The Las Vegas Raiders' offense was a trainwreck in Week 11 against the Dallas Cowboys. The offensive line, in particular, got pushed around, as they gave up a whopping 28 pressures, 5 of which turned into sacks, and the Raiders' offense managed just 27 rushing yards on 2.3 yards per carry.
To say that this performance was a disaster for Brennan Carroll's group is an understatement. It was so bad, in fact, that former All-Pro Raiders offensive tackle Lincoln Kennedy openly questioned if the group was intentionally missing blocks on the latest episode of the Locked on Raiders Squad Show.
Of course, some bumps and bruises were expected for the Raiders without their two best starting offensive linemen. But not this many. The results were so poor that Las Vegas cannot, in good conscience, send out the same group this Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.
Raiders must take Will Putnam out of starting lineup vs. Browns
Cleveland's defensive line, highlighted by the best player in football, edge rusher Myles Garrett, will absolutely eat the Raiders' offensive line alive if they utilize the same five starters. Besides the Denver Broncos, the Browns might have the best defensive line in the NFL. They may even be the best.
That's why Las Vegas can't afford to have Will Putnam back in the starting lineup at center on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium. It's hard to be too tough on the young player after his first NFL start, but he gave up 6 pressures and 3 sacks, good for a 17.6 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus.
Not only was he painfully outmatched on Monday, but his being inserted into the starting lineup moved Jordan Meredith from center to guard. Although Meredith thrived at guard last season, he was just getting comfortable at center, and he also had an incredibly poor showing against the Cowboys.
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Instead, the Raiders should simply put Alex Cappa into the starting right guard position and move Jordan Meredith back to center. Fans have given up on any chance of third-round rookie Caleb Rogers playing, so although he'd be the best option, Cappa is also an improvement and more realistic.
Former Raiders defensive tackles like Maliek Collins and Shelby Harris have been wreaking havoc on the interior all season for the Browns, as have players like Adin Huntington and Mason Graham, the latter of whom was the No. 5 overall pick in this year's draft, taken just before Ashton Jeanty.
If Las Vegas does not make this change, it will completely derail their offense once again and take away any chance of the Raiders' young players having any success. Putnam could always improve, but based on what he showed last week, that may take more than just a few games, and neither the team nor the fan base should count on it this Sunday against a monstrous Cleveland front.