5 offensive stats the Oakland Raiders need to improve on in 2019

Early Down Success Rate

There are great ideas for offensive football at every level, and the best know how to use all of it. For example, the best offenses in the league have adopted the Canadian football approach to sustaining drives. What I mean by that is they are now playing with three downs in mind instead of four. Or in other terms trying to get first downs in two plays to avoid third down altogether.

Early down success rate measures, the percentage of first downs gained before reaching third down. This stat can tell a lot about the style of offense your team is running. Aggressive offensive coaches like Sean Payton and Andy Reid are continually looking to put pressure on the defense early and often. While others like Jason Garrett or Doug Morone are too content with third and manageable.

With weapons like Antonio Brown and Tyrell Williams on the outside, the Raiders should look to pressure defenses and have them guessing every single down. This also means a willingness to pass on first down a lot more than they did last year. The tradition mindset says you run the ball on first down. However, as more and more data shows us just how much more efficient passing the ball is, it’s time to abandon that notion.