Oakland Raiders: Notes and Observations From Week Three

Sep 27, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Travis Benjamin (11) scores a fourth quarter touchdown as Oakland Raiders cornerback D.J. Hayden (25) defends at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Secondary Is In Real Trouble

It says a lot when the Norton and Del Rio move their best cover corner to safety – rather than roll with the guys on the roster already listed at the position. It worked out and Carrie played well, but it proves how thin the defensive backfield is.

And Josh McCown also proved just how vulnerable and even ineffective Oakland’s cornerbacks are. Over the first two weeks of the season, one could make a believable argument that the secondary was lit up by Andy Dalton and Joe Flacco. Both are very good quarterbacks who are tough to shut down.

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But Josh McCown is not Dalton or Flacco. He’s a step up from Trent Dilfer and he torched the Raiders’ secondary yet again. For the day, McCown went 28 of 49 for 341 yards and a pair of scores. He did most of his damage in the second half of the game and was able to keep throwing and finding holes in Oakland’s defensive backfield.

McCown was able to keep the Browns in the game because the Raiders’ defensive backs were unable to stop him. On one play, he found Brian Hartline. On the next, he found Travis Benjamin. On the next, he’d throw to Duke Johnson out of the backfield. And the Oakland secondary seemed utterly powerless to stop him.

The defense as a whole was able to tighten up and get some stops when they needed them most — but that is primarily because the defensive front had such a beastly game and kept McCown running for his life.

The problems in the secondary are real and the Raiders need to get them fixed sooner rather than later. Whether that means making a trade or signing a free agent, they need to explore every possibility.

Next: Just Win, Baby