Las Vegas Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs: 5 things we learned

Henry Ruggs is the engine that makes the offense go

Henry Ruggs is the type of player that can make the difference between winning and losing even when he doesn’t touch the ball. His speed is something that defenses always have to account for and his presence on the field opens things up for every other weapon on the offense.

In terms of simple scoring, the Raiders offense is considerably better when he is on the field. In the 3 games he has played so far, the Raiders have averaged 36 points against some talented defenses. In the two games he missed, the Raiders only averaged 21.5 points and more notably, were losers on both occasions.

Ruggs is among the NFL leaders in yards before catch per reception, average depth of target, and yards per reception. He is beginning to establish a connection with Derek Carr and if they can connect on one or two of those deep shots every week it gives the offense an entirely new element.

The Alabama speedster showed off his diverse skillset on Sunday as he went up over a defender to make his first catch and simply ran past two defenders on his 72-yard touchdown. If Ruggs can stay healthy over the course of the season and the Raiders can find creative ways to get him the ball, opposing defenses will have to give him even more attention which will make life easier for the other 10 players on the offense.