Grading the Oakland Raiders’ offense through the bye
The high-scoring Oakland Raiders’ offense we all expected to see again this season has been playing hide-and-seek. They get found some games and stay hidden for others.
What a roller coaster ride this season has been on the offensive side of the ball for the Oakland Raiders. They started off strong in the first two games, then turn into a dumpster fire in the next four. However in two of the last three games, they have looked like the offense we’re accustomed to. Why has this season been so inconsistent for the offense? It’s simple. Rookie offensive coordinator Todd Downing is still learning.
In all the Raiders’ losses this season, they have failed to exceed 17 points. When they win, they are putting up over 26 points per ballgame. It’s clear that this team is still reliant on the offense to tip the scales in favor of a win.
The grade the Raiders offense have earned so far through nine games is a C-. Their last two wins are what got them out of a D grade. The offense looks like they are gelling more. Downing is finally calling plays that are putting his players in the right position to succeed.
The use of play-action is now something Downing likes to use, which was unheard of before the game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Although he abandoned that game plan during the Buffalo Bills game, he mustered up a well-rounded one against the Miami Dolphins. The offense is trending upwards right now.
With the extra time given during the bye, Downing can use it to make some additions or changes to how he calls plays. As bad as Downing had been during the games the Raiders have lost, he has looked solid in the ones they have come out on top. We just have to remember that this is still new to him. It now seems like he’s getting it together a bit.
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The blame for losses and credit for winning isn’t all on Downing. Pretty much every player on the offense has under-performed. The unit on offense that has been the biggest disappointment is the offensive line. Four out of five of these players are Pro Bowlers and are getting paid top-tier money for their position. They have looked poor in the running game and pass protection.
This is why it is hard to blame Marshawn Lynch for not having better games. He’s been getting met at or before the line too many times. The holes just aren’t there for him to hit. But when they are there, like in the Miami game, he rips off a few chunk plays.
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This point in time last season, Derek Carr was a frontrunner for MVP. Now he just looks like his growth has been stunted. Some of that has to do with him, but the rest is his receivers dropping the ball and that Downing is still figuring it out. This team will not win another game if Carr does not turn back the clock to last season and starts carrying the team again.
For that to happen he needs help. Catching the ball would be nice and using variations of deep route concepts, at least to or past the first-down marker. Too many times this season Carr has thrown before the sticks which is why Oakland’s third down percentage is ugly. Sometimes it has been horrid play-calling and the receivers failing to get open. Still, Carr and the offense need to improve on converting third-down plays.
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The Raiders should be well rested and hopefully prepared coming off the bye. They are going to be immediately tested out the gates in Mexico City against the New England Patriots. The defense will surely get torched against Tom Brady and company, which makes the Oakland offense the determining factor to winning this game.