Raiders fire Paul Guenther after 44-27 loss to Indianapolis

The Raiders fired defensive coordinator Paul Guenther Sunday in the hours following a 44-27 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Defensive line coach Rod Marinelli will take over as the interim defensive coordinator for the last three games of the season.

Guenther was the hand-picked coordinator for coach Jon Gruden when he was hired in 2018, and in all three seasons has presided over one of the NFL’S worst defenses. Gruden hires and fires his coaches, although it’s conceivable owner Mark Davis made his feelings known about the way the Raiders were playing on defense.

In a 44-27 loss Sunday to the Indianapolis Colts, the Raiders were essentially helpless against both run and pass in a game with playoff implications. The Raiders (7-6) came in a game behind the Colts (now 9-4) in the wild card standings.

“We got stuck on some blocks. We misfit some runs. We paid for it big-time,” Gruden said after the game. “We had no answers today. And we’d better find some answers and as soon as I’m done here we’ll start searching.”

With the next game Thursday night at home against the Los Angeles Chargers, Marinelli has no time to lose in getting to work.

The Raiders gave up 212 yards rushing and 244 yards passing as the Colts had 25 first

downs, were 8 of 11 on third down conversions, averaged 7.7 yards per play and scored four touchdowns and three field goals in eight possessions not including kneeling on the ball at the end of the game. Indianapolis had

456 yards of total offense. Of the 25 first downs, five came by defensive penalty.

One of the most alarming plays was a 62-yard touchdown run by Jonathan Taylor, who ran untouched into the secondary. Taylor is not noted for his flat-out speed, but he pulled away from Raiders defensive backs who almost seemed resigned to give up the touchdown.

The previous week, the Raiders gave up 206 yards rushing to the winless New York Jets and needed a 46-yard touchdown pass from Derek Carr to Henry Ruggs III with five seconds left to pull out a victory.

The Raiders have shuffled personnel in and out of the defense since Gruden and Guenther arrived to the point where not a single starter remains from their first season in 2018.

This past offseason, the Raiders made key free agent signings in linebacker Cory Littleton, defensive end Carl Nassib, inside linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski and defensive tackle Malik Collins, all projected starters. The Raiders also made Damon Arnette a first-round draft pick at cornerback and last season added defensive end Clelin

Ferrell and Abram in the first round of the draft, cornerback Trayvon Mullen in the second round and defensive and Maxx Crosby in the fourth round.

Because of injury or ineffectiveness, none have worked out as planned with the possible exception of Crosby, considering where he was drafted.

Marinelli, who arrived this season to replace Brentson Buckner, was a defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears from 2010-12 and and replaced Monte Kiffin as the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys in 2014. He worked for the Cowboys through the 2019 season when the coaching staff was fired when Mike Mccarthy came aboard.

The Raiders have been deficient in every area of their defense, coming in to the game ranked 22nd in total defense (378.2), 20th in rush defense (120.1) and 24th in pass defense (257.1). They are giving up 30.1 points per game (including opponents’ defensive scores) after the Colts game and were 29th in third down defense at 48.3 percent going in to the game.

In Guenther’s first year, the Raiders ranked last in the NFL in total defense and in sacks with 13.

Those numbers improved slightly to 25th with 32 sacks. This season, the Raiders have 15 sacks in 13 games.

Earlier this season, Gruden said had faith in Guenther, and there were brief moments when the Raiders appeared to be making progress.

The Raiders shutdown Patrick Mahomes and the

Kansas City Chiefs in the second half of a 40-32 win at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 5 and beat the Cleveland Browns 17-7 in the wind and rain in Week 8.

The Raiders best defensive game came with five takeaways in a 37-12 win over the Denver Broncos on Nov. 15.

It went downhill after that. Kansas City moved the ball at will in winning 35-31 in the rematch, and the Raiders were blown out 43-6 against the Atlanta Falcons in a game where the biggest problems were turnovers (five) rather than the defense.

Depending on how the Raiders finish the season, the Raiders could keep Marinelli as defensive cooridnator in 2021 or look outside the organization. Secondary coach Jim O’neal has also been a coordinator with the Browns and 49ers.

Guenther is the second consecutive defensive coordinator who failed to last three years. Jack Del Rio fired Ken Norton Jr. after Week 12 of the 2017 season, replacing him with John Pagano, a defensive assistant.

Outside candidates could include Atlanta’s Raheem Morris, who is currently the interim head coach and was hired by Gruden in Tampa Bay. Morris could be in line for a head coaching job in Atlanta or elsewhere. If Gruden wants to go with someone he knows, another possibility is Derrick Ansley, a defensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee who was on the Raiders staff in 2018.