Raiders rookie Karl Joseph’s knee and game are improving steadily

Oakland Raiders' rookie Karl Joseph, who had tackles in Monday's game, wore a sombrero that Mexican City fans threw him afterward. Oakland Raiders' rookie Karl Joseph, who had tackles in Monday's game, wore a sombrero that Mexican City fans threw him afterward. Photo: Vic Tafur, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Vic Tafur, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Raiders rookie Karl Joseph’s knee and game are improving steadily 1 / 4 Back to Gallery

It has to be pretty high on the list of showing respect, taking off and throwing a sombrero to a football player. It happened Monday night, as Raiders safety Karl Joseph was walking off the field after the 27-20 win.

The rookie safety put it on, wore it into the locker room and then put it back on after he showered and dressed.

“What a great experience,” Joseph said. “The fans were loud. And we’re 8-2.”

The defense wasn’t as sharp as the hat, but made enough plays to win. Joseph, a first-round pick from West Virginia, had 10 tackles and continues to get better after missing the first two games coming back from a knee injury. A big hitter at 5-foot-10, 205 pounds, Joseph also has shown great range.

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“When you watched him coming out of college, there was nothing he couldn’t do,” defensive backs coach Marcus Robertson said. “I compared him to a poor man’s Earl Thomas. He can range out in the back end and he’s not afraid to come up in the box. It’s just a matter of time before he becomes one of the top players in the back end.”

Joseph and the Raiders are giving up 20 points per game during their four-game winning streak, which is a big improvement from the first six games (32).

“There are still a lot of things we can get better at: communication, technique, individually,” Joseph said. “The Texans did a nice job of running their tight-end routes into certain coverages we were playing, and we’ll keep working on stuff like that.”

Joseph agreed with Derek Carr’s sentiment that even if Oakland struggles early, it doesn’t think but knows that it can and will win the game.

“We know we’re always a couple of plays away, and know we just have to keep playing,” Joseph said.

Mix in some more experience with that confidence, and watch out.

Watch out for “The Little Missile.”

“That’s what I call him,” Raiders assistant defensive backs coach and Hall of Famer Rod Woodson said. “He is a magnet for the ball, and one of the things that we love about him is that he is fearless for his size. He just flies around and throws his body in there. Doesn’t care how big the other guy is. He just believes he is going to do more damage …

“That’s not natural.”

And this is coming off knee surgery.

“I don’t think about it too much; there are still a few plays where I can feel it.” Joseph said. “It’s a thing you have to work through. It’s going to take longer than a couple of months. But I am fine.”

The knee is getting stronger, and so is his game.

“I most definitely still feel like a rookie,” Joseph said. “There is still a lot of stuff I need to learn. But the game is slowing down and I am gaining confidence. I feel like I am making strides every week.”

Woodson says Joseph knows what he has to do to get better closer to the line of scrimmage.

“He will get better playing in the box as he understands the game more,” Woodson said. “How to read things, how to get his eyes to the No. 2 faster. You can already see how good he is in space and what a dynamic playmaker he can be.

“He is going to be a playmaker for this team for quite a while.”

Vic Tafur is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vtafur@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VicTafur