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The Raiders found a way to beat the Jets 38-33 on Sunday, despite trailing at times.
They should be proud of that. Winning while working through your own shortcomings is a skill, especially for a team still learning how to do it.
But let’s not confuse finding a way to win with finding answers to everything that nearly got them beat.
Especially when the opponent supplied one of the biggest answers itself.
After hammering the Raiders for 140 rushing yards in the first half, the Jets ran the ball just four times in the second.
Four.
An offense that had spent two quarters finding something that worked essentially stopped asking the Raiders to prove they could stop it.
It was an inexplicable unforced error. The Raiders were right to accept the gift.
They would be foolish to expect another one Sunday against the 49ers.
Kyle Shanahan will have access to the same film everyone else does. He will see the running lanes, the missed assignments and the opportunities the Jets left behind. He will also see a defense that has been pummeled on the ground far too often.
The Raiders run defense is the second worst in the NFL. The 5.1 yards per carry they are surrendering ranks dead last.
Nothing about that suggests a coach who needs to outsmart himself.
If the Raiders cannot stop the run, Shanahan has every reason to keep calling it.
Defensive coordinator Rob Leonard did not pretend the Jets game represented some sweeping breakthrough.
“Yeah, no, it wasn’t pretty,” Leonard said. “There’s a lot we have to fix.”
There were also things worth appreciating. The Raiders forced the Jets to settle for field goals in situations that could have produced touchdowns. They absorbed punches and kept competing. Those stops helped make the victory possible.
But red-zone resilience is a difficult foundation for an entire defensive game plan. Keep letting an opponent march into scoring position, and eventually the math becomes unforgiving.
Leonard said the Raiders tried to adjust against the run. He was appropriately careful about claiming those changes explained the Jets’ decision to abandon it.
“It’s hard to comment on what their mindset was,” Leonard said. “But we tried to fix some things and adjust.”
That is an honest assessment. Four second-half carries hardly constitute a thorough examination of whether the repairs held.
The 49ers will provide one.
And the challenge extends beyond whether the Raiders can withstand another afternoon of blockers moving them out of the way.
Shanahan makes defenders pay for getting impatient. The motion that pulls their eyes one direction can create an opening somewhere else. The run action that draws a linebacker forward can clear space for a pass behind him.
Defenders have to respond aggressively without guessing. Against an offense built to make hesitation and overreaction equally costly, that is a demanding balance.
“They’re fundamentally sound, man,” Leonard said. “They’re a clean operation, and they got some good players.”
That creates another layer of difficulty for a secondary whose promise remains ahead of its polish.
The Raiders like their young talent. They have reason to. But potential does not eliminate the lessons that come with playing NFL football, particularly against a coach capable of identifying the least experienced defender and repeatedly testing his understanding.
Jermod McCoy is working through those lessons while also recovering something more basic: the rhythm of playing again.
The young cornerback missed more than a year of football after suffering a serious knee injury at Tennessee. Now he is shaking off that rust while navigating the normal transition from college to the NFL.
That is a considerable amount to put on one player’s plate.
McCoy received extended work when Darien Porter went down against the Jets. Leonard saw progress, along with the unevenness that should be expected.
“Good. Some ups and downs, but he’s learning,” Leonard said. “He’s very coachable and competitive. I really like where he’s at.”
The talent is showing. The next step is making it dependable.
“He’s flashed since he’s gotten here, in and out, and you’re looking for consistency,” Leonard said.
Sunday will test that pursuit. If the Raiders need extra help against the run, their coverage becomes more vulnerable. If young defensive backs react too quickly to what looks like a handoff, Shanahan can attack the space they leave.
Everything is connected.
The Raiders deserve credit for surviving the Jets. But the distinction between surviving a problem and solving it matters.
The Jets stopped asking the question.
Shanahan figures to keep asking until the Raiders produce an answer.
