Raider Nation: Hold on to those cigars and hydraulic switches. The Las Vegas Raiders opened the season with a deflating 22-10 loss to the Jim Harbaugh-led Los Angeles Chargers. While the sky is not falling after single poor performance, there are a few things to find troubling after Week 1.
Way to blow the “home” opener, amirite?
The Raiders O-line is a liability…
No one expected the Raiders to field a top five unit in the offensive trenches this season, at least not to start. Their top tackle, Kolton Miller, and prized rookie guard, Jackson Powers-Johnson, both missed nearly all of training camp.
Miller was able to start and at least be serviceable, but JPJ was inactive, thrusting veteran Cody Whitehair into a starting role. The former Chicago Bear resembled an undrafted free agent rookie who had spent his entire collegiate career as a long snapper. Whitehair would receive a spirited Pro Football Focus grade of 47.7. In a show of true leadership, longtime center Andre James refused to allow Cody to be the only dreadful performer on the offensive line.
James would finish with a 53.3 PFF grade himself, and the rest of the line didn’t fare much better, combining for five surrendered sacks and double-digit pressures. Sadly, the ground game wouldn’t be any more encouraging.
Josh Jacobs’ absence is already being felt…
Say what you will about Josh Jacobs’ departure from the Silver and Black, but it mirrored his running style perfectly. He shook off a lot of angry contact on the way to his destination. Head Coach Antonio Pierce wants this team to operate the way their opponent did this past Sunday: crack teams in the mouth at the line of scrimmage and run the ball down their throats. Unfortunately, the current Raiders roster may not have a running back capable of doing so behind this O-line.
Jacobs had some successful years in Las Vegas, and much of that came from his ability to create big runs on his own.
During the Alabama product’s best seasons (’19, ’22), he would average nearly 5 yards after contact (4.8 and 4.9, respectively). Surprisingly, the Raiders not only let Jacobs walk; they did so while going from a power run to a zone blocking scheme. Second-year back Zamir White will have to show he has the vision and ball security to thrive in such a scheme, while the offensive line must prove they can consistently give Zeus a path to success.
Patrick Graham’s defense still can’t stop the run…
Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has morphed the Raiders defense into a respected unit in the league for the first time in nearly two decades. However, the Raiders defense once again exposed his Achilles heel on Sunday. We all knew the Chargers wanted to run the football. The Raiders also knew this, but that didn’t stop the Bolts from racking up 176 yards on the ground. The majority of this damage was caused by two distinct runs by J.K. Dobbins, which provided some comfort to many, but in reality, this was only one aspect of the larger problem.
All of JK Dobbins Week 1 carries ??
Final Stat line: 10/135/1
1st four carries: 3, 1, 2, 0 yards
Two monster gains: 46 & 61 yards
A tackle-breaking 7-yard TD runThat final run: only one leg seemed to be working pic.twitter.com/1NVWyz2w8r
— Kyle Borgognoni (@kyle_borg) September 10, 2024
On both of Dobbins’ big runs, the Raiders were blocked well, but the second level failed to put out the fire. Linebacker Divine Deablo was out of position on both runs, and safety Tre’von Moehrig completely whiffed on a tackle during the first scamper. With the Baltimore Ravens next on the docket, Las Vegas cannot afford to make the same mistakes.
*Top Photo: Getty Images