Where's Raiders pass rush?

Trying to figure out exactly what’s wrong with the Raiders defense can neatly be fit into three boxes: A lack of talent, poor schemes, or both.

But that math doesn’t necessarily add up when it comes to the team’s inconsistent and poor pass rush this season.

A year after recording 32 sacks — their most since 2015 — the Raiders had just nine through the first eight games of the 2020 season. That’s a significant dropoff, especially considering that nearly all of the key players from last year are on the team this year.

With little to no pass rush, opposing quarterbacks have been able to sit in the pocket comfortably while waiting for an open receiver. Combined with poor tackling on the back end, it’s a huge problem on the defensive side of the ball that Las Vegas has yet to show that it can handle.

“We’ve got to do a better job of that,” coach Jon Gruden said. “That’s the No. 1 thing we need to improve on still.”