It’s not the end of the world for the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Raiders started out the season on an unexpected 3-0 start behind 38-year-old veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins and first-year head coach Klint Kubiak. However, they’ve gone through the growing pains in recent weeks, losing three consecutive games, with two of them coming against the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills. Those losses were by one possession each.
It’s true that the Raiders play in a ridiculously tough conference and division and they’re currently 10th place in the AFC with a 3-3 record. That means 10 teams in the conference have at least a .500 record and Las Vegas is dealing with top AFC contenders within their own division in the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs.
The Raiders have had one of the toughest schedules in the NFL and will face a gauntlet over the next three weeks when their schedule is as follows: Los Angeles Rams, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers.
Marcel Reese, who was a four-time Pro Bowl star with the Raiders, revealed what the key will be to Las Vegas making a playoff run. Reese — speaking on behalf of Sports Geek — said if they’re to “get in,” they have to run the football more effectively.
“I think there’s a there’s a way that they can get in, and the Bills are just always on fire,” said Reece in a one-on-one interview with Heavy Sports. “What I mean though, when I say all that, is with the matchups that are presented, I believe that this Raiders team, if they can really start running the football, if they can really start running the football the way that they want to run the football, that way they can actually steal some wins.”
Ashton Jeanty’s Declining Efficiency an Issue for the Raiders
The Raiders’ biggest issue has been their inability to run the football. Despite featuring young star Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas hasn’t been able to run the football at all over his first two seasons. Jeanty averaged 3.7 yards per carry last season, with the offensive line facing a lot of criticism for their inability to block for the former Heisman Trophy runner-up.
However, that efficiency has regressed even further this season, with Jeanty averaging 3.2 yards per carry. The Raiders rank 30th in rushing yards and second-to-last in rushing yards per attempt (3.0).
Raiders’ Issues Extend to Defensive Unit’s Play
That is the biggest area where the team can clearly improve, but they also have other weaknesses when looking throughout the roster. Las Vegas ranks 26th in defense, allowing 27.0 points per game. That’s tied for as much as the offensive unit scoring at 27.0 points per game.
Considering they’ll have big games against high-powered offensive units in the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers in two of their next three games, they’ll have to learn to not only run the football — to keep those units off the field — but they’ll have to learn how to slow them down. Over their past three games against elite opponents, the Raiders are allowing an average of 36.0 points per game.
We’ll see if the Raiders can clean things up in the running game and on defense in the coming weeks. Their playoff hopes hinge on it.
Four-time Pro Bowler Reveals How Raiders Can ‘Get in’ to the Playoffs