Silver And Black Pride
After building some excitement in the season-opener, the Las Vegas Raiders laid an egg on Monday Night Football against the Los Angeles Chargers. As a result, the loss drops the Raiders in the majority of NFL Power Rankings throughout the league’s media outlets.
21. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 19
After Brock Bowers was splitting time in Week 1, Ashton Jeanty was out for some key snaps in the first half on Monday night. Is Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly going to pull an Arthur Smith and frustrate everyone by not maximizing his best players? — Frank Schwab
It’s fair to question why Kelly hasn’t gotten Jeanty the ball more often. The Boise State product was expected to be a bellcow back but has just 30 carries in his first two games combined. Also, it feels like the coaching staff is trying to force it with Zamir White, and those touches need to go to Jeanty.
However, Kelly does deserve some slack for not involving Bowers in the offense much against the Chargers. It was pretty clear the tight end wasn’t 100 percent on Monday night after suffering a knee injury in New England the week before.
22. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 21
Biggest QB takeaway: Geno Smith doesn’t have enough support from the offensive line
Yes, Smith has to improve on his decision-making. He had three interceptions in Week 2’s loss to the Chargers, largely due to him forcing the ball into double coverage. But the Raiders’ first loss also exposed issues within the team’s offensive line. Las Vegas struggled to provide protection, allowing 16 pressures and three sacks. In two games, the Raiders have given up 32 pressures and seven sacks. — Ryan McFadden
This is kind of a two-fold problem where Smith is holding onto the ball too long, looking for the big play too often. For example, Pro Football Focus has only attributed the Raiders’ offensive line with 24 pressures and three sacks, earning an 84.5 pass-blocking efficiency rating that ranks 16th in the NFL. Don’t get it twisted, there’s still plenty of room for Las Vegas to improve in the trenches. However, the quarterback play isn’t helping either, at least it wasn’t against the Chargers.
24. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 23
Pete Carroll’s 74th birthday wasn’t a particularly celebratory affair, as the offense had a nightmarish night vs. the division rival Chargers. Geno Smith threw three picks, and his offensive line couldn’t keep enough clean pockets. Brock Bowers played through a knee injury but looked like a decoy early before waking up a bit late. Jakobi Meyers took a while to get going, too. Ashton Jeanty had a few nice runs but never really got in gear. Everything just felt labored and clunky. The Raiders had zero success threatening the Chargers downfield. The defense hung in there and played great in...
