Resolution 3: Finish more drives
Ball control and ball movement wasn’t much of an issue in 2019, but finishing drives and red zone scoring was. Rookie running back sensation Josh Jacobs averaged nearly five yards per carry and accounted for a large part of the Raiders offensive production.
Penalties and missed opportunities were drive killers all season and often left the Raiders in a field goal or punting situation.
Early in the season, the Raiders were still finding themselves as a team and in doing so, Derek Carr was working to build familiarity with his receiving corp, which at times created situations where players were not on the same page and opportunities were missed. As the season progressed, Carr and company seemed to build a stronger connection and often were on the same page, but at the same time, a number of the receivers began to have issues holding onto the ball especially during key moments.
As the Raiders look forward to 2020 expect Derek Carr to take the lead with the wide receiver group to build on the chemistry that was created in 2019 and for Jon Gruden to build more confidence in his offensive unit allowing drives to be extended whether it is by Carr using his legs more or by getting the ball into the hands of the many talented skill players on the offense.