The 2017 NFL season has been a wild one so far with so many teams with nearly identical records. However, one of the bigger surprises has been the lackluster play of the Oakland Raiders as they have struggled after an encouraging 2-0 start to the year.
The Raiders have had trouble moving the chains as Derek Carr and the rest of the offense appear to be out of sync. The defense, on the other hand, has been the team’s biggest weakness given their inability to generate enough stops to keep games close.
After Oakland’s recent embarrassment against the New England Patriots in Week 11, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network is reporting that Ken Norton Jr. has been fired as defensive coordinator:
Sources: The #Raiders have fired defensive coordinator Ken Norton, per @MikeSilver and me. Big change.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 21, 2017
At 4-6, it appears the Raiders felt the need to make a change and Norton was unfortunately handed the short end of the stick. The silver and black’s defensive struggles did not all fall on Norton, however, as their secondary has been depleted due to injuries.
This is a major change ahead of a crucial home game in Week 12 against the Denver Broncos and it will be interesting to see how the players react. Regardless, a win against a division opponent should help ease the transition and restore some faith among the team’s fans.
