The Las Vegas Raiders' offense was expected to be the clear strength of the team entering the season. That has not been the case early, as despite multiple big-time offseason additions, the unit has struggled to get things right.
The offensive line has mostly been underwhelming, Geno Smith has had an ugly start to the season, and the play calling from Chip Kelly has been questionable, at best. The Raiders entered Week 6 hoping to fix some of those problems against a struggling Tennessee Titans team.
Leading up to the game, Kelly stressed the importance of better red zone execution. While the final score suggests that this was the case, as Las Vegas ended their four-game losing streak, winning 20-10, a deeper dive shows that the offense still Las Vegas has plenty of room for improvement.
Chip Kelly's unit still has plenty of problems to clean up for Raiders
The Raiders entered Week 6 averaging just 16.6 points per game, the third-worst mark in the entire NFL. Ahead of Sunday's game, Kelly made it clear that he wanted to see better red zone execution.
"We talk about all the time in the red zone -- it's a great point -- no STPs. No sacks, no turnovers, no penalties," Kelly said. "We have to be able to execute better. ... Those sacks are killers down there because you know once you're there, you have three. But you don't want three (points), you need seven, and you need to be greedy down there."
There were, once again, many issues with both the red zone play calling and execution, despite the box score showing just one 'STP'. It began on the first offensive possession of the game, as the Raiders opted to give Raheem Mostert a carry on their first red zone play, which came on second-and-three from the 16-yard line, despite Ashton Jeanty having a strong start.
The play was blown up for a three-yard loss, forcing Las Vegas into an obvious passing situation. On the very next play, Smith took a sack that led to the Raiders settling for three points. The drive marked their fifth consecutive trip to the red zone without a touchdown.
While there were no more red zone 'STPs,' that was not due to a change in play calling or execution. Las Vegas' next trip to the red zone came off a Devin White strip sack that set them up on Tennessee's two-yard line to begin the drive.
Kelly then, inexplicably, called for a pass play where the primary target was backup offensive guard Alex Cappa. Smith threw the pass his way, which fell incomplete. This call completely baffled Raider Nation, as the team has no business running trick plays when they can't get the simple things right.
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The next play resulted in Jeanty being stuffed for negative yardage before the Raiders finally got it in the end zone on a pass to Michael Mayer. The Raiders were back in the red zone to begin the third quarter, and while the box score won't show the issues, that doesn't mean there weren't any.
After setting up a first-and-goal from the seven-yard line, Las Vegas had back-to-back plays for no gain. Smith then took a sack that would have forced a field goal attempt; however, it was wiped off due to a facemask penalty. Jeanty proceeded to run the ball in for a score on the next play.
The offense, once again, seemed destined to reach the red zone on their next drive, as they worked their way down to the Titans' 24-yard line. On first-and-ten, however, Smith forced a pass that resulted in his league-leading tenth interception. While this technically came outside of the red zone, Kelly should've called a run play with a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter.
The Raiders' next possession saw them once again reach the red zone. On third-and-eight from the 15-yard line, Smith took another sack that appeared to be a drive-killer. The sack, however, was once again wiped out by a penalty, this time for offsides. Las Vegas gave the ball to Mostert for no gain on the ensuing play and had to settle for a field goal.
While there was only one red zone 'STP' that will show up on the box score, the execution on the field told a different story. Las Vegas scored a touchdown on 50% of their trips to the red zone; however, one possession was extended due to a penalty, and the other featured, arguably, the worst play call of the season.
Despite what the box score says, the Raiders simply must improve in the red zone and with their play-calling overall. A good team will take advantage of the Raiders' miscues, which fans have seen happen all season long. But luckily, the Titans are worse than Las Vegas at this juncture.