At the end of week 9, the Las Vegas Raiders went through a round of mid-season firings on offense to revamp in time for week 11. Coming off a week 10 bye they faced a dangerous Miami Dolphins team trying to salvage its losing season. Here are the top takeaways for the Raiders.
Raiders Week 11 Takeaways
The Offensive Revamp
Since the end of week 9, interim offensive coordinator Scott Turner and his father Norv Turner, have been reworking and coaching the Raider offense after Luke Getsy was fired. Although the Raiders only scored 19 points and came away with another loss the offensive performance was promising in a few ways. Turner made the 12-man personnel a focal point of the offense and the return of Michael Mayer helped a lot this week. However, the real upside came from running the offense through Brock Bowers. Quarterback Gardner Minshew had arguably his best game of the season and Bowers was a big reason why. Bowers ended the day with 13 receptions, 126 yards, and a touchdown en route to his most dominant game this season. The screen game and other short passes looked strong going for long yardage or touchdowns.
It wasn’t all great, however. The run game this season has turned out to be a recurring nightmare. From what it looked like, Scott Turner wanted to make sure of what he had in his rushing attack. He started Zamir White once again, who was relieved of his feature role in favor of Alexander Mattison. Turner found out that White just doesn’t do well in the Luke Getsy system he took over. Mattison who proved to be the better between him and White was injured and unable to return against the Dolphins. The leading rusher for the Raiders in week 11 was wide receiver Jakobi Meyers with 20 yards, which sums up the Raiders’ rushing performance well. Overall, the offense is working in the right direction under Scott Turner who may be auditioning for an offensive coordinating position next season.
The 2024 Draft Class
The Raiders 2024 draft class was on full display with their first four picks in featured roles for the entirety of the game. It goes without saying at this point that the Raiders got a future star in tight end Brock Bowers. The offense went through Bowers this week and that gave the entire offense a semblance of an identity. Jackson Powers-Johnson who was picked second by the Raiders is also becoming part of the overall offensive identity. His presence has only gotten more meaningful in his move to the center. He’s got a hard-nosed mentality that’s needed on the offensive line going forward. He had an off game compared to week 9 against the Bengals but is only a rookie and will only get better with time. He is already one of the best-performing rookie linemen this season.
DJ Glaze has been starting longer than Powers-Johnson at this point taking the starting right tackle job from Thayer Munford. Glaze had his fair share of rookie mistakes this season, but the fact that he’s still starting over Munford says a lot about his upside down the road. Fourth-round pick Decamerion Richardson was also thrust into the spotlight with Nate Hobbs out and Jakorian Bennett getting injured early against the Dolphins. Richardson had a tough time against two of the best receivers in the league Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, but then again so did every Raider defender. Like his fellow rookies, he had some mistakes but his best ball is still ahead of him. Tommy Eichenberg and Dylan Laube are also on the starting roster and have gotten some time this season, but are still developing and need to grow before getting more play. Overall the Raiders regime did well in this year’s draft by grabbing the best guys available at the appropriate times. Some are already showing they can become keystone starters.
Defensive Woes
The Raider defense had a rough time against the fast-paced Dolphins offense. From constant motions to wide and deep threats, the defense couldn’t keep up with the Dolphins. What made the game tough were the long drawn-out drives that the Dolphins sustained throughout the game. Third downs were crucial in week 11 and the Raiders couldn’t get the Dolphins off the field. The Raider offense kept up for most of the game, but couldn’t sustain every drive like the Dolphins. There were also several miscues like a long touchdown to Djannu Smith who was left unaccounted for.
The Defense is usually the reliable part of the Raiders team but has been exposed against the Bengals and Dolphins. They did much better overall against the run but were dismantled through the air by Tua Tagavailoa. Injuries and fatigue from the season are taking a toll on this Raider defense. The Raiders already had four key contributors on injured reserve for the season but were without starters Jakorian Bennett and Nate Hobbs this week as well. Every single level of the Raiders’ defense has been plagued by injury all season. The defense is capable of a lot better, but it’s understandable given the amount of injuries.
Bonus: 2025 Draft Quarterback Sweepstakes
Now that the Raiders are 2-8 looking toward the future is a necessity. Every loss puts the Raiders in a better position to get the quarterback of their choice that evaded them this past draft. Shedeur Sanders is key to the Colorado Buffaloes’ ascension to the top 25 rankings and being second in the Big XII. Sanders and his father Deion have been linked to the Raiders and praising their head coach Antonio Pierce. Current minority owner Tom Brady has also been linked to mentoring Sanders throughout his career and could be key in landing this big-time player. Cam Ward and Jalen Milroe are also prospects that could land with the Raiders if they can’t get Sanders. Ward would be the preferred player over Milroe, but the draft process could prove otherwise. Quinn Ewers is also an option but is more of an afterthought for now given the other players seem to have higher ceilings.
The Raiders returned from the bye week and played well but were met with more disappointment. They seemed revitalized on offense but outclassed on defense and neither side was good enough to win. With eight losses the Raiders season is mostly over. Antonio Pierce is looking to prove that he can be trusted to turn the season around next year. Regardless, the Raiders can expect a high first-round pick next season and a strong foundation that is going to try to fight to the bitter end like they are this season.
Main Image: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
