Oakland Raiders: 5 things that must improve against the Arizona Cardinals
By Kevin Saito
2. Penalties
The yellow flags have become so synonymous with the Raiders over the decades, it’s somewhat surprising they haven’t found a way to integrate it into the team’s color scheme.
All joking aside though, penalties have long been an issue for the Raiders and one that needs to be fixed sooner, rather than later. Last season was better than most in recent memory.
Oakland’s 110 penalties in 2018 put them in the middle of the league — the seventeenth most penalized team in the league. But that average of roughly seven penalties for 69 yards a game could certainly stand to be improved.
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The Raiders didn’t get 2019 off to a great start though. The 11 penalties for 127 yards they were tagged for against the Rams was certainly an inauspicious start to the season. But again, it’s preseason and it doesn’t matter for much.
However, coaches will also tell you the habits you pick up in the preseason sometimes bleed over into the regular season and this is one habit this team surely does not want. Nor is it one they can afford to have.
They weren’t horrible when it came to converting third downs last season but they weren’t great either. If the Raiders want to take full advantage of the offensive firepower they’ve assembled this offseason, they’re going to need that offense to stay on the field.
And the surest way to do that is to convert third-down opportunities and keep those chains moving.