Game Overview ::
By mike johnson >>
- The Raiders offense looked great in Week 1 from a play-calling and schematic standpoint. On the other hand, the execution . . . not so great.
- The Raiders appear committed to a running back by committee approach.
- Rookie tight end Brock Bowers led the Raiders in targets and should continue to be a focal point of the offense, along with superstar wide receiver Davante Adams.
- Las Vegas was exposed on the ground in Week 1 by JK Dobbins and the Chargers offense.
- Baltimore is set for their home opener after a 10-day rest since their opening night loss to the Super Bowl champion Chiefs.
- The Ravens appear to have a dynamic duo at the tight end position with Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely. Teams will be forced to “pick their poison” with these matchup nightmares.
How las vegas Will Try To Win ::
The Raiders offense was fun to watch from a coaching lens in Week 1. As Hilow pointed out, offensive coordinator Luke Getsy did a nice job of creating layered route concepts and utilized motion at a very high rate. They also have an exciting corps of skill players with Davante Adams, Brock Bowers, Jakobi Meyers, and Tre Tucker all presenting skill sets that can make plays in multiple areas of the field. The Raiders offensive line is solid and can open up holes, while their backfield talent is serviceable. By all accounts, this should be a pretty solid offense. They struggled, however, in their season opening loss to the Chargers and now travel cross country for round 2 against the Harbaugh family.
Las Vegas had a slightly positive pass rate over expectation in Week 1 despite a low scoring game that was within one score for the first three quarters. Unable to generate much of a running game, the Raiders were held to 3.2 yards per carry by a rejuvenated Chargers defense. Alexander Mattison crashed the Zamir White party and out-snapped him while making some plays in the passing game. This week the Raiders face a Baltimore defense that held the Chiefs under four yards per rush attempt in Week 1 and was top-10 in that category last year as well. Baltimore is always a tough place to play and the Ravens defense is unlikely to be the spot where Las Vegas get their running game going, meaning they are likely going to be forced into a similar game plan this week to what they did in Week 1. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as the plan was great but they will need to be much more efficient and execute better to have any chance against the team that was best in the NFL during the 2023 regular season. There is very little margin for error here.
The Raiders have talent, but speed is a bit lacking. The Chiefs exposed the Ravens with the speed of Xavier Worthy and the underneath route running of Rashee Rice. Expect Las Vegas to try to use Tre Tucker’s speed and Brock Bowers’ ability to make plays in space as ways to generate offense and potentially big plays in low-risk ways. Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers are terrific route runners and may be able to make plays in the middle of the field, but their lack of downfield threats (or a quarterback who can hit those threats) will likely make that route more difficult for the Raiders than it was for the Chiefs. Expect Baltimore and their aggressive defensive scheme to throw the kitchen sink at Minshew, who has a propensity for costly sacks and turnovers. The Raiders are facing an uphill battle and will likely need to show an improved running game and an ability to hit on a couple of big plays to have a chance of staying close in this one.
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