Oakland Raiders: Keys to Victory Over Tennessee Titans

Nov 22, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws the ball over Oakland Raiders defensive end Mario Jr. Edwards (97) during the second quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

That Pressure? Do It Again!

DC Ken Norton did something last week that he hadn’t done much of all season long – which was utilize different personnel on the blitz. And for the most part, it worked.

Norton implemented a number of different and exotic blitz schemes last week – including sending D.J. Hayden off the corner on a blitz. They harried and harassed him all game long, flushing him out of the pocket and doing a good job of keeping him off balance.

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Four different players recorded sacks on the day – Ben Heeney, Denico Autry, Malcolm Smith, and Benson Mayowa.

Of course, Oakland’s other defensive letdowns mitigated the terrific pressure they were getting on Matthew Stafford. Coverage breakdowns and missed tackles led to the Lions picking up crucial first downs and kept their drives going – and kept Oakland’s offense off the field, preventing them from getting into any sort of rhythm.

The Raiders would do well to run similar schemes and blitz packages against the Titans. They want to keep Mariota moving and prevent him from getting into any sort of rhythm. The trick of course, is to not let him use his legs to beat them.

Mariota, though he’s not shown it much this season (21 rushes for 130 yards), is very mobile. Far more mobile than Stafford. He can use his legs to escape pressure and pick up important yards. Oakland is going to want to put tons of pressure on him, but they’ll need to be careful to not give him too much room to roam.

Next: Gotta Stand Up