The Las Vegas Raiders’ 3-0 loss to the Minnesota Vikings Sunday again shined a light on the team’s struggling offense that can’t seemingly find its way after 14 weeks of the 2023 season.
It’s becoming increasingly evident that the team’s offensive strategy needs an overhaul. Despite their best efforts, interim head coach Antonio Pierce and offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree are still looking for a short-term solution as the team’s playoff chances go up in smoke.
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The Raiders, who had not been shut out in a game since 2012, seemingly need help figuring out how to make a $100 million offense score points.
Led by rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell, the Raiders offense failed to make any impact against the Vikings. Although O’Connell has shown progress as a starter in previous weeks, he hasn’t shown enough for the Raiders to strike a franchise quarterback off their needs list for the upcoming offseason.
Las Vegas Raiders offensive struggles have worsened under Pierce
While it would be easy to blame the guy who got fired and couldn’t make it through two full seasons, the fact remains that the offense hasn’t gotten any better under Antonio Pierce. The Las Vegas Raiders converted on just eight first downs the entire game and didn’t get one in the second half. Over two games, the Raiders have just 24 first downs and scored 14 points during that stretch.
Las Vegas now ranks 29th in scoring offense with an average of 15.5 points per game. They’ve gotten worse since Pierce and Hardegree took the helm at the beginning of November. This consistent inability to generate points reflects on the players and raises concerns about how effective the coaching staff is in devising and executing successful game plans.
With a record of 2-3 under his leadership, Pierce’s chances of securing the full-time head coach position are dwindling. The persistent struggles of their offense during his tenure highlight areas for improvement in how the coaching staff approaches their responsibilities. There is no doubt that the Raiders are putting in effort on the field and playing hard, but this is a game where winning is everything.
While there are four games remaining for Pierce to at least show improvement, it doesn’t appear likely.
Aidan O’Connell isn’t the long-term starter in Las Vegas…for now
Part of the justification for O’Connell to take over as the starter for the ineffective veteran Jimmy Garoppolo after the McDaniels dismissal makes perfect sense. The fourth-round draft pick has the potential and the overall demeanor to be a player in the league. Yet, his lack of mobility and inability to get rid of the ball with more expedience quickly shows his limitations.
Through seven games and six as a starter, O’Connell has just four touchdowns and seven interceptions. He’s thrown for 1,365 yards and has completed 63.8 percent of his passes but has yet to consistently move the ball and his slower release is resulting in more sacks. He’s been sacked 17 times and it’s not because he’s got a bad offensive line. A majority of these sacks come when the pocket breaks down and he’s unable to create plays outside the pocket with his legs.
Did Pierce consider changing quarterbacks and giving Garoppolo a chance in a scoreless game?
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“No, I think you can look at both teams how they were looking at it, right?” Pierce said. “But for us, we
were moving the ball, there were opportunities – penalties, turnovers – for us to put points on the board.
And that just wasn’t the quarterback. That’s why I said it was the offense. It’s easy to point the finger at
the quarterback, and obviously, we will look at that as we go forward. But we knew what we got when we
put Aidan [O’Connell] at quarterback. It was going to be some ups and downs, and this was not one of our
better performances.”
The Las Vegas Raiders did move the ball a bit in the first half, but Pierce’s team had just three drives longer than five plays. Two of those were in the first quarter. The Raiders were not moving the ball well after the first quarter.
Would Garoppolo do any better? Stats from earlier in the season say no. But desperate times call for desperate measures, in my view.
The defense shines but never gets any help
The Las Vegas Raiders, playing the Vikings who rank 21st in scoring offense, held them to just three points. No one is going to crown the Raiders a great defense but there’s no denying they’ve been doing everything they can to put their team in a position to win.
Outside of the Chiefs putting up 31 on them, Patrick Graham’s unit has kept games within reach the past several weeks.
“So, yeah, there’s no finger-pointing,” defensive end Maxx Crosby said when asked if the defense was growing frustrated with the offense’s inability to score. “There’s none of that. We just have to find ways to get better and find ways to get more points on the board on offense. And on defense, find ways to get even more stops.”
Rookie Tyree Wilson, who has been struggling to break out, had a stellar game with one sack, a quarterback hit, and a tackle for loss, echoed Crosby’s sentiment.
“At the end of the day, we got to be better. It can come down to us,” Wilson said. “We need turnovers. If the
offense is struggling one day, we need the turnovers to put the game in our hands so we can come out
with a W.:
While Wilson is saying what you’d expect any teammate to say, the reality is the defense is doing all it can. The team’s biggest problem has been, and still is its offense.
Owner Mark Davis must see improvement over the final four games
While Raider Nation loves that Antonio Pierce is one of their own, and has done a yeoman’s job of keeping this team together after the abusive culture of McDaniels almost tore it apart, his audition isn’t going well. There are only 32 head coaching jobs in the NFL and there are other coaches with more experience who will certainly inquire about it after the season ends.
This leaves Raiders owner Mark Davis with a big challenge. While Pierce has done an excellent job of stepping in during a difficult time, is he ready to lead a football team that has just three playoff appearances in 21 years? There’s much at stake for the future of the franchise and does he really want to hire a coach who has to learn on the job?
With the Los Angeles Chargers, who lost quarterback Justin Herbert to another finger injury Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs, Indianapolis Colts, and the hot Denver Broncos waiting in the weeks ahead, it’s not going to get any easier.
It’s now clear after 14 weeks that substantial improvements to the Raiders’ offense will likely have to be put on hold until the offseason, allowing the team to regroup and reassess their coaching approach and offensive strategy. This situation puts the Raiders and Davis in a position as they navigate the rest of the season.
While it’s commendable to see this coaching staff’s dedication and hard work, without leadership and a clear offensive strategy, they will continue to face difficulties in a league where strategic innovation is crucial for success.
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