Yes, Raiders Top Corner Really Was That Bad Against Jets

The Las Vegas Raiders defense had a rough day against the New York Jets on Sunday, and the players who was supposed to stop the carnage, cornerback Eric Stokes, was instead one of the lead culprits as the Jets ran up and down the field on him in the first half. 

Sam Warren of The Athletic did a deeper dive into Stokes’ performance, and the numbers and stats were every bit as ugly as what we saw on the field. 

Quarterback Geno Smith threw for 290 yards and a pair of touchdowns against his former team, and a good chunk of that production came in pitch-and-catch, rocking-chair throws against Stokes. He gave up 81 yards and a touchdown, per NextGen Stats, and Stokes was targeted 11 times and allowed seven catches, both of which were game-high numbers. 

This isn’t what the Raiders had in mind when they signed Stokes to a three-yeard $30 million deal this offseason. So far the results have been subpar to say the least, with Stokes allowing 25 catches for 313 yards, three touchdowns, and a 101.8 opponent passer rating, with all of those numbers on pace for career worsts. 

The Jets made it obvious from the opening series that their plan was to go after Stokes, who was supposed to be a poor-man’s version of a shutdown corner. Adequate play was the next item on the performance menu, but Stokes could’t even give them that. 

Coach Klint Kubiak is backing Stokes for now, and he said the Raiders didn’t consider benching him at any point in the game. The rest of Kubiak’s comments were surprising mealy-mouthed from a rookie coach who’s been praised for being direct. 

Kubiak noted that every DB gets beat at some point, and it’s much more visible when it’s a cornerback. That means it’s discussed more than it would be if, for instance, a guard loses in the run game, and he emphasized the need to have a thick skin and move on. 

The coach also emphasized Stokes’ strong play in the red zone, as he broke up a couple of throws to Jets receiver Garrett Wilson in the end zone. But the results on those out-breaking routes run by Wilson and fellow receiver Adonai Mitchell were flat-out bad to the point of being non-competitive. 

The fact is that Kubiak doesn’t have much choice when it comes to his comments. His other choice are a rookie who’s too aggressive in Hezekiah Masses, another rookie who’s getting torched in Jermod McCoy and a struggling second-year player in Darien Porter. That’s as bad as it gets, and things could actually get much worse with this group.