The Las Vegas Raiders did not start the 2024 NFL season on a high note. Las Vegas lost 22-10 to the Los Angeles Chargers in a game where the Raiders led by one point coming out of halftime.
The Raiders did not look very threatening on offense, failing to gain traction either through the air or on the ground. The defense played well considering the circumstances, but looked tired towards the end of the game due to playing so many snaps.
What went wrong for the Raiders in Week 1? Below we will break down who is most to blame for the Las Vegas Raiders' embarrassing Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Raiders could not get Zamir White, running game going in Week 1
The Raiders offense, as currently constructed, really needs a solid running game as a foundation to build other plays off of.
Las Vegas does not have a great QB situation, but they do have a solid offensive line, a rocked-up RB in Zamir White, and multiple weapons at tight end. Building a play-action passing attack off the run should be a huge priority for the Raiders in 2024.
Unfortunately, the running game did not materialize in Week 1. Zamir White had 13 attempts for 44 yards, averaging just 3.4 yards per carry. This may not have been too bad back in the “three yards and a cloud of dust” days of the football, but modern NFL teams need their backs to be much more efficient.
Alexander Mattison also pitched in five carries for 19 yards, which was still pretty inefficient at 3.8 yards per carry.
This is a big problem for the Raiders. Las Vegas needs to go back to the drawing board and figure out how they can manufacture a functioning running game in a hurry.
Unfortunately, Week 2 may not be the best chance to try out anything new. The Raiders travel to Baltimore to take on a stout Ravens defense.
The Raiders passing attack did not look good. Where was Davante Adams?
It should be no surprise that the Raiders struggled to move the ball through the air as well in Week 1.
Gardner Minshew's box score does not look that bad, but it does little to inspire confidence. Minshew passed for 257 yards with one touchdown and one interception with 33 total attempts.
Checkdowns were somewhat of a problem for Minshew. He targeted backup running back Alexander Mattison six times, the same number of targets he sent towards Davante Adams. Checking the ball down to a running back or tight end is preferable to taking a sack, but it is a poor sign of the health of Las Vegas' offense as a whole.
Aside from passes not going towards Adams, pressure was another big concern. The Chargers managed four sacks in Week 1, signaling that Minshew was under pressure almost the entire game.
One positive development is that Brock Bowers led the team in targets. While it may be preferable to funnel more targets towards Davante Adams, they should not come at the expense of Bowers. The rookie tight end had a solid debut performance, hauling in six catches for 58 yards.
Gardner Minshew will only get so many chances before Raiders fans start calling for Aidan O'Connell.
Antonio Pierce's conservative fourth-down call is very difficult to defend
Pierce's coaching decision also came under the spotlight during Week 1's loss to the Chargers.
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By far Pierce's worst decision was one of his fourth-down decisions in the closing stages of the contest.
Pierce decided to punt the football on fourth-and-one with 7:10 left in the game in enemy territory. This is a clear “go for it” situation, regardless of whether you're on team analytics or team “trust your gut.”
There is very clear risk-reward here. If you go for it and succeed, you get to continue your drive and greatly increase your chances to win. Meanwhile, failing to convert puts the opponent in relatively good field position, still leaving you a chance to stop them.
Decisions like this can affect a team's locker room and confidence. Judge for yourself from the responses of multiple Raiders players who were asked about the decision.
“I mean, my job is to run routes and do what's called,” Davante Adams said about the fourth-down in question. “I don't really get into that.”
Gardner Minshew also gave somewhat of a cop-out answer.
“That's Coach's decision,” Minshew said. “But I think anybody that's a ballplayer wants the ball in their hands with the opportunity to help the team.”
Raiders fans are hoping that Pierce learns from this situation and can make better decisions in the future.
