Why the Raiders offense has struggled so much this year — and how they can fix it
HENDERSON, Nev. — It’s no surprise the Las Vegas Raiders (1-3) are struggling on defense through four games, but their offense was expected to be good. Instead, through four games, the Raiders have one of the worst offenses in the NFL.
This offseason, the Raiders brought back four of five starters on an offensive line that overachieved last season. They made what they felt was an upgrade at quarterback, going from Derek Carr to Jimmy Garoppolo. They swapped out tight end Darren Waller for Austin Hooper and Michael Mayer, added Jakobi Meyers, DeAndre Carter and Tre Tucker to a receiving corps that already featured Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow and re-signed running back Josh Jacobs following a preseason holdout. With coach Josh McDaniels dialing up the plays, the Raiders figured they’d be able to put up points with just about anyone.
Four games is a small sample size, but there’s no denying the offense has regressed from last season. From both a gross production and efficiency standpoint, they’ve gotten worse. (Unless otherwise noted, all statistics are courtesy of TruMedia with the Raiders’ league rankings in parentheses.)
