Raiders Offense ‘Makes No Sense’

When discussing the Las Vegas offense, five respected NFL people weighed in on what was going wrong and how it could be fixed.

Oct 20, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce on the sidelines against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

According to five NFL sources, the Las Vegas Raiders (2-6) have one of the worst offenses in the National Football League and lack an identity.

That lack of identity has plagued the Raiders this season, and there are many things to criticize.

The team does seem to strive when operating off-script but then falls off.

Coach Antonio Pierce wants to run the football, no matter how the team has to get there by setting up the run by passing or just lining up and going. 

They succeeded against one of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL (Los Angeles Rams), gaining 122 yards on the ground on 29 attempts. Despite that success, the Raiders chose to throw the ball 44 times, completing only 21 attempts. 

Antonio Pierce said this week that, “I think you've just always got to go back to the plays that are working, and there's nothing wrong with repeating plays. You see that from other teams.”

Pierce is 1005 correct.

He added, “I'm not saying we don't do that. Comes down to execution, right? And there's a lot of things that go into it, from protection to route running, to getting the ball off on time, all that stuff goes into play. We need all 11 on the same page."

The offensive line has been beat up in 2024.  That is factual.  That isn’t Getsy’s fault.

I asked OC Luke Getsy the following question last week, and you can see his response.

Hondo S. Carpenter, Sr.: Antonio Pierce talked about he wants to run the ball more and all of that, but the only consistency really in the offense has been inconsistency. I know it's not your fault for penalties, it's not your fault for execution, but as the offensive coordinator, it is technically your fault. How do you fix it when you're already seven games in?

Coach Getsy: "It's all of ours, right? It's a team effort, and I really believe that. And I think the inconsistencies are dissipating. I really do. I think every week it just gets a little bit better and better. I think the mindset, the understanding of what the objective is, is getting clearer each and every week, and running the football alleviates a lot of those issues. Whether you're trying to spread it around or like we're having the issue with turning the ball over, right? So all of that goes into play, and I think that's a part of it. And I think you just have to stick with you believe in what you're doing. You stick with the plan. You keep making sure you're driving the objective of making sure all 11 on the field are on the same page all the time. And that's really the answer."

It is absolutely fair to make it clear that Getsy is not responsible for player execution, unforced penalties, and injuries. Those facts deserve to be mentioned in any conversation. 

But he is the boss of the Raider Nation’s offense.

Here’s what five anonymous NFL sources told us about the Raiders’ offense.

QB: “It makes no sense to me. I have watched two games completely and portions of others, and I can’t believe how they attack, but then they seem to be shut down when it appears they make no adjustments. The defense will adjust; you then have to adjust to their adjustments. That is just the game. I am stunned at the lack of adjustments.  This is the NFL. You are sunk if you can’t adjust. Who gives a s--- if you can script the first 25 plays? If you can’t adjust, you are sunk.”

Executive: “Are they running that by committee? I don’t see a lot of continuity.  Pierce says what he wants, and then they seem to make decisions that don’t correspond. He must drop the hammer and get them on the same page.”

Coach: “Watched that game yesterday,…painful to say the least…you are not doing a good job as an OC. Vary tendencies and your run game lacks creativity.”  He finished with, “What is (Joe) Philbin contributing to this morass?”

Another executive: “I know what AP wants, and he isn’t getting it. If they are making adjustments, it is almost as if they are ‘O.K., that worked, so let's not do it again.’ They don’t pass to run when teams have shut them down, so they keep running, but when they can, they pass. No rhyme or reason. I am not in the building, but perhaps there are too many voices because they don’t seem to have a continuity of thought.  It isn’t Luke’s fault when players make dumb penalties or get hurt.  That offensive line has been beaten up.”

Another coach: “Joe Philbin is one of our league's most intelligent NFL offensive minds. I look at that mess and tell you he needs a bigger voice. That offense doesn’t appear to have a strong sense of purpose. Gardner Minshew has done a lot of good in his career. Has anyone there seen that film and tried to implement it? I would be adjusting my offense to his strengths, but you don’t see a lot of adjustments out of them. Is it the same with Brock Bowers at Georgia and Zamir White from last year? Bowers has a lot of great numbers, but you can’t let him disappear. You have to adjust to what the defense is doing. Did White forget how to run from last season when he looked like a star? Of course not. 

“As a coach, my job was described to me years ago. You are a cook. If I give you a bunch of vegetables, make a salad. Don’t try to make a dessert. You can want to do many things, but in this league, when you can’t overpower a team with your scheme, you must do what your players can. Those offensive coaches have not done what they can to set that offense up to succeed. They aren’t the most talented, but with that defense and the talent they have, 2–6 is unexplainable.”

We know this: The Raiders' offense is underperforming, and with the bye week looming, they better fix it quickly.

Antonio Pierce hired coaches to run this offense. If it falters in Cincinnati, he will have to fix it somehow.

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