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Oakland Raiders: Two key areas to improve on in 2019

By Joey Bates

OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 11: Jalen Richard #30 of the Oakland Raiders rushes with the ball against the Los Angeles Chargers during their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on November 11, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 11: Jalen Richard #30 of the Oakland Raiders rushes with the ball against the Los Angeles Chargers during their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on November 11, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – NOVEMBER 25: Quarterback Derek Carr #4 and tight end Jared Cook #87 of the Oakland Raiders celebrate after a touchdown in the third quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – NOVEMBER 25: Quarterback Derek Carr #4 and tight end Jared Cook #87 of the Oakland Raiders celebrate after a touchdown in the third quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

The Oakland Raiders had their fair share of issues during the 2018 NFL season, but two stand out as needing an immediate fix for next season.

It goes without saying that the Oakland Raiders were not very good in 2018, as they finished the year at 4-12. There are many reasons for this, and we could go into all of them, but I’m sure if you’ve been around Twitter at all you hear the narrative around the team.

The Raiders gave up too many sacks, and didn’t get enough sacks, or the Raiders didn’t use Amari Cooper correctly, or Derek Carr is washed, etc. All of these are just what I said earlier, narratives.

Narratives are fun, they help drive story, but they can also be misleading. Do I think each of those statements have merit? Yes, well some of them, but I think they point to a bigger picture of where the Raiders must improve to have a turnaround in 2019.

That picture comes down to 3rd down, and Red Zone conversions.

In 2018, according to Pro-Football Reference, the Raiders converted only 37.1% on third down and only 53.5% by scoring a touchdown in the Red Zone. Now, this may not seem huge, but let me put it like this. When the Raiders faced a third down in 2018, significantly more than half the time, they either punted or attempted a field goal, and when they had the chance to score a touchdown, almost half the time, they came up short.

Those are game changing plays where the Raiders would have fared better if they had just flipped a coin.

Let’s compare our numbers to the team that won the AFC West division. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best, right? Well, in 2018, also according to Pro-Football Reference the Chiefs converted 47.2% of their 3rd Downs, and scored touchdowns 71.8% of the time.

That’s nearly three more touchdowns every ten trips. The Raiders need to keep up. I fully believe that the first priority that the Raiders need to improve is their defense, but I also think that if they want to improve quickly, it means converting the third downs and scoring touchdowns when they have the chance.

After looking back at the 2018 year and looking forward to who the Raiders can acquire, I think
these players are top priority for improving 3rd down and Red Zone offense:

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