AP
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Cory Littleton (42) warms up during an NFL football training camp practice Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/John Locher, Pool)
Friday, Oct. 2, 2020 | 2 a.m.
By most metrics, both standard and advanced, the undefeated Buffalo Bills sport one of the NFL’s best offenses. They rank third in points per game (31.0), third in yards per play (6.6) and sixth in Football Outsiders’ DVOA (22.2 percent). Josh Allen is enjoying a breakout year at quarterback and with talented players like Stefon Diggs and Devin Singletary at the skill positions, Allen has plenty of weapons at his disposal.
It’s a lot to deal with, so this week the Raiders are choosing to keep things simple on defense. That means a return to fundamentals, with a particular emphasis on tackling.
Getting ball-carriers on the ground was a major issue for Las Vegas last week, when the team dropped its first game of the season at New England. The Raiders allowed 250 yards rushing, and that total was inflated by a number of outright missed tackles at every level of the defense.
New England ran the ball 38 times and completed 17 passes; of those 55 plays, defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said he charted nearly 20 missed tackles by Raiders defenders.
That allowed the Patriots to hang 36 points on the board. Another turnstile performance like that on Sunday and the suddenly explosive Bills are likely to exceed that total.
“I think we had 19 missed tackles in the game,” Guenther said, “and that’s far too many to win any ball game, let alone against a team like New England. We have to do a better job of whoever is in the spot to make the play and make the tackle. They have to get the runner on the ground, whether it be a receiver or a running back. So, to me it wasn’t so much a scheme thing, like their scheme against our scheme, it was more or less the guys at the point of attack missed the plays they needed to make, and then the guys on the back end that have to ensure that the thing doesn’t go longer than it should missed a few big runs.”
When it comes to tackling, most coaches believe practice makes perfect, and there just hasn’t been a lot of practice this season. Between lightened training camp loads and no preseason games, players jumped right into the real games without much pad-to-pad contact.
But now, with three games under their belts, the players should be mostly up to speed when it comes to hitting.
“We have to do a better job of tackling,” Guenther said. “We’ve made an emphasis of that coming off the COVID thing — no spring practice, training camp was limited with live tackling and that’s something we preached. It was disappointing to see [at New England].”
Keep a particular eye on second-year safety Johnathan Abram on Sunday against Buffalo. Abram likes to deliver hard hits, but he was victimized repeatedly in Week 3, as he had good position but whiffed on a pair of Rex Burkhead touchdowns. Abram also got turned around by plodding running back Sony Michel on a 48-yard run.
Head coach Jon Gruden would like to see Abram break down and make more sure-handed tackles in the open field.
“I think you when rewind [the game tape], you say, ‘Man, he should make that tackle’ or ‘That angle wasn’t appropriate,’” Gruden said. “I think when he’s in the post and he’s making open-field tackles, I think there’s a time and a place for going for the big hit. There’s another time and place for just coming to balance and trying to make an open-field grass tackle, and that’s something that we need to work on.”
The return of middle linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski should provide a boost against Buffalo. Kwiatkoski usually in good position in the middle of the field and is a reliable tackler, and his absence was felt against New England’s relentless rushing attack.
Kwiatkoski suffered a pectoral injury in Week 1 and missed the next two games, but he returned to practice this week and should be ready to reassume his role as the quarterback of the defense on Sunday.
Guenther is happy to have him back.
“It’s huge because Nick is a really good communicator,” Guenther said. “He’s really picked up our system. It’s almost like he’s been in the system for three or four years like some of the guys I’ve been accustomed to being around. He’s a vocal leader. He sees a lot on the field as far as how we’re set up, getting in and out of calls. He’s a very stout run defender, he’s good in the pass game, so he’ll be a big part of the middle of our defense if he’s able to go this week.”
No positive tests…yet
If there’s a silver lining to several Raiders breaking COVID-19 protocol by attending a maskless, indoor charity event with more than 100 people on Monday, it’s that none of the players have tested positive in the three days following the incident.
Nine players attended the event and were potentially exposed to the coronavirus, but all were on the practice field on Thursday, which means they all passed their daily COVID tests.
Some of the team’s cornerstone players were at the event — quarterback Derek Carr, tight end Darren Waller and receiver Hunter Renfrow, most notably — so losing them for any extended period of time, especially in such an unnecessary manner, would be a big blow to the team.
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
