Oakland Raiders: Five Things They Must Do To Beat The Cowboys

Get Out Of The Blocks Fast And Hard

If there’s been one consistent theme throughout this troubling, disappointing season, it’s that the Raiders have failed, time after time, to get off to a fast start. Too many times, we’ve seen the team down a touchdown or two before we can even finish our first cup of coffee.

Oakland has been outscored 55-65 in the first quarter of games this season. They’ve never scored more than 14 points in the first quarter in any game (against Kansas City in week seven) and they’ve been shut out in the opening frame five times. In only four games this year, did the Raiders finish the first quarter with a lead – and they lost two of those.

Suffice it to say, when the Raiders get down early, they haven’t been able to find any sort of a spark that lets them climb back into ballgames. The magic they’ve had over the past few seasons when Carr was able to engineer a comeback, and you never got the feeling that they were truly out of most games, just hasn’t been there in 2017.

Might the change in offensive coordinators and a philosophy that doesn’t seem to fit the players on hand have something to do with that? Golly, that’s a tough one.

When they find themselves down early, it alters the game plan, perhaps out of necessity. They have to go away from the running game and try to throw their way back into it. The trouble is, Carr and company have yet to be able to actually throw themselves back into a game.

Which means, the Raiders cannot afford to find themselves in a hole early against Dallas. The Cowboys have too much firepower and can bury you in a heartbeat.

Downing is going to have to dial up a solid game plan that has the Raiders coming out on offense fast and aggressive. They’re going to need to take some deep shots, mix in some runs to keep the Cowboys on their heels, and take it to the defense.

At this point, they simply cannot afford to sit back and hope the defense gives them opportunities. They’ve got to step up, be bold, be aggressive, and set the tone themselves. Anything less, or even worse, coming out looking as flat and unprepared as they did against Kansas City, is going to spell doom for a team that can’t seem to dig themselves out of a hole.