Marlon Mack presents big challenge for Raiders defense

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Just under a year ago, the Raiders faced the Indianapolis Colts in Oakland-Alameda Coliseum and lost 42-28.

While both team’s personnel looks dramatically different, two of the Colts remain the same: running backs Marlon Mack and Nyheim Hines. And that’s not the best news for the Raiders’ defense.

Mack rushed for 132 yards on 25 carries with a pair of touchdowns, and Hines gained 78 yards on 11 rushes in that Colts victory.

Even though it was a losing performance, Mack rushed for 174 yards in the Colts’ first game of the season against the Chargers. That’s vaulted him to No. 3 in the NFL and the top spot in the AFC in yards rushing this season with 299.

“They can pound it down your throat,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said.

That could be a problem for the Raiders. After surrendering just 126 yards on the ground in the first two weeks combined, they allowed 211 to the Minnesota Vikings last week on the road.

What went wrong? Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said the Raiders were not consistent enough with their fundamentals at the point of attack. Then injuries at linebacker piled up, which caused an adjustment to the defensive game plan.

While Indianapolis’ scheme is considerably different from that of Minnesota, Guenther knows it’s still going to be a formidable challenge.

“They’ve got a lot of high draft picks up there,” Guenther said of the Colts’ offensive line.

Incognito plays well

Despite having missed so much time, left guard Richie Incognito played “very well” against the Vikings, offensive coordinator Greg Olson said on Thursday. “He’s kind of everything that we thought he was when we signed him,” Olson said.

The expectation remains that Incognito will play at a high level as the Raiders’ starting left guard, and Olson seems to feel the veteran lineman is up to the task.

“There was concern, maybe, about wear-and-tear or the age factor. But he’s come back and looks just as strong as he did in his Pro Bowl years,” Olson said.

Injury report

The Raiders added two players to their Thursday injury report.

Offensive lineman Jordan Devey, who started the Raiders’ first two games at left guard before moving over last week to right guard, was limited with a groin injury. Defensive end Benson Mayowa,, who leads the Raiders with 3½ sacks, was limited with a knee injury.

Right tackle Trent Brown (ankle/knee), linebacker Vontaze Burfict (elbow/knee/shoulder), linebacker Nicholas Morrow (ankle) and linebacker Kyle Wilber (quad) were also limited on Thursday’s report.

For the Colts, star wide receiver T.Y. Hilton continues to be sidelined by a quad injury and did not practice on Thursday. Star linebacker Darius Leonard (concussion) also has not practiced for the first two days of the week.

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Contact Myles Simmons at msimmons@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350. Follow @MylesASimmons on Twitter.