Oakland Raiders: Keys To Victory Over Detroit Lions

November 15, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) is tackled by Oakland Raiders free safety Charles Woodson (24) during the first quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Secondary Must Step Up

As mentioned before, the Raiders finally have safety Nate Allen back on the field, which is good news. But the Raiders are going to be facing a stiff test in the Lions and their corps of receivers.

Calvin Johnson leads the team with 54 receptions for 740 yards and three scores. Theo Riddick has snagged 45 passes for 373 yards and two scores. And Golden Tate has 44 receptions for 429 yards and a score. Oakland also needs to account for tight end Eric Ebron who has 27 receptions for 320 yards and three touchdown catches – and we all know how much trouble the Raiders have had covering the tight ends this season.

It’s a tall order and covering Detroit’s wideouts is going to be a real challenge for a secondary that hasn’t been quite up to snuff this season. But with a crew that is finally full and healthy, it will be interesting to see if the Raiders can start making some improvements to that thirty-first ranked passing defense (293 yards per game)

They showed some tremendous improvement last week against Minnesota. The defense forced Teddy Bridgewater to hold the ball longer than he would have liked, forced him to run, and forced him into a couple of bad throws because the coverage downfield was very tight and very good. We need to see more of that blanket coverage from this Raiders secondary.

Also, they may get their shots as Stafford hasn’t exactly taken great care of the ball this season. He has almost as many toucdowns (15) as he does interceptions (12). So if the defensive front can get a push and force him to hurry a throw, the secondary is going to have some chances for a pick.

Next: Take The Shot, Make The Shot