Belichick and Brady are worried about strong Raiders defense




The vaunted Oakland defense held the New York Jets to only 402 yards total offense. QB Geno Smith threw for 221 yards on 23 of 28 passing. The Raiders were able to sack Geno twice for losses of 31 yards. The Jets running game amassed 212 yards rushing at 6.2 yards per carry. While the Raiders did force an interception and a fumble, the final score of 19-14 was not indicative of how lopsided the game really was.

In Week 2 against the Houston Texans in the home opener, the Raiders held RB Arian Foster to 138 yards rushing on 29 carries. RB Alfred Blue chipped in with 40 yards on 11 carries. While the 4.1 yard per carry average was a vast improvement from the previous week, many of the second half carries were to take time off the clock. The Texans led 30-0 going into the 4th quarter. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick had an easy day on 14 for 19 passing for 173 yards and a QB rating of 129.1.

On average, the Raiders defense has held ball carriers to 5 yards per rush, and QB's to 77% completion rate. Oakland is ranked 24th against the pass, and 31st in the league against the run. Those might be the least of their problems. After just two weeks into the season, their head coach, Dennis Allen is already on the hot seat.

Steve Corkran, San Jose Mercury News:
"Guys loved playing for Hue," Carson Palmer said. "Hue Jackson was a great head coach. Unfortunately, they decided that it was time for him to go, and a number of our guys that had been there awhile. Any of our guys that were making above league minimum, it was time to cut them."
Palmer felt as if the Raiders were building toward something special, too, before general manager Reggie McKenzie opted for a complete overhaul, what owner Mark Davis later termed a "deconstruction."

The only worry that Tom Brady and Bill Belichick will have on Sunday is whether one of them has a coin to toss between plays. Heads is a run, tails for a pass. A team with a winning percentage of .298 with 53 wins and 125 losses over the past 11 years has lost its "commitment to excellence."

Paul Murphy is a freelance writer from New Hampshire.

Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy

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