Getty Derek Carr with Greg Olson.
Meet the new Las Vegas Raiders, same as the old Raiders. After starting the season 5-2, the team is now 6-6 with a 17-15 loss at home to the Washington Football Team. Though they can still make the playoffs, 2021 certainly feels like another year wasted for the silver and black. If things don’t change, the Raiders will miss the playoffs for the third straight year after starting off the season hot.
Sunday’s loss lies solely with the offense as the defense put up a strong performance. The offensive gameplan from offensive coordinator Greg Olson was uninspiring and quarterback Derek Carr had a poor performance. He missed a number of throws that he normally makes, including an overthrow to an open Bryan Edwards on a two-point conversion that could’ve changed the outcome of the game.
There’s plenty of blame to go around for the loss but the playcalling on offense has to be taken to task. Olson has put together some strong gameplans against the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. Unfortunately, 15 points against an average Washington team is not going to cut it. The season isn’t over and it wouldn’t be the worst idea to take away playcalling from Olson right now considering he likely won’t return next season if the team keeps losing. However, Carr isn’t going to advocate for a coaching change.
“To answer your real question, I love [Olson) and he’s doing a great job,” Carr said in response to a question regarding if the Raiders needed to change their playcalling.
Carr isn’t going to throw his offensive coordinator under the bus, especially when he didn’t have his best performance.
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Who Could Take Over Offensive Playcalling for Raiders?
GettyLas Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.
A shake-up on offense could be good for Raiders but there’s no savior walking through the door right now. Olson is the most experienced offensive playcaller on the coaching staff. Interim head coach Rich Bisaccia has been a special teams coordinator for a long time so he can’t call plays on offense.
Offensive line coach Tom Cable has done a bit of playcalling but he’s certainly not the answer. Senior offensive assistant John Morton used to be the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets where he called plays. He’d likely be the most qualified coach to take over for Olson but that seems unlikely. With the Raiders having so much drama surrounding the team this year, it’s hard to imagine they will make any big moves on the coaching staff until after the season ends.
What’s Next for Raiders?
It’s impossible to get a grasp of this Raiders team. They recently lost three straight ugly games only to pull off an upset against a good Cowboys team on Thanksgiving. Instead of building off that momentum, the team put up a dud of a performance against Washington.
As unlikely as it seems, the playoffs are still well within reach for the Raiders. Every game left on the team’s schedule this season is against AFC teams that are in the playoff hunt. A loss against the Kansas City Chiefs next week will essentially end their season but it’s not too late to turn the season around quite yet despite how awful four of the last five games have looked.
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