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The Las Vegas Raiders spent a lot of money this offseason to attempt and create a Super Bowl contender. They were coming off a season in which they reached the playoffs for just the second time in the last decade. Offensively, they are chalk full of talent, led by QB Derek Carr.
The Raiders have one of the best receiving tight ends in football with Darren Waller. Hunter Renfrow was one of the most overlooked receivers last year. But obviously the trade for Davante Adams was expected to make this offense to the next level. Defensively, the Raiders added pass rusher extraordinaire Chandler Jones to pair with Maxx Crosby. That duo was believed to be among the league's most fearsome.
The Raiders offseason led many to believe they will contend not only for an AFC West crown, but for the Super Bowl. Yet, here they are sitting at 0-2 after a heart wrenching loss to the Arizona Cardinals in their home opener on Sunday. If they want to turn the season around and get back on track, there are two key adjustments they need to make.
2 Fixes the Raiders Must Make to Turn Their 2022 Season Around
2. Get the ball in Davante Adams' hands
The first game of the season, Carr and Adams showed off their rapport. Adams caught 10 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown in the 24-19 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Despite losing the game, the Raiders offense looked good. They just struggled finishing drives. Keep in mind, that was a Chargers defense that held Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs offense to 20 points in Week 2. Yet, Adams consistently created separation and had a huge game. That game could have gone either way and the Chargers happened to make one more play.
This route by @tae15adams is a thing of beauty 🤯
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/3BzmFmDTML
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 11, 2022
But in the Raiders Week 2 loss to the Cardinals, Adams finished with just two catches for 12 yards and a score. The Cardinals do not have a very good secondary. Granted, they paid extra attention to Adams but the Raiders still need to find a way to get him the ball more than two times. He's an elite playmaker that makes this offense elite.
1. Get to the opposing QB
In today's NFL, it is imperative to do two things: protect your quarterback and get after the opponents. Thus far, the Raiders are dead last in the NFL in sacks. They have only one sack on the season, this past week against Kyler Murray.
The Chargers do not boast one of the best offensive lines in football. The Raiders should have been able to take advantage of that and get pressure on Justin Herbert. They were unable to affect him for most of the game. Then last week it got really bad. During the unbelievable comeback, Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray seemingly was playing street football.
KYLER MURRAY IS A MAGICIAN.
(via @AZCardinals)pic.twitter.com/jDVUN4I0KW
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 18, 2022
The Raiders pass rush was so bad, on the first of two two-point conversions, Murray had the ball for literally 20 seconds. Yeah, you read that right. He ran around in the backfield for 20 seconds before eventually scampering in for the conversion. Crosby had the team's only sack, but Jones has been non-existent thus far. Considering the AFC West features Mahomes, Herbert and Russell Wilson, it is going to be imperative the Raiders develop a pass rush.
Otherwise, they are staring a last place finish in the division in the face.
