Oakland Raiders: Will Jon Gruden ever find a way to change?
Is there cause for panic in Oakland? The Oakland Raiders began their Odyssean road trip on Sunday, losing handily to the Minnesota Vikings by a final score of 34-14.
After sharp starts against the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs, the Oakland Raiders offense looked out-of-sync early against the Minnesota Vikings.
Two three-and-outs and an egregious Derek Carr interception on the Raiders’ opening three possessions put the Raiders in a 21-point hole with 11:06 still left to play in the second quarter.
The Raiders weren’t able to muster much throughout the rest of the contest. After his interception, Carr played admittedly well, completing 24-of-29 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns.
But critical drops and taken sacks sunk promising drives and any chance at a comeback.
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To compound their offensive woes — the Raiders have scored on only one of their last 17 drives — their defense was unable to slow down Vikings running back Dalvin Cook whatsoever.
Cook, who leads the NFL in rushing yards, racked up 110 yards and a touchdown. To boot, backup backs Alexander Mattison and Mike Boone added another 86 yards and another touchdown on the ground against the Raiders.
In short, the Raiders were simply fooled by the Vikings’ backs. Cook, Mattison, and Boone — anyone in purple, really — were all able to pop through holes and spin their way for first downs.
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On the afternoon, the Vikings ripped off runs of 25, 24, 21, 16, and 15 yards. Not much, if anything, was needed from the mostly-pedestrian Kirk Cousins.
Through three games, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has failed to inspire much optimism after an offseason dominated by Antonio Brown’s indecency.
“In spurts, we hung in there and did some good things,” Gruden said in a postgame presser on Sunday. Gruden’s assessment is right — the Raiders have been effective for stretches, but have been unable to put together a complete effort.
But there’s still time — some time, at least — for the Raiders to correct course, at least on offense. Much of their offensive inconsistency can be pinned to Gruden’s unwillingness to let Carr handle offensive play-calling earlier in games.
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Carr, despite his own lapses in play, has proven to be most effective when running no-huddle and pushing the ball downfield, much like he did at Fresno State.
Gruden’s attempts to “throw it back” to 1999 have ultimately been ineffective. The Raiders have a potential Pro Bowler in running back Josh Jacobs. He has to be used as a passing threat to stretch opposing secondaries, not solely as a cloud of dust back.
It’s 2019 now. Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson are stepping on old turf no longer occupied by Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning.
Remember, Carr is only 28-years-old. He’s still athletic enough to handle — and maybe even thrive in — a sped-up, pass-heavy offense. The only question left is whether Jon Gruden will let him.
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It’s time to adapt or die.