The Raiders have the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, and he's a great one. No player has more sacks than Mack over the last two seasons (26). But watching the Raiders make Jared Goff look like Drew Brees the other night, it was painfully clear that Mack's excellence isn't enough to bring his defense along with him.
Indeed, over the last two seasons, although no player has more sacks than Mack, only six teams have fewer sacks than the Raiders. It's not as if there are no other capable players there (Bruce Irvin, for one) but not enough are doing their part.
TEAM SACKS, 2015-2016 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Team | 2015 | 2016 | Total |
Denver | 52 | 42 | 94 |
Carolina | 44 | 47 | 91 |
Pittsburgh | 48 | 38 | 86 |
Arizona | 36 | 48 | 84 |
Minnesota | 43 | 41 | 84 |
Green Bay | 43 | 40 | 83 |
New England | 49 | 34 | 83 |
Seattle | 37 | 42 | 79 |
Tennessee | 39 | 40 | 79 |
Houston | 45 | 31 | 76 |
Tampa Bay | 38 | 38 | 76 |
Washington | 38 | 38 | 76 |
Cincinnati | 42 | 33 | 75 |
Kansas City | 47 | 28 | 75 |
Chicago | 35 | 37 | 72 |
LA Rams | 41 | 31 | 72 |
Philadelphia | 37 | 34 | 71 |
Jacksonville | 36 | 33 | 69 |
Baltimore | 37 | 31 | 68 |
Detroit | 42 | 26 | 68 |
Indianapolis | 35 | 33 | 68 |
Dallas | 31 | 36 | 67 |
San Diego | 32 | 35 | 67 |
NY Jets | 39 | 27 | 66 |
Miami | 31 | 33 | 64 |
Oakland | 38 | 25 | 63 |
New Orleans | 31 | 30 | 61 |
San Francisco | 28 | 33 | 61 |
Buffalo | 21 | 39 | 60 |
NY Giants | 23 | 35 | 58 |
Cleveland | 29 | 26 | 55 |
Atlanta | 19 | 34 | 53 |
Some of the teams near the top (like Denver) also have an elite pass rusher, although note the Falcons and Vic Beasley way down at the bottom. Many of the teams at or near the top get contributions from multiple players (Vikings, Panthers).
In any case, the Raiders haven't ranked higher than 15th in fantasy defense (1 point for sacks, 2 points for turnovers, 6 for TDs) since 2010. That's unlikely to change unless the team can find away to uncover some pass rush help.
--Andy Richardson