Oakland Raiders: Notes And Observations From Week One

Sep 13, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders wide receiver Seth Roberts (10) is unable to make a catch against the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Bengals defeated the Raiders 33-13. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Oakland’s Offense Didn’t Come Ready To Play

From the start, Oakland’s offense just didn’t seem to be clicking. An incompletion, a short two yard run, and a three yard pass play led to the Raiders going three and out and punting the ball away – a familiar sight for the Raiders on Sunday.

The Raiders never found any sort of offensive rhythm – except in garbage time when Matt McGloin, in for an injured Derek Carr moved the ball against a Bengals defense that was more than willing to give up the soft yards underneath.

More from Golden Gate Sports

• Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
• 49ers sign new long snapper amidst a flurry of roster moves
• Oakland Athletics win Game 2 of Wild Card round with late-inning drama
• 49ers: George Kittle and Deebo Samuel cleared to return to practice
• 49ers expected to place DE Dee Ford on injured reserve

The running game never got going – Latavius Murray ran 11 times for 44 yards. He didn’t have a bad yards per carry average, but he never really got the opportunity to establish the running game. Because Oakland fell behind so early – in a scene that was eerily reminiscent of last season’s offensive woes – they had to attempt to throw their way out of the hole. Not exactly a recipe for success.

For the game, the Raiders gained just 246 offensive yards – 183 through the air and 63 on the ground. They racked up a meager 16 first downs and werejust three of 12 on third down opportunities.

With so many new weapons and so much offensive firepower at their disposal – not to mention a creative an innovative OC – many expected the Raiders to light up the scoreboard this year. But their performance against Cincinnati only reminded us of last season’s power outage of an offense.

The offense wasn’t helped by receivers like Seth Roberts who dropped passes they should have caught which killed drives that could have been extended. On the day, the Raiders’ receivers dropped half a dozen passes. And who knows what may have been. Any one of those drops could have extended a drive that may have helped turn the momentum of the game.

The offensive line is going to need to do a better job of pass and run blocking, the backs will need to do a better job of establishing themselves, and the receivers need to be able to get separation from the defensive backs. And of course, the quarterback – bet it Carr or McGloin – needs to find and hit the open man.

Next: Defensive Power Outage