Las Vegas Raiders are at a crossroads heading into Week 6
The offense
The Las Vegas Raiders find themselves at a crossroads, and only they can decide what path they are going to take. Those paths? Fixing glaring issues and getting the season back on track or collapsing before midseason.
If Las Vegas hopes to take the first path, and they most likely do, then they are going to have to get to work this week.
The team has a lot of issues right now outside of the head coach resigning on Monday night. They can’t seem to come near the red zone in the first half, getting outscored by two touchdowns in nearly every first half that they have played in. And the team’s run game, which found so much success in the past, can’t seem to get anything going.
Finding ways to improve in both of these areas would be extremely beneficial to the team, as they tend to only be down by one score once they find their footing in the second half. But to fix these issues, the Las Vegas offensive line will have to step up in a major way.
After Las Vegas decided to move on from Rodney Hudson, Gabe Jackson, and Trent Brown, everyone knew that the offensive line wouldn’t be as productive. Especially since they were making Andre James, Hudson’s backup, the starting center, and Alex Leatherwood, their 2021 first-round pick, their franchise right tackle. Both players have obviously struggled.
But what no one anticipated was that the team would lose Richie Incognito before the season and Denzelle Good would go down for the season in Week 1. Those two injuries really hurt Vegas’ ability to find success upfront, as the group was made up of rookies and backups.
Now, the offensive line group is still trying to find their identity, as linemen are constantly being shifted in and out of the starting five. Perhaps this week with a full week of practice, the offensive line group can find a rhythm in as pass protectors and run blockers. If not, they are going to severely cripple the team, as they are facing a talented Denver Broncos defense on Sunday.