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.
Yahoo!
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.
ESPN
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.
NFL.com
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 the fourth quarter, but Las Vegas used up more than 11 minutes on its most promising drive of the second half before ultimately settling for a field goal. Smith’s late pick in the end zone all but ended it. It just wasn’t his or Carroll’s night. — Eric Edholm
This stat has been floating around the internet and was mentioned on the broadcast; Smith was 0-12 on passes over 10 yards down the field and such attempts accounted for two of his three picks, according to Next Gen Stats. Also, the 11-minute drive that the Raiders only got a field goal out of felt like a backbreaker. It’s hard to win games when you don’t score a touchdown.
The Athletic
20. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 20
Overreaction: Brock Bowers should demand a trade
The second-year tight end was third in the league with 112 catches as a rookie. He was sixth in targets with 153 and was targeted on 25.9 percent of his routes. This year, Bowers has 10 catches. On Monday night, he was targeted eight times and had five catches, but he’s still just 31st in the league in receptions. Bowers has played 56 snaps this year, while second tight end Michael Mayer has played 54. The Raiders must get Bowers even more involved. — Josh Kendall & Chad Graff
‘Overreaction’ is a perfect description here. This analysis ignores the fact that Bowers was banged up and left last week’s game early. He’s still second on the team with 16 targets and was the leading receiver with over 100 yards in Week 1. So, there’s no need for the second-year pro to go storming into John Spytek’s office and want out.
Bleacher Report
22. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 18
Every bit of momentum the Las Vegas Raiders built with a Week 1 win at New England was squandered on Pete Carroll’s 74th birthday. All of it.
Despite the fact that no one was open essentially all game long, Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly made the run game an afterthought. Instead, Geno Smith attempted 43 passes, threw three interceptions and had a passer rating south of 40.
Defensively, the Raiders got next to no pressure on Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, and while Herbert’s stats weren’t especially gaudy, he did as he pleased for most of the game.
Two games into the season, it’s hard to tell whether the Raiders can’t run the ball or just don’t want to. The latter’s an odd choice, what with drafting Ashton Jeanty sixth overall in April and all.
Vegas had a 19-play drive that took over 11 minutes—and kicked a field goal. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Happy birthday, indeed. – Gary Davenport
More criticism of Kelly’s play-calling as people are questioning why Jeanty isn’t getting the ball more often. That’s especially head-scratching since the offensive coordinator is known for his running game. But the defense is also getting called out here, specifically, the pass rush. The Chargers put the blueprint out there where if opposing offenses can keep Maxx Crosby in check, the Raiders’ other defensive linemen are struggling to win one-on-one matchups consistently.
