Raiders' Offense Must Quickly Improve in Critical Aspect

The Las Vegas Raiders' offense struggled with many things last Sunday. However, as it prepares to face the Cincinnati Bengals, it must significantly improve in this area.

Oct 27, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew (15) throws the ball against Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal (54) in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders' offense has struggled in many aspects this season, primarily staying healthy and executing.

While there are plenty of other things the unit can improve at, those are undoubtedly the two most significant issues plaguing it. However, the Raiders allowed five sacks last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, completely disrupting any flow or momentum the team tried to establish.

This week, the Raiders face the Cincinnati Bengals, which are near the top of the league in blitzes called this season and quarterback knockdown percentage.

Raiders coach Antonio Pierce emphasized how important it will be for the offensive line to protect quarterback Gardner Minshew this Sunday on the road.

 "Yeah, you got to protect the quarterback," Pierce said. "It's no different from what we saw at the end of the game last week versus Kansas City. Teams are going to tee off once they figure out there's a weakness or you haven't picked up something in protection. They are just going to keep going at it. Obviously, these guys got two good defensive ends. 91 [Trey Hendrickson] is a really good football player, high effort, high motor, competitive, solid. And then when they bring their backers and their stars, they're really good at pressures." 

The Raiders struggled so mightily against the blitz last week partially because the Chiefs did a solid job of making adjustments and disguising their blitzes. The Raiders have multiple rookie offensive linemen who have performed well overall but struggled, along with the rest of the offensive line, against the Chiefs' blitzing. The unit will be tested again this weekend against the Bengals, so it is an issue they must fix as soon as possible.

"Yeah, they did a good job disguising, man,” Minshew said. “That's kind of their MO, and a lot of times you just got to play hot and just understand that they're going to get there and understand where your quick answers are. I thought we did a good job of that sometimes; sometimes we didn't. So, again, the challenge is consistency there."

The Raiders are playing a team whose record does not show how formidable of a team they really are. Still, the Raiders have a chance to win any game they play this season if they can cut down on the turnovers and penalties. Time will tell if they can do so in Cincinnati.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and IG @HondoSr and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.