The Las Vegas Raiders' offensive play-calling has been a major issue throughout the 2025 NFL season. After making a heavy investment in offensive coordinator Chip Kelly this offseason and getting an influx of both young and veteran talent, the group has somehow regressed.
On Monday against the Dallas Cowboys, the play-calling was once again a major problem. The game plan leaned heavily away from Ashton Jeanty and the rushing attack, as the rookie running back finished with just 6 carries, while Geno Smith attempted 42 passes.
Las Vegas finished with 60 offensive snaps, only eight of which were designed runs. After coming under fire for his decision-making, Kelly revealed that he has no regrets about the game plan despite the offense's ineptitude against one of the league's worst defenses.
Chip Kelly had no regrets about the game plan vs. the Cowboys
Raider fans were wildly disappointed with the game plan in Week 11, as the team failed to utilize Jeanty, its second-best offensive weapon. Kelly clearly viewed things differently, which he revealed in his press conference on Thursday.
"If you look at the play-action passing game, we went up and down the field with it. We only punted three times in the game, so I thought we moved the ball offensively," Kelly said. "Brock (Bowers) was involved in it. Geno did a really nice job. And then it's another way to get the ball to the running backs. I think it was Ashton's high for catches in a game, so it's just a part of the process depending on who you're playing and what you have available."
While Kelly is correct that the team only punted three times and Jeanty set a new career-high in receptions, the offense was not able to move the ball as efficiently as he claimed. The unit finished with just 236 total yards and 16 points.
This marked the first time the Cowboys held an opponent to less than 300 yards or 20 points this season. Also, yards do not win games; points do. The offense turned it over once, got safetied and were in four-down territory at the end, so only punting three times doesn't really mean much.
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Kelly was then asked if the rushing attack's struggles are due to the absence of Kolton Miller and Jackson Powers-Johnson, the Raiders' two best offensive linemen.
"That could be a byproduct of it," Kelly said. "And then also, like I just said, you've got to give credit to the defensive line that we were going against. Sometimes, you've got to make decisions based upon what do they have available and what do you have available, and saying is that a good decision in that situation."
Obviously, Kelly is hinting at the fact that running the ball might not have been a good idea against a front like the Cowboys', especially with injuries to the Las Vegas interior. But the Raiders finished with just 27 total rushing yards on 12 carries, marking their worst rushing performance of the season.
The game plan did not appear to be concerned at all with establishing the run, as the Raiders focused heavily on setting up the passing game with play-action early on before completely shifting to a drop-back game once they trailed.
Only three teams have run the ball less than Las Vegas this season, which, in fairness, can be attributed in part to trailing in so many games. But often, Kelly has seemingly made a concerted effort to avoid running the football like the plague, no matter the juncture in the game.
It is unclear if Kelly will have a similar game plan against the Cleveland Browns in Week 12, as they are ranked first in passing defense and 14th in rushing defense. Cleveland's defensive line is monstrous, however, so Kelly and the offense have their hands full once again.