Oakland Raiders vs. Cincinnati Bengals: Week One Gamers and Goats

Sep 13, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green (18) is tackled by Oakland Raiders cornerback D.J. Hayden (25) and free safety Charles Woodson (24) in the third quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Bengals defeated the Raiders 33-13. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Oakland’s Defensive Backs: Goat

It’s the cornerbacks who are being called out since they’re the ones not making the plays, but Reggie McKenzie owns a fair share of the blame for Oakland’s dismal secondary situation as well.

We all knew coming in that Oakland’s cornerbacks were a big cause for concern. But McKenzie and HC Jack Del Rio continued to insist that they were right to not go after free agent corners, that they liked the young guys they had in the cornerbacks room, and that the situation would be just fine.

Turns out, we were right, they were wrong.

D.J. Hayden, of course, continued to prove that not only should he not have been a first round pick, but that he perhaps, should have gone undrafted entirely. He continued giving way too much cushion on short plays that allowed the opposing receiver to settle in at the first down marker, make the catch, and extend the drive. When he wasn’t doing that, he was drawing penalties to extend drives. And when he wasn’t doing either of those, he was busy not even turning to look for the ball, allowing Cincinnati receivers to make easy touchdown grabs.

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While Hayden was busy stinking up the joint, second year corner, the man who was supposed to challenge him for the starting job, Keith McGill, was busy rotting on the bench. Mind bogglingly, he played just one snap the entire game. With Hayden struggling, the reason McGill was left on the bench remains a mystery.

Of Oakland’s three young corners, only Travis Carrie managed to turn in a respectable performance. Not outstanding, mind you, but respectable. He made several decent plays on the ball and didn’t let himself get torched.

It is exceedingly clear that Oakland has a huge problem in their defensive backfield. And this isn’t even factoring in the injuries to starting safeties Nate Allen and Charles Woodson – which only compounds the problems.

Oakland is going to have to find a solution very, very quickly.

Next: Oakland's Dynamic Old Soul