Raider Nation, here’s a read worth your time. Tyler Bischoff – Athlon Sports’ Raiders analyst, and a Las Vegas local – took stock of the season this week, and his story is the one we’ve all been living: a dream start, then a hard fall.
His case, in short: September’s 3-0 start was real. The defense held the Dolphins, Chargers, and Saints to 18 points a game, piled up 10 sacks and nine takeaways, and didn’t allow a single fourth-quarter point. Then October arrived. Three straight losses – the Chiefs and Bills close, the Patriots a blowout – and by his numbers the same defense has ranked dead last in the league over those three weeks: five sacks, one takeaway, and 40 points given up in fourth quarters alone.
His verdict pulls no punches:
“The Raiders beat up on bad teams and bad offenses. Once the league’s best rolled around, the defense turned into one of the worst in the NFL.”
To be fair, that’s his own caveat too – the early wins came against some of the league’s weakest offenses, and the losses came against its best. The truth about this team sits somewhere between September and October.
Read his full piece here: Raiders’ Defense has Fallen Apart During Losing Streak – Athlon Sports
What do you think, Raider Nation – is the slide about the schedule, or is the defense really this thin?