Raiders Offense Struggling in the Third Quarter

The Las Vegas Raiders have issues on both sides of the ball, like every team in the National Football League. One of their more significant issues this season has been their inability to score points in the third quarter.

This issue has plagued the Raiders through two offensive coordinators and head coaches. Interim Coach Antonio Pierce says the Raiders showed Sunday that they had what it took to win the game, but didn't sustain their momentum.

"I think every game has a different process and a way to win," Pierce said. "This one, we didn't blink. I mean, I don't think you just jump up 14-0 if you weren't going be aggressive and feel that way. I think we knew early on we could run the ball with Josh [Jacobs], and we did that.

"We knew we had a great opportunity there with Tae [Davante Adams] on the outside, and we took advantage of that. And then every game is going to come to a point where the offense stills, and then how do you rebound from that?"

The Raiders have scored only 19 points in the third quarter this season, which probably indicates their ability to adjust to the opponents' adjustments.

"What we're struggling with right now is just rebounding from those dry moments," Pierce said. "You see them, it's very evident during the game. Either a negative play on second down or a third down conversion where we have a concept or a play that we like, and we're not hitting it.”

Rookie quarterback Aidan O'Connell says the Raiders must do a better job in the second half of games, especially against teams with explosive offenses.

"Definitely, we didn't play well enough in the second half on Sunday," O'Connell said. "I think we tried to continue with our running game and had success, and then I think we just had a couple three-and-outs.

"It's hard to do that against this team [the Kansas City Chiefs] and not put drives together. We kept our defense on the field for too long. We've got to do a better job sustaining drives and like you said, do a better job in the second half executing."

The Raiders have the pieces to be a successful offense but have yet to put those pieces together consistently. They'll have to find a way to be more productive moving forward in the third quarter.

The Silver and Black will return home to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas to take on the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, December 10, at 4:05 p.m. EST/1:05 p.m. PST.

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