Raiders Coach Puts It On Himself To Improve Running Game

The Las Vegas Raiders have a running game that’s gone stagnant, and it cost them in their 30-27 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. The Raiders opened their season with 130 yards rushing against the Miami Dolphins, but since then their running game has been nowhere to be found. 

Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk did a report on this issue, and he noted that the drop may have had more to do with the last three opponents than any specific issues with the backs or the schemes. The Raiders have run for 242 yards in those games, which is better than last year, but it’s still not where coach Klint Kubiak wants it to be. 

The big issue Alper cited was yards before contact, which is down to 1.8. The coach isn’t blaming his backs, as he said he needs to “scheme them up better” to improve the results. Kubiak called his backs and his offensive line “solid,” and he put it on himself and the coaching staff to get better results. 

The Raiders’ 3-0 start has taken some of the spotlight off of Kubiak and whether Las Vegas can actually field a competitive team this season, but the Chiefs were able to make the Raiders one dimensional, and that tape is out there now. 

There’s a formula for stopping and beating Las Vegas, and while the Raiders still scored 27 points, it was a struggle at times with quarterback Kirk Cousins facing steady pressure. 

The loss to the Chiefs was the start of a schedule gauntlet, however. The Raiders’ next three opponents are the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams, with this week’s game against New England on the road. 

Opponents are going to crowd the box and stack the line of scrimmage, and what will make Kubiak’s job especially tough is the  team’s lack of receivers. Tre Tucker is supposed to be the guy who can take the top off a defense and help generate some big plays, but he struggled with drops against Kansas City after showing some promise in the early going. 

The Raiders offense is now all tight ends all the time, which is fine up to a point, but the Chiefs also found a way to slow down Brock Bowers and force the Chiefs to go to Michael Mayer, who’s far less explosive. The jury is also still out on running back Ashton Jeanty as well, as he’s had some positive plays to go with moments where he's been ineffective.