Gruden seeks answers after his most lopsided loss

The defense can’t stop anybody, even a third-string, undrafted free agent quarterback making his NFL debut.

The banged-up offensive line is providing no protection for Derek Carr, leaving coach Jon Gruden so concerned about his quarterback’s health that he was unwilling to call any down-field passes. The rookie punter is in a major rut, unable to flip the field with his kicks.

The problems for the Raiders right now run deep and they were all exposed in a 34-3 loss to the San Francisco 49ers that was the most lopsided of Gruden’s 12 years as an NFL coach.

The play that revealed the most issues might have been a 52-yard touchdown run by Raheem Mostert that made it 31-3 in the third quarter on Thursday night that featured several players appearing to play at less than top speed.

“I didn’t have any problem at all with the effort,” Gruden said. “I think what I had a big problem with is we had two guys in the same gap and we got outflanked immediately and their back was faster than I think we anticipated. That was my big problem with the long run. Once again, defensively I think we gave up six plays for 240 yards. Six plays yielded 240 yards. That cannot happen and it continues to be a big part of our problem. We have to fix it.”

Right now, the Raiders (1-7) haven’t been able to fix much of anything and are getting worse by the week. Oakland has lost four straight games, getting outscored by 85 points in the span.

“The team will seek immediate dismissal of this disappointing, unwarranted and baseless claim.”