It’s no secret that the Raiders have one of the worst defenses in the league. They’ve allowed 30.1 points per game (30th), 5.95 yards per play (28th), 256.1 passing yards per game (25th) and 128.1 rushing yards per game (25th). They’ve allowed opponents to convert 50.0 percent of their third-down attempts (T-29th) and score on 50.8 percent of their possessions (32nd).
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That defensive ineptitude is what led to the firing of former defensive coordinator Paul Guenther after the 44-27 loss to the Colts on Sunday. Guenther never found much success throughout his 47 games with the franchise and coach Jon Gruden ultimately decided it was time to let him go. Defensive line coach Rod Marinelli will serve as interim defensive coordinator for the remainder of the 2020 season.
The Raiders play Thursday at 8:20 p.m. ET at home against the Los Angeles Chargers. They will be without receiver Henry Ruggs III, who was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday. It’s unclear whether he tested positive for the virus.
“I don’t change,” Marinelli said Tuesday. “I don’t care what happens. Up and down, it’s how you respond. My response is with poise and patience. Poise, I believe what I’m doing. Panic, you don’t know what you’re doing. It’s all poise.”
Marinelli is tasked with revitalizing a defense that isn’t doing anything well. That’d be a tall task no matter the circumstances, but it’ll be especially difficult to make much of a difference on a short week. Of course, this is more of a long-term play, but the Raiders are operating on a game-by-game basis with their playoff hopes dangling in the balance.
Safety Johnathan Abram (concussion/knee), cornerback Damon Arnette (concussion/neck), defensive end Clelin Ferrell (shoulder) and linebacker Nicholas Morrow (concussion/neck) didn’t practice Tuesday and their game status for Thursday is unclear. Safety Jeff Heath (concussion) remains on injured reserve and will be out for at least the next two games. Defensive tackle Maliek Collins (ankle/hamstring) is also on injured reserve and will be out for at least one more game. It’s possible that the Raiders will have to play Thursday without six starters on defense.
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The 71-year-old coach stressed the importance of being efficient, clear and precise in his daily tasks from here on out. He’s known for a cover 2 scheme, but he’s going to have to stick to Las Vegas’ usual cover 6 scheme at least for this week. The focus will be on the smaller details that contribute to overall defensive play.
“I think we’ve got our package established,” Marinelli said. “It’s really hard within a day or two and a few walkthroughs to get everything done. We’ve got our system and we’re just kind of constantly working on refining certain things that we do well and the things that we believe in. Paul left a great base here and now we’ve just gotta be able to make sure we’re on top of it. And if we have to hone things down, that’s what we’ll do.”
Prior to joining the Raiders this offseason, Marinelli served as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator and defensive line coach from 2014-19. He’s been a coach in the league since 1996 and began his coaching career in 1973, so there probably isn’t much that he hasn’t had to work through. He’s ready for his latest test.
“You just gotta rely on your rules,” Marinelli said. “Whatever happens, you want to make sure guys have rules that take care of everything, which allows you to play really fast. One thing I really believe in in defense is chemistry and speed and guys working together. The star of the defense is the defense, nobody else. It’s not a call, it’s not a coach, it’s not a player. It’s trying to get that continuity together in this week. It’s fun. It’s a great challenge and I think we’re all up for it.”
In this week’s edition of “Tape Tuesday,” I’m breaking down five defensive plays from the loss to the Colts where mistakes were made that can be realistically corrected or avoided moving forward.
Play 1: 17-yard catch by receiver T.Y. Hilton
The Colts put together a 10-play, 68-yard drive on their opening possession, but the defense managed to hold them to a field goal. The offense went three-and-out in response, however, putting the defense right back on the field. It had a chance to come up with a stop on third-and-7, but allowed a conversion on a 19-yard catch by wideout Michael Pittman Jr.
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Four plays later, the defense had another opportunity to get a stop on a third-and-8 at its own 35-yard line. If it succeeded, the Colts would’ve had to settle for a long field goal attempt. While that would still potentially result in points allowed, it’d be considered a win given the circumstances.
The Raiders went to a dime package with six defensive backs, which is something they rarely do. They’ve only used dime on 5.0 percent of their defensive snaps (21st). Safety Erik Harris and cornerback Isaiah Johnson played deep, cornerbacks Trayvon Mullen and Nevin Lawson, nickelback Lamarcus Joyner and linebacker Nicholas Morrow lined up across from receivers and safety Johnathan Abram came down into the box.
Abram blitzed, but the Colts stymied it without issue with a five-man protection. As was the case for most of the game, quarterback Philip Rivers didn’t have to worry about any pass rush as he waited for routes to develop.
The Raiders played zone coverage and had at least two players accounting for three of the receiving targets who got downfield, but Mullen was left one-on-one with Hilton (No. 13). Hilton ran vertical for about 10 yards and got Mullen to open up his hips to the inside before breaking outside on a corner route. Rivers started throwing the ball as soon as Hilton’s head pointed toward the sideline.
Rivers put the ball where only Hilton could get it and Mullen couldn’t recover in time to prevent the receiver from bringing in the catch. The Raiders just don’t have players who are good enough up front to get a pass rush while only rushing four players, especially if one of those four players is a defensive back. Eventually, competent quarterbacks are going to be able to find someone open in the secondary.
Marinelli hasn’t had much success either against the run or the pass when it comes to the play of the defensive front. The Raiders are allowing 4.73 yards per carry (30th), are tied for 15th in pressures and are tied for 30th in sacks.
“You have to keep developing it and you gotta believe in it and you gotta keep pushing it,” Marinelli said when asked about the defensive line. “It’s not been good enough, coach or player hasn’t been good enough yet, but I just keep believing in these men. I just know if you keep driving it and pushing it, we’re gonna have good results. Because they work every second of every day. I think it starts with the belief and I have a strong belief in them.”
Four plays later, Hilton made an incredible catch over Lawson for a 7-yard touchdown on another third down. Lawson was in position to make a play on the ball, but he never got his head turned around.
Whoa, @TYHilton13. 👻@BudLight | pic.twitter.com/4vXQOswb1e
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) December 13, 2020
Instead of settling for another field goal, the Colts jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. It was still early, but it already felt like the Raiders were in trouble.
Play 2: 41-yard touchdown catch by Hilton
The Raiders responded with a 47-yard touchdown catch by tight end Foster Moreau, the defense forced its only punt of the game and then receiver Nelson Agholor caught a 21-yard touchdown to put Las Vegas ahead, 14-10, in the second quarter. The Raiders not only got back into the game, but they surged ahead.
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The defense had the chance to keep the run going, but it wouldn’t take long to find out that wouldn’t come to fruition. Joyner blitzed on the second play of the drive, but he was picked up by running back Jonathan Taylor and Pittman made a 23-yard catch on a post route to move into Raiders territory.
The Raiders went to their nickel package, which is their most-used defensive package this season. Morrow lined up on the edge as if he was going to blitz and Harris came down into the box. Both players dropped back into coverage, though, so the defense only rushed four. The secondary was in Cover 6 with man coverage to the offensive left and zone coverage to the offensive right.
Hilton made it look as if he was going to run a straight go route before veering inside. Abram not only had his hips opened to the outside but took a step forward and got off balance as Hilton made his cut.
Abram tried to flip his hips and get back position, but Hilton was racing past him by the time he got turned around. Rivers hit him in stride for the easy touchdown to put the Colts back ahead, 17-14.
_0_ / _0_ /@TYHilton13@TYHilton13@TYHilton13
📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/JV5xqOMUb9
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) December 13, 2020
This was just bad technique and coverage by Abram. That can be improved through film study, but he’s continued to struggle in that area all season. He’s given up completions on 75 percent of his defensive targets this season, which is tied for the worst mark on the team among players who’ve been targeted at least 10 times. At this point, it’s probably best to avoid putting him in these one-on-one situations.
Play 3: Defensive holding penalty by Mullen
Las Vegas drove to the Colts’ 13-yard line on the following possession and looked to be in position to score, but quarterback Derek Carr was picked off in the end zone on an incredible one-handed interception by nickelback Kenny Moore II. Indianapolis got the ball at its own 20-yard line and started its drive with an incompletion and a pass to Taylor that lost five yards.
The Colts faced a third-and-15 with around three minutes left in the first half. The Raiders looked to be in prime position to force a punt and give their offense the ball back with two timeouts and the two-minute warning to work with. They were also set to get the ball back to start the third quarter, so it represented a huge opportunity to take control of the game.
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The defense went back to its dime package with Johnson playing deep centerfield, Harris at an intermediate level and Abram in the box. Morrow and linebacker Cory Littleton lined up along the line of scrimmage while Mullen, Lawson and Joyner lined up across from receivers. Morrow and Littleton both dropped into coverage, so the Raiders only had a three-man rush. Again, the Colts had no problem containing it with a five-man protection.
The secondary played man coverage with Abram, Harris and Johnson playing zones. Nobody was open, so the pocket eventually began to collapse, but Rivers was able to move to the right to buy extra time.
Mullen had played press-man coverage on Hilton and rode him closely as he pushed vertical. He was extremely physical off the line of scrimmage, but that’s allowed until the receiver gets five yards downfield. The problem was Mullen grabbed Hilton when he turned to break back outside. Rivers was being pressured by defensive tackle Mo Hurst and was already throwing the ball away in this screen grab, but a referee on the sideline had already thrown the flag for defensive holding. Mullen can be seen clearly grabbing Hilton.
Mullen had to be smarter in this situation as his hold was unnecessary, but it was also unwise to send only a three-man pass rush. The Colts went on to kick a field goal right before halftime to push their lead to six points.
Play 4: 62-yard touchdown run by Taylor
The Raiders opened the second half with a field goal to shrink their deficit back to three points. The defense could’ve gotten a stop on a third-and-1 but allowed running back Jordan Wilkins to convert on a short run.
Two plays later, the Colts lined up in shotgun formation out of 11 personnel and the Raiders countered with their nickel package. Abram came down into the box, so they had a seven-man box before the snap. Guenther cued up a blitz to the offensive strong side (the side of the field with more blockers), which in this case was the left because tight end Trey Burton (No. 80) was lined up there. Morrow and Abram blitzed to the offensive left and Burton released on a route.
It appeared to be a run-pass-option. Left tackle Anthony Castonzo (No. 74) and left guard Quenton Nelson (No. 56) pass blocked while center Ryan Kelly (No. 78), right guard Mark Glowinski (No. 64) and right tackle Braden Smith (No. 72) pass blocked. Rivers read the blitz coming from the left, so he handed it off to Taylor going to the right.
Linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski dropped back into coverage, so defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins and defensive end Maxx Crosby were the only defenders to that side. They had no chance against the three offensive linemen and Taylor had a gaping hole to run through.
Abram recognized it was a run after the handoff and had an opportunity to close out on Taylor but took a poor angle and wound up attempting to catch him from behind. Neither Mullen nor Joyner recognized the run and continued to play pass coverage to the offensive right. Harris saw the run, but he had to play catch up from the other side of the field.
Taylor looked back around the Raiders’ 20-yard line to see if any defenders were close and saw Harris closing to his left. Since Harris and Abram took power angles and Mullen reacted late, however, all three players were a couple steps behind him.
Harris dove for Taylor’s feet at the end, but it was too late to stop the back from completing the 62-yard touchdown run. The Raiders coaching staff was out-schemed here and the players showed poor awareness. This was easily the worst defensive play of the game and it gave the Colts a 27-17 lead.
He gone. 💨@JayT23@JayT23@JayT23
📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/oCfPjJ6ICm
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) December 13, 2020
Play 5: Seven-yard catch by Hilton
The Raiders scored a field goal on their next drive, which made it a one-score game again right before the end of the third quarter. After giving up a quick first down on a catch by Hilton, the defense had a chance to get a stop on third-and-5 at the Colts’ 44-yard line. If it was successful, then the offense would have an opportunity to tie the game.
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While it hadn’t worked well in key junctures all game long, the Raiders went to their dime package once again. Joyner, Lawson and Mullen lined up as outside corners while Keisean Nixon played nickelback. Abram lined up in the box while Harris played deep about 20 yards away from the line of scrimmage.
The Raiders played man coverage and Morrow was supposed to drop back into a zone. For some reason, though, Morrow committed to running back Nyheim Hines (No. 21) on a route into the flat when Abram already had him accounted for.
Hilton got underneath Joyner on a drag route and Rivers found him for a 7-yard gain to pick up the first down. Morrow could’ve potentially taken away Hilton if he’d dropped into a hook zone. Crosby had just gotten free with a straight line to Rivers, too, so it could’ve resulted in a sack.
Instead, the Colts kept their drive going. It would’ve been helpful if the Raiders sent more than a four-man rush, but this was more about the miscommunication between Morrow and Abram. It was a costly miscue as Indianapolis went on to score on a 3-yard touchdown run by Taylor to go up 34-20 with 9:23 remaining in the fourth quarter.
“I want to see discipline and knowing exactly what we’re doing,” Marinelli said. “It takes no talent.”
Receiver Hunter Renfrow fumbled in Las Vegas’ territory on the next drive, which basically ended the game. The Raiders’ had several defensive players who didn’t play well or made key mistakes Sunday, but there were also questionable coaching decisions that were made by Guenther. There was ample blame to go around on both sides, but it was ultimately Guenther who took the fall.
“We just gotta do our job,” Marinelli said. “Coach and player, it’s not all on the player; it’s the coaches together and players together. That’s the thing you’re trying to emphasize with each man… They reflect the coach at the end of the day. We just go back, don’t change anything and just keep trying to get better at it, especially in a short week.”
Marinelli has control of the defense now. Whether he’s able to cultivate more success on defense than Guenther could very well decide whether the Raiders make the playoffs this season.
(Top photo of T.Y. Hilton: Kirby Lee / USA Today)