August 30, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders tackle Donald Penn (72) during the second quarter in a preseason NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals at O.co Coliseum. The Cardinals defeated the Raiders 30-23. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
It is still early in the season, and there are plenty of games and great defenses to face, but in the past few weeks the Oakland Raiders offensive line has been incredible. The Baltimore Ravens, despite being 0-3 still have the 9th best defense in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus, and the Raiders offensive line held their own against them.
Over the past two games, four of the five starting offensive linemen for the Raiders have been graded in the top six of their positions per ProFootballFocus. Numbers that indicate that Mike Tice is doing an incredible early job with the Raiders offensive front through September as the line is giving quarterback Derek Carr plenty of time to work in the pocket through three games.
The offensive line was even better on Sunday as after providing strong pass protection in the game against the Ravens, the line started to open running lanes for Latavius Murray in the run blocking game. Murray ended up with 130+ rushing yards as the Raiders finally had a successful running performance in the win over the Browns.
Starting left to right, let’s take a look at the offensive line through three games of the 2015 season.
Next: Offensive Line Breakdown: Donald Penn