A sign of trouble came on the Raiders’ first offensive play on Sunday.
Kolton Miller jumped offside early, marking the first of three penalties before the snap committed by Las Vegas’ offensive line. Jackson Powers-Johnson then added the other two penalties within three plays.
It was a tough day for the line, which was responsible for four of the Raiders’ five penalties in their 27-20 loss to the Chiefs. The offensive line also struggled to block for the run against one of the NFL’s best rushing defenses, finishing the game with just 33 rushing yards and an average of 1.6 yards per carry.
The pass protection wasn’t much better. Gardner Minshew was sacked five times, as Kansas City’s defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo, sent more blitzes in the second half.
The line features rookie starters Powers-Johnson and DJ Glaze and has been a problem all season, though pre-snap penalties are likely the easiest to fix.
“On the first play, you have three guys moving, right?” coach Antonio Pierce said Monday. “That needs to be cleaned up. Some of those mistakes came from younger players. We’re asking a lot from them right now. They had a tough matchup with Chris Jones, but that’s no excuse. Just focus until the ball is snapped.”
Las Vegas has more serious problems that are harder to solve. The Raiders have allowed an average of 3.1 sacks per game, ranking 27th in the league, but their run blocking has been even worse.
They have surpassed 100 rushing yards only three times this season, with averages of 79 yards per game and 3.55 yards per play, placing them second to last in those categories.
The Chiefs made it hard for the Raiders to run the ball, forcing Minshew to try to win the game on his own. Other teams are likely to use a similar strategy, although Pierce is determined to improve the running game.
Las Vegas attempted to score after an interception gave them the ball at Kansas City’s 3-yard line. Trailing 17-13 in the third quarter, a touchdown would have put them in a good position for a surprise win.
Alexander Mattison rushed to the 1-yard line on first down, but after two more attempts, the Raiders couldn’t push him into the end zone, and he even lost yards on one play. A sack on fourth down ended their chances.
“We want to run the football, be physical up front, and win the line of scrimmage,” Pierce said. “That didn’t happen last night. We got pushed back in key moments—not all the time, but especially when we were near the goal line.”
