Oakland Raiders: A Few Keys To Victory Over The Jacksonville Jaguars

It’s All About Making Adjustments

There really is no denying or sugar-coating it – Jack Del Rio and his staff got their backsides handed to them by Andy Reid last week. They were outcoached at every turn and looked like a team that wasn’t very well prepared. Especially after halftime.

This is no fault of the players. They’re not the ones calling the plays, nor are they the ones responsible for making the necessary adjustments in-game that will allow them to succeed. That falls squarely upon the shoulders of Del Rio and his staff. And against Kansas City, they did a poor, poor job of adjusting to the game as it unfolded.

The Raiders did a decent enough job of hanging in throughout the first half against Kansas City and even stealing back some momentum just before halftime. But after the break, it became abundantly clear that Reid used that time in the locker room to refine his game plan.

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It became clear very quickly that the Chiefs came out in the second half ready to roll – and the Raiders didn’t.

Kansas City got the ball first after halftime and promptly went on a seven play, 75 yard drive, scoring a touchdown to put them up by 10 in just three minutes, twenty three seconds. The Chiefs got everything they wanted from a Raiders defense that looked confused and completely out of sync.

It seemed really obvious that the Raiders didn’t make many adjustments during the break, while the Chiefs did. They exploited mismatches, took advantage of weakness and tendencies in the Raider defense, and did everything right in that opening drive. The Raiders meanwhile, did everything wrong and looked completely disjointed.

Of course, that was pretty much the theme of the entire game. If Oakland’s playoff aspirations are for real, the coaching staff is going to have to a much better job putting together and effective game plan – and making necessary adjustments on the fly. Two things not in evidence against the Chiefs.