How Raiders' Run Game Found It's Legs Against Bitter Rival

The Las Vegas Raiders averaged over four yards per carry on Sunday against the Denver Broncos. However, they only ran the ball 16 times in a limited number of possessions.

Nov 24, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Ameer Abdullah (8) carries the ball in the first quarter against Denver Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper (0) at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders' rushing attack has struggled dating back to last season. Las Vegas' inability to run the ball has been a significant reason the team has not done well over the last two seasons, as the lack of a running game has negatively impacted the Raiders in more ways than one.

Las Vegas has gone through multiple head coaches, offensive coordinators, offensive linemen, and running backs yet has continued to have problems running the ball consistently. This forced the Raiders to pass the ball much more than they would like, considering the state of the Raiders' quarterback room.

Raiders interim offensive coordinator Scott Turner noted that looking back, he wished the Raiders had rushed the ball more than 16 times on Sunday. However, he said the game's flow somewhat dictated the rushing attempts.

 "Yeah, that was one of the things looking back at it, probably wanted to get a few more carries," Turner said. "We came out in the third quarter. We went a little up-tempo. Unfortunately, had the turnover and then had a couple runs after that. And then we just got in one of those deals where wasn't sure how many possessions we'd have left. And again, we were pretty successful throwing the ball. We moved the ball throwing it as well.

"I think you look back at it, yeah, there was probably a couple there that we could have run. We had the one negative run after the explosive run that kind of set us behind the sticks, and then it's tough to run the ball in those situations. So that's always something that we look at. The one thing that I took from it positively was we had some good runs. So that's something that we can build on going forward."

The Raiders' rushing attack still needs work, but averaging over four yards per carry is a great sign of progress for arguably the worst rushing attack in the National Football League. The Raiders' per-carry average on Sunday is even more impressive, considering they accomplished it with reserve running backs.

Suppose Turner can continue to help improve the Raiders' offense over the second half of the season. In that case, he may have a legitimate argument for removing the interim label from his title.

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