Raiders must tackle their biggest issue on defense — tackling

What was supposed to be an integral part of the team’s strength has progressively gotten worse in the first five games.

How bad has it been? In Sunday’s 34-18 loss to the Broncos, there were 16 missed tackles.

Unless they fix the issue, whatever incremental improvement Aidan O’Connell provides at quarterback might not matter Sunday when the Raiders host the Steelers at Allegiant Stadium.

“This is the team where tackling has to show up,” Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham said. “There has to be a tackling game plan.”

The Raiders (2-3) have been pointing out the problem for weeks but have done little to improve their execution.

They rank last in tackling proficiency in the NFL with a grade of 28.4 out of 100, according to Pro Football Focus. Their 66 missed tackles are the worst in the league, with six players whiffing on five or more tackles, and cornerback Jakorian Bennett and injured safety Marcus Epps missing on seven tackles each.

The sloppy tackling is a combination of poor angles, over-pursuit, bad fundamentals and miscalculated run fits that left players in a poor position to make the tackle. It has contributed greatly to them surrendering the fourth-most points in the NFL and a run defense ranked 21st.

Fixing it is complex. But as linebacker Robert Spillane said, it begins with players coming to grips with some realities.

“The truths have been we are a poor tackling defense,” Spillane said Thursday. “We expect more from ourselves.”

Showing up in games

Opponents have seized on the Raiders’ weakness by attacking them in space, often closer to the line of scrimmage with short passes or screens, then fighting through tackles to pick up yards after the catch.

As a result, there is little need for opponents to take big swings downfield. They just attack underneath and let their athletes break through tackles.

Expect the Steelers to do much of the same with Justin Fields, one of the most physical quarterbacks in the NFL, and punishing running back Najee Harris. The Steelers force opponents to match their physicality and will challenge the Raiders to stand up to them.

Anything less than a similar mindset and proper fundamentals could mean the Raiders facing a long afternoon.

“Football is won through the most simple things. It’s fundamentals, details and focus,” star defensive end Maxx Crosby said. “And that’s what we have to do a better job of doing.”

The Raiders have prioritized tackling since training camp. Coach Antonio Pierce has done everything from devoting practice time to it to publicly calling his players out about it.

But, if anything, it’s getting worse.

“It starts with me,” Graham said. “I’m in charge of the defense.”

Getting it right

Like most teams, the Raiders structure their work week around the self-preservation required to get players through a long season and prepare them for the physicality on a week-to-week basis. That means managing the amount of fully padded practices to help mitigate injuries and fatigue.

It’s a common-sense approach, but it can have some downsides. Reducing the practice time devoted to tackling can lead to slippage in that area on game day, so fixing the problem isn’t as easy as it might seem.

“You’ve got to pinpoint what the main issue is,” Graham said. “If there’s three issues, let’s chip away at one, then let’s chip away at two, let’s chip away at three. It starts with me as the defensive coordinator, and we’ve got to figure out a way to get it right. We’re working on it in practice, I can promise you that.”

Ultimately, it comes down to the game. The Raiders have not handled that part of it well, and it’s cost them.

“We’ve got to go out there and execute,” Graham said. “So we could talk about it and all that stuff. It’s just got to show up.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.