Getting Zamir White, Running Game Going Will Help Combat Difficult Defenses Raiders Face Early

The Las Vegas Raiders start the season facing what were some of the best defenses in the National Football League last season. They must get the running game going no matter what.

Aug 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Zamir White (3) celebrates his touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings in the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Last season, the Las Vegas Raiders had more than a few problems on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

This was in addition to the coaching issues the Raiders had in the first half of the season. However, one of the most significant issues the Raiders had on offense was the inability to run the ball consistently. It was an issue that plagued the Raiders’ offense all season and led to more pressing issues for the offense, as a lack of a consistent running game made it difficult for the offense to do much of anything else.

After former Raiders running back Josh Jacobs held out all of last offseason for a new contract from the team, Jacobs never looked like his previous self at any point last season. Jacobs’ absence from the team while working out his contract with the team had severe consequences for the offense. The Raiders went from having the leading rusher in the National Football League in the 2022-23 season to having one of the worst rushing attacks in the NFL the following season. 

General Manager Tom Telesco and Coach Antonio Pierce looked hard at what needed to be corrected for the Raiders to have a better season. Fixing the running game is undoubtedly one of the primary focus areas the Raiders front office had this offseason. Last season, the Raiders failed to rush for over 100 yards until the ninth game. The Raiders entered that game 3-5 and had fired Josh McDaniels days earlier. 

The Raiders' lack of a dependable rushing attack made it easy for defenses to derail the offense last season, and the team worked hard to fix this issue heading into the upcoming season. Instead of a single running back carrying most of the load like Jacobs did for the Raiders since he was drafted, the Raiders enter the season with multiple running backs who can help get the ground game going.

The Silver and Black open the season with two road games against two challenging defenses. The Raiders’ first game is against the Los Angeles Chargers, who sacked quarterback Aidan O’Connell six times in the two teams’ first matchup last season. The Raiders then hit the road again to face a Baltimore Ravens defense that gave up the sixth-fewest total yards per game last season but was more in the middle of the pack against the run.

As the Raiders open the season still working to build chemistry along the offensive line and learning Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy’s offense while going on the road for the first two games of the season, finding a way to get Zamir White and the rest of the Raiders running backs going could help the Raiders offense take some of the load off Gardner Minshew II and the offensive line.

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