardage to erase it.
asserted
snap → lose → it
Winning a down is useful.
asserted
Winning → win → down
Winning the possession is the point.
asserted
Winning → win → possession
The past two losses have underscored the difference.
asserted
losses → underscore → difference
Against the Chiefs, the Raiders were close enough to win, but their late defensive gamble failed to produce the stop they needed.
asserted
they → win → stop
An aggressive approach carries consequences when the pressure does not arrive in time and the coverage behind it cannot hold.
asserted
coverage → carry → it
Drake Maye connected with Kyle Williams for a 34-yard touchdown against rookie cornerback Zeke Masses in the third quarter.
asserted
Maye → connect → quarter
Another completion to Williams went for 49 yards against Darien Porter and helped set up a field goal.
asserted
completion → go → goal
Those were the loudest examples of a defense giving up chunks of the field.
asserted
Those → give → field
The 21 gains of at least 10 yards show how frequently the Patriots found room to operate.
asserted
Patriots → show → room
Masses is a rookie, and Porter, who switched from wide receiver to cornerback at Iowa State, is in just his second season and still completing the transition to the secondary.
But
asserted
who → switch → secondary
…and 24 more, not listed.
The Aporia
