The past two weeks have shown that the Las Vegas Raiders love to play at their opponent’s level. Everything appeared beautiful in Week 2 as the team showcased winning potential and defeated the Baltimore Ravens. However, they were demolished against a Carolina Panthers team in Week 3 that was projected to be the worst team in the NFL.
And, although there was a new quarterback at the helm for Carolina, the Panthers’ overall roster is still not intriguing.
If Week 3 was a tight matchup and Raiders were able to compete for the entirety of the game, there would be less concerns. However, due to their performance, Las Vegas will be in contention for the worst team in the NFL.
Here are the largest concerns going into the rest of the season.
Biggest concerns for the Las Vegas Raiders after embarrassing Week 3 loss
Luke Getsy and Antonio Pierce Coaching
Antonio Pierce has made it clear time and time again that his offense will prioritize running the ball. At what point will he surrender this and just pass? With the weapons on Las Vegas’ roster, the only way to get the most out of this offense is to pass the ball.
“We thought we had opportunities to run the football and we didn’t,” Pierce said.
Why is the philosophy to keep running the football when it is clearly not working?
After this contest, the Raiders are now responsible for the worst running game in the NFL at 50 rushing yards per game. The next closest team averages over 20 yards more through three weeks. From simply a viewing standpoint, this is where Luke Getsy gets a lot of blame as his run plays have absolutely no creativity or purpose.
Offensively, the only time Sin City looked promising was in the fourth quarter against Baltimore when they abandoned the run. An important part of coaching is knowing your strengths and weaknesses, but both of these coaches seem to think the opposite of reality.
Something needs to change in this coaching room immediately.
Raiders’ defensive line was non existent
Somebody needs to place a hiring sign on the edge rushing room because nobody was able to create havoc on Sunday. Tyree Wilson seems to be another wasted draft pick thus far while Malcolm Koonce regrettably won’t be participating this season.
There is still potential with Wilson, but he has not separated himself from other defensive lineman through the past two seasons.
To make matters even worse, Maxx Crosby has announced that he has a high ankle sprain. This explains why he was nowhere to be found on Sunday as well. Only designed blitzes created pressure on Andy Dalton which left little turf stains on his jersey.
Going forward, Crosby will likely be limited or absent, meaning the defensive line will require additional support.
Potentially the Worst Offensive Line in Football
Open run gaps and a clean pocket for the quarterback; many would say those things are rare. That may be close to the truth, too. Gardner Minshew is constantly under duress and Zamir White has yet to produce.
Dylan Parham was listed as the highest-graded offensive lineman on the team with an 82.8 grade via Pro Football Focus. However, he was the one subbed out for Jackson Powers-Johnson while the 48.8 graded Cody Whitehair stayed in.
There needs to be a change on this offensive line in order to create continuity. With no run game and an unstable pocket, there is no potential for the offense.
There are many minor issues with the offense that can be fixed as well, such as fielding a more experienced running back.
*Top Photo: Getty Images