Antonio Pierce is left shaking his head as his anticipated debut as the Raiders official head coach turned into a letdown. The Raiders’ defense played well enough to win this game but the offense continued to get in its way giving the defense no time to breathe. They appeared disorganized and disoriented throughout the game. What led to the Raiders’ missteps in week one?
Raiders Offense Falters Again in 22-10 Loss to Chargers
Limited Impact
In April, Antonio Pierce chose Brock Bowers, the standout tight end from Georgia, as the first-round pick for the NFL draft, adding another weapon to the Raiders’ offense. Despite having an arsenal of pass catchers, the team’s performance in the first game suggests that it may not be enough. The offensive line’s poor performance left little time to throw the ball and created no opportunities to run. While blaming the quarterback is tempting, the issues run deeper than just the lack of a superstar quarterback.
The offensive line needs to hold up to give these pass catchers time to get open downfield. Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack were all over the place wreaking havoc on Minshew and the running backs. Kolton Miller and Andre James are both great linemen and give the Raiders some great play at left tackle and center but the rest of the line needs to hold up their end of the bargain. The play from the guards and right tackle can’t be repeated or the Raiders will max out at scoring 10 points a game. The Raiders will be in Baltimore next week against one of the league’s best pass rushers.
Luke Getsy Struggles
Getsy was hired in the same offseason as he was fired from the Bears, one of the league’s worst passing offenses. Yet, Antonio Pierce and Davante Adams chose to believe in him and give him a chance to prove it wasn’t his ineptitude in Chicago. This move was looked down upon since being made, but Raider Nation was left to simply call it good and hope Pierce knew what he was doing. Sadly for him, game one gave him very little to believe in. The playcalling was stale and lacked creativity. Receivers weren’t getting open, and the running game took three quarters before it started to show any life.
Getsy isn’t the only one to blame because the players made many mistakes that gave the Chargers a short field, but the entire game it felt like they were playing not to lose. Getsy was conservative, never letting Minshew rip the ball downfield. He wanted a mobile quarterback like Minshew who could throw and make plays with his legs, but he didn’t show off much mobility or arm talent to inspire confidence. This should leave Raiders fans questioning what Pierce was thinking when hiring Getsy, but it’s too late to go back now. It’s safe to say if the Raiders want to be a competitive team, Getsy needs to improve significantly.
Quarterback Switch?
It’s easy to blame the quarterback when an offense only scores 10 points in a game. Upon reviewing the box score, it seems like Minshew had a typical game, putting up good passing yards and a touchdown with only a late-game interception that didn’t have much impact. The issue was that he appeared average at best based on the eye test. He had an unfortunate fumble that resulted in points for the Chargers and frequently opted for check-downs instead of pushing the ball downfield. While he wasn’t the sole reason for their loss, he also didn’t do enough to give them a chance to win.
Aidan O’Connell is on the bench, waiting for his opportunity to start for the team again. However, it might be too early for him to take over. O’Connell faced similar issues last year to the ones Minshew encountered yesterday. He won 5 games but wasn’t the sole reason for those victories. Similarly, he didn’t solely cause their losses in the 5 games they didn’t win. O’Connell has a better and more accurate arm, but Minshew possesses experience and mobility, which O’Connell lacks. It’s too early to accurately assess how Minshew will perform in this offense after just one week. Additionally, it might be detrimental to throw O’Connell against one of the league’s best defenses when the Raiders are desperate for a win. So expect Minshew to start next week for the silver and black.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
