Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Las Vegas Raiders: 4 things we learned

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Las Vegas Raiders: 4 things we learned

Henry Ruggs needs to get more touches

Henry Ruggs has been in and out of the lineup for the Raiders this season due to knee and hamstring injuries but has been coming in to his own in recent weeks. His explosive performance against Kansas City was one of the keys to the win and we hoped he would continue on the same path against Tampa Bay after the bye week.

He started off the day well with a 29-yard catch and run and was targeted a few other times on deep shots but unlike the KC game, Carr could not connect with his speedy receiver. Ruggs even mixed in a rush attempt as he took a sweep for a nice 10-yard again which showed off his shiftiness.

Other than those two plays however, Ruggs’ impact was minimal on the box score and it’s time to change that.

The Raiders need to do more to get the ball in his hands and three targets, four if you include a play that was wiped off for a defensive holding penalty, is inexcusable for a receiver you took in the first round. After the Raiders selected him, we were promised manufactured touches for Ruggs in the form of jet sweeps and bubble screens but so far we have not seen much of that at all.

It could be a case of the Raiders trying to protect him as he may not be fully healthy but right now it’s time to take the training wheels off. Ruggs does not have to be the centerpiece of the offense but a paltry 3 targets for him is not going to get the job done against the better defenses in the NFL.