Raiders report card: Grades for offense, defense in tough 2018 season

The Raiders' 2018 season couldn’t have gone much worse.

Jon Gruden won just four games to start his second tenure as coach. That wasn’t the start many expected for him and these Raiders, who entered the offseason with lofty expectations. They weren’t met on the field, which is all we’re focused on for this report card.

Analysis of Gruden’s controversial trades, cuts and personnel moves are fodder for another piece. The football product obviously was hurt after Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper were traded. It wasn’t as good when Gruden was formally set on a full-scale rebuild.

Let’s grade out how the Raiders fared during a 4-12 campaign in this 2018 season report card:

Rushing offense

The Raiders featured two old running backs who found old form this season.

Marshawn Lynch was the first, running with great power and force until a groin pull shut his season down after Week 6. Doug Martin picked up the mantle at that point, and ran well but not excellent until the final two games.

Jalen Richard proved a perfect match for Gruden’s offense, and will be prominently featured in both the run and the pass. Martin’s expected back -- Lynch seems less likely, though he’s an enigma -- though a new back could be added to the mix.

Having so many injuries at guard hurt the ground game, which wasn’t steady enough to be truly effective.

Grade: C

Passing offense

Derek Carr started slower than he’d like in his first season working with Gruden, but his performance improved with his comfort level. He went 322 passes without an interception, and posted the first 4,000-yard season of his five-year NFL career.

Carr was sacked 51 times, though, thanks to a shaky offensive line with two rookie tackles. He constantly cycled through receivers because of injury and the Cooper trade, and finished with Jared Cook, Jordy Nelson and not much else. The Raiders finished 18th in the NFL at 234 yards per game through the air, which was unspectacular at best.

The passing game disappeared at times, though three of the team’s four wins were earned through Carr's heroics. Gruden’s complex system still works, even though it calls for more checkdowns and short passes than fans would like.

Grade: C-minus

Rushing defense

The Raiders finished 30th against the run, which could be considered a high mark after they spent most of the season dead last in defending ground attacks. The Raiders were awful on the interior, especially before Justin Ellis returned off IR, and struggled to consistently set a proper edge.

Linebackers missed too many tackles, and cornerbacks allowed rushers to break big plays outside. Opponents were able to run steadily and make big runs that changed games. This was a major defensive defect that severely hurt the team’s chance to win.

Grade: F

Pass defense

The Raiders' secondary became a team strength as the season wore on, with improved play from Gareon Conley and Daryl Worley.

Karl Joseph came on strong near season’s end, improving a position group that was considered a weakness earlier in the year. Reggie Nelson was a liability before going on IR, though Erik Harris was solid at free safety and Marcus Gilchrist was just OK in filling several roles in the secondary.

While the back end was OK, the pass rush was awful. The Raiders finished with a franchise-low 13 sacks this season, and were dead last in total quarterback pressures.

Life was tough with Mack traded and Bruce Irvin ineffective before being cut. Too much was put on Arden Key and Frostee Rucker off the edge, leaving the Raiders lacking in this area.

Grade: D-minus

Special teams

Daniel Carlson set a franchise record for field-goal conversion percentage, and seems to be a long-term answer at kicker. The jury’s still out on punter Johnny Townsend, who struggled in his rookie season.

The Raiders brought in several special-teams coverage guys via free agency, including Keith Smith and Kyle Wilber. It’s tough to say they made a grand impact in those areas.

Grade: C-minus

Overall

The on-field product wasn’t good enough to win games, with a talent disparity so lopsided that the Raiders lost nine games by 14 points or more, and they were outscored by 177 total points this season. That’s awful. That’s non-competitive and unacceptable by any standard.

Gruden and defensive coordinator Paul Guenther are talented play-callers and play designers, but they didn’t have the talent required to get either unit to play up to a professional standard. There was improvement as the season progressed but still not enough for the Raiders to be in many games.

The Raiders must add several new pieces to the offense and defense in 2019 to be more competitive against quality and even average competition.

Grade: F