Raiders Still Have Bright Spots Amidst Early Struggles

LAS VEGAS, Nev.-- The Las Vegas Raiders' offense has been stuck in the mud for much of the first three weeks of the season. There are legitimate reasons that factor into why that is. Las Vegas losing two of its best players on offense has understandably impacted them.

Still, the Raiders still have room for improvement on a rebuilt team that entered the season with heightened expectations. Even with Brock Bowers and Jackson Powers-Johnson on the field, Las Vegas needs to do several things better in Week 4 against the Chicago Bears.

Raiders' Bright Spots

The Raiders' shortcomings over the first three weeks of the season have been well-documented. Still, there have been several positives for the Raiders. One of those posities has been Geno Smith's ability to spread the ball around, when he has had enough blocking to make plays.

Before Wednesday's practice, Smith explained how much the Raiders' versatile group of pass catchers have helped him. Las Vegas emphasized adding to their group of skill position players in the offseason. Doing so had an immediate return on their investments.

"Yeah, very valuable. I think we have a bunch of options and a bunch of guys that can get open and make plays. The key for us is to always get the ball into the hands of the right guy, depending on what the defense shows us. So, I'm very impressed with just how our guys are responding and making plays out there,” Smith said.

Specifically, the Raiders have found a way to unlock veteran wide receiver Tre Tucker after the previous two Raiders' regimes struggled to do so. Tucker is on pace to have more receiving yards in the first half of this season than any complete season of his career.

Smith noted how his relationship with Tucker has grown since he joined the team via trade.

"I think our relationship is growing. As I've said all along, I really think highly of Tre [Tucker]. I think he can do a lot of great things. Obviously, we're all about winning here, and so, statistics and all that, it's an afterthought,” Smith said.

“I thought he played tough throughout the game and really gave us a shot to move the chains and get some points. But, like I said, man, we've got to do a better job all around."

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