Oakland Raiders: A Closer Look At Some Concerning Numbers

39.1

And speaking of third down efficiency, the Raiders most certainly need to get their’s up. Way up.

Though the offense has been pretty electric and dynamic through the first two games of the season, they’ve also struggled with it comes to third downs. Granted, third downs are slightly irrelevant when you’re slinging fifty yard touchdown passes.

But not every play is going to be a fifty yard gainer. This squad needs to learn how to grind it out and extend drives. They need to figure out how to keep moving the chains and keep the defense on the sidelines, keeping them fresh and ready.

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In twenty-three conversion attempts so far this season, Oakland has been successful nine times. Nine for twenty-three. That’s an underwhelming 39.1 percent success rate. While it puts them in the middle of the NFL pack – the seventeenth best conversion rate – the Raiders need to strive for better.

Carr and his offensive unit need to be better aware of where the sticks are – and make sure to get beyond them. If only by a hair. Several times against Atlanta, we saw Oakland’s receivers – needing seven yards for a first – stop at six and wait for the ball. That’s not going to cut it.

While this unit has flourished with deep strikes, they need to get better at controlling the clock with long, grind it out drives. And they will need to learn how to convert third downs at a better clip than 39 percent.

Keeping the sticks moving not only keeps the defense fresh, it can demoralize an opponent and wear their defense out. It was something we saw happen to the Raiders many times last season – and by the end of the game, the defense was spent.

As much as the Raiders need their defense to stop an opponent’s conversions, this offense needs to figure out how to make them.