Oakland Raiders High-Powered Offense Fails to Overcome Glaring Roster Holes

At midseason, the Oakland Raiders list as a .500 team, which resembles the team’s play against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Although the Raiders offense didn’t put together a flawless performance, it kept hope alive for a victory. On the opposite side, the defense never found its way in any aspect of the game.

Head coach Jack Del Rio made a clear-cut statement about his thoughts on the outcome to local reporters:



It’s a very simple statement but true to the core, unless the defense loses contain on multiple fronts. The Raiders defense dropped to historically poor levels, surrendering an absurd amount of yardage to two players, per Steelers Media Manager Dom Rinelli: 



When you combine a record-breaking poor performance on defense with three costly second-half turnovers, it's a recipe for a loss even with 35 points on the scoreboard.

Quarterback Derek Carr and the offense will win a lot more games for the Raiders, but they cannot outscore every opponent without help defensively.

 

Commitment to Excellence 



The Steelers defense doesn’t stack up to past units, but the front seven still garners respect with the ability to sack the quarterback. Pittsburgh entered and left this contest with 22 sacks for the season.

The Raiders offensive line continues to serve as a fort protecting the budding jewel of the offense. Carr doesn’t seem hurried in his throws because there’s ample time for delivery in the pocket. All five guys up front deserve much credit for playing in sync as a coordinated unit and neutralizing the opposition in the trenches. 

When running back Latavius Murray wasn’t slipping, sliding or fumbling the ball, he ran through wide lanes for 96 yards on the ground.

The excellence up front keeps the passing and rushing attack viable as the Raiders h...