Raiders Breathe Sigh of Relief With Run Game Improving

The Las Vegas Raiders have struggled to run the ball through four games. The offensive line is an issue, but are the team's struggles because of their roster or scheme?

Sep 29, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver DJ Turner (19) evades the tackle of Cleveland Browns safety Ronnie Hickman (33) to score a touchdown during the third quarter at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Through the season’s first three games, the Las Vegas Raiders ranked last in the National Football League in rushing yards per game.

The Silver and Black finally registered their first 100-yard rushing game of the season, finishing with 152 rushing yards against the Cleveland Browns.

Raiders coach Antonio Pierce noted how much it helped the offense.

"Yeah, huge. I mean, it's something we've been working on for three weeks,” Pierce said. “No, let's go back, even since the preseason games, like, 'Hey man, let's get this running game going. Let's get some positive yards, let's get these chunk runs, these explosive runs.' And that really showed up. Again, for a defense you don't want that. 

“That's one thing that plays in your mind. You can throw the ball for 500, 600 yards, but when a team is running the ball on you, that gets into your head mentally, emotionally, and physically, and it just wears on you. So, the more you do that, it opens up our play-pass, our play action, our keepers, and things of that nature. And obviously last night, maybe not statistically what we wanted from a passing game, but it was efficient."

Along with continuing the offense’s success, Pierce noted the next step for the unit is to learn how to finish games. The Raiders had a chance to put the Browns away comfortably earlier in the fourth quarter but failed. 

“Third-and-1, an opportunity to get a first down, and we don't make it,” Pierce said. “We don't make it, and then also we turn the ball over and they score, and the game now changes a little bit. So, those are things that we were talking about in the headset on the sideline. We all knew this was a great opportunity, maybe not to finish the game, but to keep the momentum going to keep the clock in our favor. 

“That's obviously not a start that we wanted in the first quarter, but it picked up in the second and third, late middle of the fourth quarter. But that's one thing you want to do. When you got a team down by 10 points, you want to finish them. You don't want to allow them to get the ball back. Even though it's eight minutes in the game, you are kind of in that four-minute mode where you want to get the ball back and keep the defense fresh so we can do what we did at the end of the game and rush the passer."

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