The Las Vegas Raiders lost to the Tennessee Titans 24-22 on Sunday falling to 0-3 on the season. Tennessee came out firing, scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions ultimately leading at halftime 24-10. The Raiders battled back in the second half but fell short on an unsuccessful two-point conversion attempt to tie the game. Part of the reason they lost was their inability to score touchdowns in the red zone, going a paltry 2 for 6 in the red zone on Sunday.
Their 3rd consecutive lackluster performance led to a closed door meeting between head coach Josh McDaniels and owner Mark Davis. Not exactly a ringing endorsement for the newly minted HC in Vegas. So how do they fix their redzone woes?
Catch the Ball
It seems obvious, because it is. There were three instances on Sunday where the Raiders simply dropped touchdown passes. In the first quarter, tight end Darren Waller saw a touchdown pass slip right through his hands, and the Raiders had two settle for three points. Waller dropped another pass in the fourth quarter, leading to a Titans interception. It was a tough catch, but a player of the caliber Waller should bring it down.
Later in the fourth quarter, Keelan Cole dropped another touchdown pass, but the Raiders luckily converted a touchdown on the same drive later on. Las Vegas appears to have a good offensive scheme, but pass catchers need to do what they’re being paid to do. And that’s to haul in catchable balls on a consistent basis.
Cut Back on Penalties
Penalties in the red-zone hurt, and Vegas has seen a healthy dose of self inflicted pain over the first 3 weeks of the season. The Raiders had first and goal on the one-yard line before Jermaine Elmenour false started. You simply cannot have those types of penalties in the red zone. What should have been a “gimme” 6pts suddenly became that much more difficult.
You can make the argument that it was on the road, but the Titans faithful weren’t exactly a raucous crowd on Sunday. With a home game vs the Broncos in Week 4, the false start penalties need to stop in a hurry.
Utilize Jacobs
Running back Josh Jacobs has been playing well this season and deserves to get more touches in the red zone. While the Raiders have a struggling offensive line, you still need to run the ball to help keep opposing defenses off balance. Week 3 saw the Raiders air it out 45 times compared to only 19 rushes (3 of which were gadget or broken plays from Carr & Adams). Josh Jacobs needs to get more involved in the offense if this team is going to find success in 2022.
Derek Carr Needs to use his Legs
Derek Carr needs to scramble outside the pocket more to extend plays and even run if there are running lanes. Carr did a better job stepping up in the pocket on Sunday but needs to continue to regularly use his legs to help the offensive line. If Carr is able to scramble more, it could give receivers more time to get open in a crowded red zone.
The Raiders are 0-3, and red-zone issues are a big reason why. While they have one of the league’s better field goal kickers in Daniel Carlson, the Raiders don’t want to keep settling for field goals. Moving forward, Las Vegas needs to score touchdowns in the red zone if they have any shot at competing in the stacked AFC West.
This, coupled with playing a full 60 minutes of football, should help turn things around in the desert.
-LaMarr Fields
Twitter: @raiderway83
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.