What went wrong with the Raiders’ defense?

By every measure, the Raiders’ offense took a major step this season, most notably lifting its per game scoring average from 19.6 to 26.9.

The push forward should have earned the Raiders a spot in the playoffs. But with two games remaining, their postseason hopes are all but dashed.

What did them in was a defense that not only didn’t improve from last year, it actually got worse. In fact, the Raiders are giving up an average of 30.1 points per game compared with 26.2 last year while recording only 16 sacks compared with 32 last season.

The big step backward not only sabotaged the Raiders’ playoffs aspirations, it cost Paul Guenther his job as defensive coordinator, put a couple of young players in an unfavorable light and sets up some major soul searching on the part of general manager Mike Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden.

The two decision-makers are tasked with deciding what direction to take to get the defense on the right track. That could mean looking outside the building for a coach to lead the defense, someone they will rely on for decisions about scheme and talent acquisition.

It is vital they get that choice right. They can’t afford another swing and miss like they took this year.

Here is a look at what went wrong this year for the Raiders’ defense:

Failed leadership

In Guenther’s defense, the roster Gruden inherited three years ago was lacking talent on both sides of the ball. The task of completely rebuilding both units simultaneously, given the finite number of draft picks and the limited amount of money available under the cap each year is almost impossible.

It almost guarantees one group will arrive at an elite level ahead of the other, and that has been the case with the Raiders.

It also didn’t help that a defense filled with an inordinate number of young players and one incorporating seven new starters did not have a traditional offseason due to COVID-19. In season, the Raiders have dealt with a slew of injuries, including four starters sitting out last Thursday’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

That said, Guenther’s failure to improve the defense over three years was inexplicable given the draft capital and free agency money the Raiders invested over the last few years.

His defense appeared disconnected and confused. Too many young players and free-agent additions either didn’t take necessary steps forward or seemed ill-fits in his system.

A liability

A lot was expected of Johnathan Abram, a first-round pick in 2019 who missed all but the season opener of his rookie season with a shoulder injury. A physical, energetic safety, he was being counted on to add toughness to the back end of the Raiders’ defense.

That never happened , at least not on a consistent basis. In fact, Abram grades out as the worst safety in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus, and he is tied for the most penalties among players at his position.

Far too often Abram has been a liability in pass coverage, takes poor tackling angles, doesn’t properly carry out his assignments and plays with a recklessness that crosses the line and results in back-breaking penalties.

Abram finds himself at the crossroads as a result. As he heads into his third year, he needs to take a long, hard look at himself and decide what, exactly, he wants to be. He has the physical tools and intelligence to be an impact safety in the NFL, but it won’t happen if he doesn’t become a disciplined, detailed player more concerned with carrying out his assignments than making splashy plays.

Free agents a wash

The Raiders believed they were adding two impact starters in Cory Littleton at linebacker and Maliek Collins at defensive tackle, and a high energy pass rusher off the bench in Carl Nassib. All three free-agent pickups were being counted on to provide competence at positions of need and a veteran presence on a young Raiders defense.

Each has inexplicably fallen far short of expectations. In Littleton’s case, the three years and $35,250,000 the Raiders invested in him looks dubious at this point.

Littleton’s fall could be a case of him not fitting into Guenther’s 4-3 defensive scheme after excelling in the 3-4 scheme of the Rams in 2018 and 2019. That could account for the major fall he’s taken, according to Pro Football Focus, going from defensive grade of 79.0 in 2019 (on a 1 to 100 grading scale) to 41.7 this year. That includes his pass cover grade slipping from 89.0 last year to 40.7 this year.

A terrific tackler in Los Angeles, Littleton has just 41 tackles after notching 94 in 2019 and 95 in 2018.

Collins was being touted as the “key” to the Raiders’ defense by Gruden during training camp. That turned out to be wishful thinking. Collins never delivered.

Prior to going on the injured reserve list on December 2, he was ranked 128th among 131 interior defensive players, according to PFF, and was second to last in run defense. Meanwhile, he hasn’t recorded a sack in 10 games.

Nassib had 12 sacks between 2018 and 2019 with Tampa Bay and was expected to bring that kind of push off the bench upon signing with the Raiders in free agency. Nassib, though, has just two sacks and was deactivated two straight weeks recently as the Raiders gave Vic Beasley a chance to add pass rush pressure.

Nassib’s subpar season, second-year defensive end Maxx Crosby not taking a step forward as both a run defender and pass rusher and Collins not meeting expectations have resulted in a tough season for the defensive line. In the process, that has hurt all levels of the Raiders’ defense.

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