Falcons shred Raiders defense for 528 yards, get 35-28 win

OAKLAND - After welcoming several marquee free agents into the fold and adding to the unit in the first three rounds of the draft, the Raiders defense was expected to be vastly improved in 2016. Instead, it has been the worst defense in the history of the NFL.

No, really.

After giving up 507 yards in a dramatic win at New Orleans in Week 1, the Raiders celebrated the 50th anniversary of football at the Oakland Coliseum by surrendering 528 in a 35-28 home loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. According to footballperspective.com, the 1,033 yards were the most ever relinquished by an NFL team in the first two weeks of the season, breaking the record that had saddled the 1951 New York Yanks for more than half a century.

“The first two games, 1,000 yards?” defensive end Khalil Mack asked, somewhat incredulous. “It sucks. But at the same time, we have to rally back and get the troops ready. We will be better.”

Certainly, there is plenty of time for coordinator Ken Norton Jr.’s defense to come together. As of Sunday, though, these guys can’t really stop anybody. And despite all the preseason hoopla, the Raiders might not be the playoff contender we were promised.

They sure might be exciting, though. The Raiders scored a crucial road victory in Week 1 when they scored on a daring 2-point conversion with 47 seconds left. Against the Falcons, Derek Carr hit wide receiver Andre Holmes at the back of the end zone with 2:12 remaining to cut the deficit to 35-28.

Another comeback win seemed possible. But whereas coach Jack Del Rio chose to gamble with that 2-point conversion at New Orleans, he took a safer route against the Falcons when he decided not to attempt an onside kick after Holmes’ score.

“Yeah, we thought we’d get the ball back there,” Del Rio said afterward. “ … We felt that with all three timeouts on the other side of the two-minute warning that it was setting up for us to get the ball back and have a shot.”

It didn’t happen, because the Raiders were good for one more defensive breakdown. They got Atlanta to third-and-3 on the ensuing possession, but wide receiver Mohamed Sanu got open over the middle and caught a 15-yard pass for a first down.

“Again, that’s a mental error that allows an easy completion on that third down,” Del Rio said. “You have to have tight coverage in that situation. If they make a great throw and catch, so be it. At some point you have to make a play if you’re going to win the game.”

By the time Carr got the ball in his hands again, there were 2 seconds on the clock, time enough only for a slapstick succession of laterals.

The Raiders fell to 1-1, already a game behind the defending Super Bowl-champion Broncos in the AFC West. Next week they play at Tennessee.

There aren’t a lot of reasons to worry about the Oakland offense. The unit put up 454 yards of total offense Sunday. The Raiders ran for 155 yards and averaged 6.2 a carry, and Carr completed 34 of 45 pass attempts for 299 yards and three touchdowns. The only time he was “sacked” was when he scrambled and was run out of bounds for no gain.

That defense, though. The Raiders gave up 139 rushing yards to Devonta Freeman (93) and Tevin Coleman (46), and Ryan rarely looked troubled as he connected on 26 of 34 passes for 396 yards and three scores of his own. Atlanta averaged a vigorous 8.3 yards per play.

Four of the defenders who started against Atlanta are new to the Raiders: outside linebacker Bruce Irvin, cornerback Sean Smith, free safety Reggie Nelson and rookie defensive lineman Jihad Ward.

Smith, in particular, is off to a shaky start. He was benched late in the loss to the Saints in Week 1. And after a solid start Sunday, Smith wound up getting torched by Julio Jones, one of the game’s best receivers. Jones beat Smith for a 21-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, a 48-yard deep ball that help set up the Falcons’ go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, and a 20-yarder on a crossing route that propelled his team to a final TD.

Some would suggest the new-look Raiders defense just needs more time on the field to get comfortable. Del Rio wasn’t having it.

“I think there’s a lot of different things that will come of alibis and I’m not really in the mood to sit here and try to give any,” he said. “I don’t think that helps us be better.”

With the Raiders down 13-7 at halftime, the teams started trading touchdowns. Oakland took advantage of a penalty for 12 Falcons on the field during a punt to retain possession, and cashed in on a 31-yard scoring pass from Carr to tight end Clive Walford to go up 14-13. That lead looked even better when cornerback David Amerson intercepted Ryan’s throw in the end zone at 9:28 of the third quarter.

But the Falcons mounted another drive. Ryan finished it with a touchdown pass to Tamme, and scored the 2-point conversion himself on a quarterback draw to put the visitors up 21-14 late in the third quarter. The Raiders answered with Carr’s pass to Michael Crabtree on fourth-and-goal from the 2. But Oakland simply couldn’t make the defensive stops after that.

In fact, the Raiders haven’t made them all year. And the best-laid plans of Del Rio and general manager Reggie McKenzie will go to waste if the defense doesn’t find some solutions soon.

You can reach staff writer Phil Barber at phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com. Follow Phil on Twitter @Skinny_Post.