You guys are going to intercept a pass, right? We’re 10 games into the season. Opponents have attempted 325 passes against them. And the Raiders still haven’t picked off a pass all year.
Part of this is the pass rush (or lack of it). The Raiders have a league-low 14 sacks. They’re also lean on talent in the secondary. But it’s pretty remarkable. You would think some quarterback would float a ball into coverage at some point.
Small wonder that the Raiders fired Ken Norton Jr. this week. They’re replacing him with John Pagano (who spent the last 15 years in the division with the Chargers). But Oakland has a defensive head coach – Jack Del Rio – so it’s not fair to pin all of the blame (or even most of it) on Norton. This just isn’t a good defense – bad scheme, and bad players.
Before we’re done, the Raiders likely will blow away the record for fewest interceptions in a season. So far, only the 0-16 Lions have gone as low as 4 interceptions in a 16-game season.
The other dynamic here is the reality that the game is changing. All defenses are picking off fewer passes. Two other defenses this year, Miami and Atlanta, have only 3 interceptions each, and Chicago has only 4.
If the Raiders are going to get an interception, most likely it will come in the next two weeks. They’ve got Paxton Lynch on Sunday, and the following week they’re at home against Eli Manning.
If they make it through that stretch, than I think there’s a real chance they’ll finish with zero. Final four games are against quarterbacks who take care of the ball – Alex Smith, Dak Prescott, Carson Wentz and Philip Rivers.
| FEWER THAN 8 INTERCEPTIONS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | Int |
| 2017 | Oakland (proj.) | 0 |
| 2008 | Detroit | 4 |
| 2017 | Miami (proj.) | 4.8 |
| 2017 | Atlanta (proj.) | 4.8 |
| 2005 | Oakland | 5 |
| 2006 | Washington | 6 |
| 2004 | St. Louis | 6 |
| 2014 | NY Jets | 6 |
| 2014 | Kansas City | 6 |
| 2014 | Jacksonville | 6 |
| 2008 | Denver | 6 |
| 2015 | Baltimore | 6 |
| 1996 | Atlanta | 6 |
| 2017 | Chicago (proj.) | 6.4 |
| 2015 | Washington | 7 |
| 2014 | Washington | 7 |
| 2014 | San Diego | 7 |
| 2012 | Kansas City | 7 |
| 2016 | Jacksonville | 7 |
| 2013 | Houston | 7 |
| 2005 | Houston | 7 |
| 2012 | Dallas | 7 |
| 1997 | Dallas | 7 |
| 1989 | Dallas | 7 |
—Ian Allan