Oakland Raiders: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Vs. Tennessee Titans

The Good – A Couple Of The Little Things

Just because we don’t want to leave off on a bummer of a note, let’s look at a few of the more positive things this team did against Tennessee.

The first thing worth mentioning is their defense on third down conversion attempts. Coming into the game, they were letting opposing offenses covert third downs at a 43 percent clip. Obviously, you’re getting pushed all over the field when your defense is allowing teams to convert third downs at that rate.

Against the Titans though, the Raiders defense clamped down and held Tennessee to a 17 percent conversion rate – two successful conversions out of 12 attempts. It’s an important win for this defense. Stopping the Titans on third downs got them off the field, kept them rested, and allowed them to be far more effective throughout the whole game.

Next: A Closer Look At Some Concerning Numbers

Coming into the game, the Raiders were giving up a per play yardage average of eight. Between New Orleans and Atlanta, they were breaking off an average of eight yards on every single play they ran.

Oakland’s defense did better in that category as well. Though still higher than you’d like to see, the Raiders held Tennessee to an average of 6.2 yards per play. It wasn’t a hugely significant drop off, but it’s an important one. Because it means the defense was a bit tighter than it has been. Which is a very good sign. And hopefully one of better days to come.