Oakland accumulated a season low in passing yards (164) against the Detroit Lions, dropping its passing offense to No. 11 in the league.
Quarterback Derek Carr doesn’t resemble the same accurate, strong-armed pocket passer compared to his play following the Week 6 bye. In the previous two outings, running back Latavius Murray has accumulated a mere 76 yards on 25 carries.
What’s the solution to digging the offense out of a rut? Variety.
The Raiders’ new and improved offense went stale pretty quickly once opposing teams caught on to the primary weapons on the perimeter and a predominantly single-RB system in the backfield.
Oakland cannot take the field against the Tennessee Titans in Week 12 and expect better results with the same tight rotation of plays used in the past two weeks. It’s time to further integrate an underutilized offensive skill player and squeeze the most out of the running back position.
Noncommittal and Predictable Rushing Attack
Oakland supplements its offense with the rushing attack instead of fully committing to moving the ball on the ground. Opposing defenses won’t push a safety into the box to defend fewer than 20 carries per game:
In the previous two outings, the Raiders’ ball-carriers (excluding the quarterback) recorded 17 and 19 carries in close contests when the play-calling should've featured a more balanced approach.
The refusal to allot more carries to the running backs keeps opposing defensive backs comfortable in coverage, forcing Carr to manipulate more freelance defenders playing the pass.
Secondly, the offensive design fails to feature Murray’s capability to run th...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
