Honeymoon Over: No More Denying the Raiders' Most Pressing Issue

The Las Vegas Raiders made significant change to nearly every position group on the offensive side of the ball, except one.

Decisions, Decisions

The Raiders traded for quarterback Geno Smith during the offseason. They added Ashton Jeanty and multiple wide receivers in this year's NFL Draft. They also added Chip Kelly as their offensive coordinator, making him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the league.

Las Vegas effectively added to every position group, minus the offensive line. While Jordan Meredith was not a starter last season, he was on the roster. The injury to Jackson Powers-Johnson added a fresh face, in Alex Cappa, but overall, the unit is largely the same as it was last season.

The Raiders' offensive production has also been about the same as it was last season.

Following the Raiders' loss to the Commanders, Pete Carroll addressed the elephant in the room. Las Vegas' offensive line has made life difficult for all that depend on them. Smith has not had time to throw the ball, and rookie running back Ashton Jeanty has had little room to run.

"Well, it turns us back to [how] we have to balance out what we're doing so we can mix better. We didn't run the football at all early. And then when we did, we drove the football, we made our scores. So once we got going, I thought [RB] Ashton [Jeanty] did a really good job with his opportunities. He got a lot of carries today," Carroll said.

“It was a good ball game for him. It was tough, and he played tough and showed you how he does it. But we didn't start out well at all. We came out of the chutes getting hurt, and so until we got going, you couldn't see much. But we do have to mix better so that we feel the run and the pass mix that gives us an advantage. Instead of feeling like we're getting knocked around."

Adding Carroll and making the number of moves the Raiders made this season was proof of a true effort by the Raiders to turn things around as quickly as possible. However, the Raiders did not get into this situation overnight. They will not get out of it overnight, either.

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