Oakland Raiders: 3 Takeaways vs. Bills in Week 8
By Randy Gurzi
2. This defense has too many holes
The addition of linebacker NaVorro Bowman was a great one, and he’s proving in just two games to be a welcome addition in the middle of the defense. He finished with 11 tackles in this one to lead the team. They have other stars like 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Khalil Mack. The defensive end was pretty average in this one, but is usually a stellar contributor. Then there’s outside linebacker Bruce Irvin, who had two tackles for a loss against Buffalo.
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Other big names on the roster include cornerback Sean Smith, safety Reggie Nelson and defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. Just listing those names makes it seem like this defense should be good — at least on paper.
Problem is, the game isn’t just played on paper, and for some reason all those named above aren’t leading to the defense being a formidable unit. Buffalo managed 34 points on them — although “only” 27 was on the defense as one touchdown came via a fumble recovery.
They were gashed by running back LeSean McCoy to the tune of 151 yards and they allowed quarterback Tyrod Taylor to complete 20-of-27 passes. His yardage was low, but that’s been the formula for Buffalo, and Oakland showed they had too many holes on defense to slow them down.