Red Zone Report: One Issue Raiders Offense Must Fix

Compared to last season, the Las Vegas Raiders' offense has been night and day. Still, as much as Las Vegas' offense has turned things around, the players and coaches would readily agree that the unit is still coming together and has plenty to clean up.

Las Vegas' offense has stayed afloat thanks to solid scheming by head coach Klint Kubiak and offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko. Beyond the roster moves Las Vegas' front office made, the play-calling duo has opened up the Raiders' offense in ways unimaginable a season ago.

Still, the Raiders' offense is in the beginning stages of learning a new scheme, under a new coach, and with several new teammates at critical positions. All of which impacts how long it will take for Las Vegas' offense to gel this season.

Las Vegas' coaching staff used their offseason time wisely, refusing to focus only on their starting lineup. The Raiders' coaching staff made sure to develop the talent behind their starters. Las Vegas' staff also began implementing a deep playbook.

Raiders on a Roll

Both have been on display early this season and have helped Las Vegas' offense rank near the top of the league in points per game. Still, issues continue to plague the unit, including injuries, the lack of a consistent ground game, and a need for receivers, among other things.

Yet after three games, another issue has quietly plagued the unit. The Chiefs will try to capitalize on it if Las Vegas cannot secure a different result when the two teams meet on Sunday. The Raiders must score enough to keep up with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. The fewer failed drives, the better.

One Small but Critical Area for Improvement

The Raiders are 3-0 and unquestionably improved. Three games is a small sample size overall, but when something happens three games in a row, it starts to look like a tendency. After three games, Las Vegas has struggled to score on their first offensive drive after halftime.

In three games, Las Vegas' first offensive drive after halftime resulted in an interception and two quick sets of three-and-outs. Raiders offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko recently shared how he and the Las Vegas coaching staff plan to fix an issue they hope won't happen a fourth time.

“Anytime that we don't have success as an offense, we definitely put that under scrutiny. There's a multitude of things we can look at, but we're always trying to get better, always trying to get better on our details, how we can attack it, how we can put our players in the best position as coaches, and then how players can go out and execute at a higher level,” Janocko said earlier this week.

Las Vegas' defense will face one of the league's best defenses, as Kansas City plays well against the pass and the run. Janocko knows Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will prepare his team well for a critical AFC West matchup on Sunday.

“He's been doing it for a long time, and he's been doing stuff really well for a long time. That group's been together. They're cohesive. They're unbelievably well coached. Everybody knows how to do what they ask to do and do it at a fast-paced level. It's a tremendous challenge for us," Janocko said.

Las Vegas' offense could use a more productive third quarter overall, especially on Sunday against Mahomes. No matter how good the Raiders' defense is, Las Vegas' offense will need to help negate a potent Chiefs attack.

The Raiders have improved in one facet or another, seemingly each of the season's first three weeks. Finding a way to score points, or even hold the ball for more than three plays and a punt, would be a success for the Raiders on their first offensive possession after halftime.

Each of Las Vegas' wins went down to the wire. Yet if everything else stayed the same in those games and Las Vegas also scored on their first drive after halftime, they likely would have won those three games by more, dodged plenty of late-game drama, and eliminated even more doubters.

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