Oakland Raiders: Midseason Report Card For The Offense

Wide Receivers

Oakland’s dynamic duo of Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree have been somewhat less dynamic in 2017. Though, both are still a threat to erupt at any time – witness Cooper’s 210 yard outburst against Kansas City as evidence – for the most part, both have been putting up rather pedestrian numbers this season.

The duo certainly doesn’t look to be on track to reach 1,000 yards each, like they did in 2016.

One big part of that is dropped passes. It’s not the only thing giving this offense fits, but it is a big problem. Through eight games, the Raiders are second in the league in dropped passes with 15. Only San Francisco has more, totaling 19 on the year.

And of those fifteen, Cooper himself has nine of them. For all of his great plays, he is dropping at least one a game that hurts this offense.

For the season, Crabtree leads the team with 411 yards on 33 receptions on 51 targets. He’s grabbed six touchdowns and has a 65 percent reception rate. Not bad, right?

Cooper has an even 50 percent reception rate – 34 receptions on 68 targets. He’s hauled in 404 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

And Seth Roberts, one of Oakland’s most clutch receivers last season, has largely been absent from the offense this year. After signing a lucrative extension this offseason, Roberts is on pace to set career lows in virtually every category. To date, he has just 15 receptions (on just 25 targets) for 172 yards. He’s got one touchdown and a 60 percent reception rate.

Oakland’s receiving corps, one of the best and most electric in the league last season is suffering through a severe power outage. They aren’t providing much of a punch or a spark to this offensive unit.

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Part of the problem is that as a unit, the Raiders are taking fewer shots downfield. They’re not stretching a defense and softening them up. The receivers aren’t getting enough separation from the defensive backs when they’re running ten yard routes.

With Downing’s offense seeming to rely on a steady diet of short passes, he’s not giving his receivers a chance to make plays in space because opposing defenses know they can bunch of close to the line and that they aren’t going to get stretched out and beat over the top.

As is the case with most of Oakland’s offensive woes, much of it comes down to how the OC is using his personnel – or not using them, as the case may be. But, the receivers themselves aren’t doing anybody any favors with the drops and fumbling either.

They have eight games to get it right and put a charge into this offense once again.

GRADE: C+