Oakland Raiders: Some Numbers Important To The Team’s Success In 2017

27 & 18

Going along with the outrageous number of yards the defense gave up in 2016 is a staggering number of touchdowns as well – 27 through the air and 18 on the ground.

Those numbers are only mitigated by the fact that the offense was able to match those totals, putting up 29 through the air and 17 on the ground. And in case you were wondering, the 27 scoring passes the defense gave up ranked them the twentieth best unit in the NFL, while the 18 rushing touchdowns made the the league’s twenty-fifth best unit. Their scoring defense overall was the league’s twentieth best.

Obviously, the defense needs to improve upon the 385 points they surrendered in 2016 – or a tick over 24 points per game.

Having an offense that can score at almost any time is a good thing. But it’s also a false sense of security. There will be times when the offense struggles to move, let alone put the ball into the endzone. In times like that, they’ll need to be able to rely on their defense to keep the other team from putting points on the board.

Just to provide a little context, the best defense against passing touchdowns in the league – the Broncos – surrendered just 13 touchdowns through the air in 2016. While the league’s best unit against rushing touchdowns – the Patriots – gave up just six.

While it would be insane to suggest that the Raiders need to be the best in both categories – though, it would be nice – it behooves them to tighten up that defense and cut down on the number of scores they’re giving up through the air and on the ground.