Oakland Raiders: The good, bad, and ugly from week two loss to Denver

Uglier: Pass Rush

Perhaps, the only thing more invisible, over the first two games, than Oakland’s running game, has been its pass rush. Now, you may be thinking to yourself – what pass rush? Exactly.

Both Jared Goff and Case Keenum had all day to sit back in the pocket and survey the field. Though Oakland got a little more heat on Keenum than they did Goff – they did register a few more hits on him – they still notched just one sack, and gave him too much time to sit back and carve up the defense.

That was especially true – and evident – on the final drive of the game.

Obviously, the defense was gassed. Hot day in Denver, combined with players not being able to get off the field thanks to Denver running a no-huddle and not allowing substitutions, as well as Oakland’s inability to stop Denver on third-down, made for some very sloppy play, and a lack of pressure on Keenum.

Yes, not having Khalil Mack in the lineup hurts the Raiders. There’s just no getting around it. However, even if he were on the field, the Raiders would still need other guys to step up. As dominant as Mack is, no one player can do it all on his own. Even with Mack on the field for the Raiders, they had a problem generating any sort of pressure. And that needs to change.

They Raiders are not getting pressure from anywhere on the field with any sort of consistency. They need guys in the middle, as well as on the edges to start getting to the quarterback. Otherwise, we’re going to suffer through a very long season.