One stat Pete Carroll was 'concerned' about in Raiders preseason opener and the 6 culprits

There are few stats that will drive a coach more crazy than missed tackles. When making the stop is your job and you blow it. Whether it's a bad angle, poor execution, technique, or otherwise. They call the defense the way they do to ensure there is at least one guy there to make the stop. Then everything seems to go as planned only to watch a guy unable to seal the deal.

I counted at least seven instances in the Raiders preseason opener Thursday night in which a Raiders defender missed a tackle. And the results were some pretty huge plays for the Seahawks.

“I’m chalking it up to the first preseason game, but I’m concerned. The tackling stunk," Pete Carroll said watching the game film. "It was all open field stuff for the most part. And that’s the first time we’ve tackled anybody. That’s why you play these games. Progress was made in the second half. We were playing a lot cleaner at the end. Guys just got used to running and hitting. But we need to continue to emphasize it like we have been. That’s the first shot. It could have been better. I thought we worked on it hard enough to show better than that, but we’ve got work to do.”

He's right about the tackling being better in the second half. Five of the seven missed tackles happened in the first half.

So, who had the big missed tackles?

Isaiah Pola-Mao had the first one on a 19-yard run on the first drive.

Fullback sighting.

📺: @King5Seattle or @NFLNetworkpic.twitter.com/Kqd1qywblV— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 8, 2025

Devin White missed a tackle two plays later on an eight-yard run.

Darien Porter was late getting to the outside to miss the tackle on a 24-yard touchdown run on the second drive

Holani takes it HOME!

📺: @King5Seattle or @NFLNetworkpic.twitter.com/qQImteTokr— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 8, 2025

Matt Jones missed a tackle on a 20-yard run on third and 10 in second quarter. They would score their second TD on that drive.

Greedy Vance missed the tackle in an eight yard catch to begin the next drive.

The two missed tackles in the second half were both by JT Woods. The first was on a 45-yard run that was called back by a holding penalty. It may not have counted in the stats, but it can't be unseen.

In the fourth quarter, Woods would miss a tackle on a 10-yard run to the one-yard-line and they would score the touchdown on the next play.

As Carroll suggested, this is why you play the games. Partly to get the players back in the swing of tackling again, and partly to help evaluate who's got it and who doesn't.

This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: 6 culprits of stat that 'concerned' Pete Carroll for Raiders vs Seattle