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The Las Vegas Raiders are still in the thick of the playoff race with a 3-4 record but the offense has been among the worst in the NFL. The 16.0 points a game the group is averaging is the third-lowest in the league.
A big reason for the struggles has been due to quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Though opinions aren’t high on the quarterback right now, star wide receiver Davante Adams defended Garoppolo.
“Jimmy, he’s not perfect but nobody is,” Adams said during his October 26 press conference. “He’s done all the right things to make it easy playing with him.”
Garoppolo has already missed two games due to injury (both losses for the Raiders). He’s also tied for the NFL lead in interceptions with eight. Adams hasn’t appeared to lose confidence in the quarterback yet but he’s been struggling to stay on the field and play at a high level when he is healthy.
Week 7’s loss to the Chicago Bears showed that neither Brian Hoyer nor Aidan O’Connell give the team a great chance to win so Garoppolo is likely the starter as long as he’s healthy.
Jimmy Garoppolo Returns to Practice
Jimmy Garoppolo was forced to leave the Week 6 game against the New England Patriots early after suffering a back injury. It initially looked like an injury that could keep him out for a while but that may not be the case.
The Raiders revealed that Garoppolo was limited in their October 26 practice, which will give him a chance to play on Monday against the Detroit Lions. The fact that Las Vegas has a longer week to prepare gives him a better chance to play.
According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, the Raiders will likely start Aidan O’Connell if Garoppolo can’t play.
“But if Garoppolo can’t go this week, expect to see rookie Aidan O’Connell in his place instead of veteran Brian Hoyer, who struggled against a vulnerable Bears defense in Week 7 and was replaced with O’Connell late in the game,” Graziano wrote in an October 25 column.
Jimmy Garoppolo Talks Las Vegas Raiders Offense
The Raiders have plenty of talent on offense. Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers form a really good wide receiver duo and rookie tight end Michael Mayer is playing much better in recent weeks.
The team also has All-Pro running back Josh Jacobs. Despite that, they’ve consistently fielded one of the worst offenses in the NFL and have yet to score 20 points in a game. Jimmy Garoppolo stressed that it can take time for an offense to click.
“It’s a process, you have to assess different things, players have to play better, coaches have to coach better,” Garoppolo during his October 26 press conference. “I mean, it’s all of us. So, it’s just we’re in it together. We have a good group of guys in there, a tight-knit group. Guys came to work today and came with the right mindset; it was pretty cool.”
The Raiders have enough good players on offense to start scoring points so it could be a matter of things just needing to click. However, the group has shown very few signs of life this season. It’s difficult to believe the offense will get better until it actually happens.
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