Raiders say execution was issue on big plays
Team failed to stretch field with Ruggs gone
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The numbers for Derek Carr and the Raiders’ offense looked fine in the final box score of Sunday’s 23-16 loss to the Giants at Metlife Stadium. It was more about how the Raiders got to the final numbers that raised concern.
For the first time this season, explosive downfield plays were mostly absent from their offensive repertoire. Sunday marked the first game in which the Raiders did not complete a pass play for at least 29 yards.
While the Raiders downplayed the emotional toll of the crash involving Henry Ruggs that led to the death of a Las Vegas woman, his arrest and release by the team, his departure appeared to take with it a large portion of the team’s downfield presence.
Interim coach Rich Bisaccia fought back a bit on that notion. “I don’t think that’s part of it,” Bisaccia said of whether Ruggs’ departure was the biggest reason for the team’s lack of plays downfield.
Bisaccia pointed to a 24-yard throw to Darren Waller in which the tight end got a little running room after the catch but lamented plays like a late-hit call on offensive lineman Nick Martin for charging into a pile to pick up a 15-yard penalty that all but wiped out a 22-yard catch and run by Kenyan Drake.
“We eliminated some of the explosive (plays) we did have with some uncharacteristic penalties that we haven’t had in the last two (games),” Bisaccia said.
Still, the lack of a deep presence was a glaring issue for an offense that moved the ball well between the 20s but struggled in the red zone.
The team acted quickly after the game, coming to terms on a deal with free-agent wide receiver Desean Jackson, one of the most dangerous deep threats in league history. But Jackson is 34 years old and might need time to
pick up the offense.
There also have to be answers in house. Zay Jones got the first shot at the job Sunday. The audition didn’t go particularly well.
Jones had one catch on four targets while playing a majority of snaps in the position once occupied by Ruggs.
One of those unsuccessful attempts was a deep shot down the right sideline in the fourth quarter on one of the only occasions Carr tried to throw downfield.
It was intercepted, one of several mistakes by Carr that led to questions about whether the issue was not having a deep threat on the field or being distracted by the overwhelming sadness of the week.
“Zay ran a double move,” Carr said. “I tried to fit it in before the safety got there, but he got there. That had nothing to do with emotion. That was a decision I made, and it didn’t work out.”
He said defenses do things differently when Ruggs isn’t on the field, but it’s something the Raiders have gotten used to when Ruggs would be in or out of the game over the past two seasons.
“With that kind of speed, obviously you have to do different things,” Carr said. “But it wasn’t anything like out of the blue or anything crazy or anything like that. I miss him. I love him, but when we went out there today, we still almost threw for 300 (yards). We ran the ball efficiently with explosives. We just turned ball over. That’s why we lost.”