Next opponent could expose reoccurring Raiders issue

One of the plus sides of the Las Vegas Raiders boasting a veteran coaching staff is that they know how to address issues before they become full-blown weaknesses.

A problem that arose during the preseason was the amount of missed tackles the defense was putting up, with the Raiders amassing double-digit whiffs in two of their three games. Granted, they were playing reserves for the most part, but it was still an object of concern going into the season. Fortunately, head coach Pete Carroll, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and the rest of the Raiders defensive coaching staff identified and attacked the problem, resulting it in being less of an issue to start the season.

However, not only have the numbers begun to turn for the worse again, but they are doing so at the worst possible time.

The Raiders’ next opponent could turn the missed tackles issue into a critical problem.

After missing ten total tackles over the first two weeks of the seasons, that number has almost doubled over the last two games.

Against the Washington Commanders, the Raiders were responsible for 11 missed tackles. On Sunday against the Chicago Bears, the Raiders missed eight tackles. The numbers so far have not been ideal, and the past two weeks are now making them look worse.

With the season hanging in the balance already, the Raiders now head back on the road to take on the Indianapolis Colts, who might be the best-equipped team to take advantage of such mistakes.

The Colts offense has been the surprise of the NFL this season due to the play of quarterback Daniel Jones, but running back Jonathan Taylor is still the engine of that group. According to FantasyPros, Taylor leads the league in yards after contact (236) and broken tackles (13). For a Raiders defense that is developing a penchant for missed tackles, Taylor has a real chance to break for serious yards if they cannot bring him down on first contact.

The Raiders are going to need to clean this up right away, or it could be another long Sunday.