Need to ‘find a way,’ GM says
The Raiders rolled into Washington on Sept. 24 at 2-0, the NFL’s highest-scoring team through two weeks, looking every bit the AFC contender experts predicted them to be.
And then, in front of a national TV audience, they were manhandled in a 27-10 loss. It was the first of four straight losses and five in six games. And as general manager Reggie McKenzie acknowledged Thursday, it was “a punch to the gut” for the team.
“I don’t know about the confidence, but it shook ’em,” McKenzie said during a 25minute discussion with reporters. “It shook all of us. It shook us enough that everybody had to look in the mirror and say, ‘Let’s get this thing going. This is not who we are.’ So we had to regroup.”
That has been a gradual process.
The Raiders have won two of their past three, but the early-season slide has them 4-5 at their bye week, clinging to hopes of a return to the postseason. It is not where McKen-
zie expected the Raiders to be. They were coming off a 12-4 season, had a healthy Derek Carr to lead the offense and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Khalil Mack leading the defense.
“Obviously, we’d like to be more in the win column, for sure,” McKenzie said. “But our record is what it is. And our play is what it is.”
McKenzie used most of the offseason to fortify an offense that ranked sixth last year in total yards, adding tight end Jared Cook, receiver Cordarrelle Patterson and tackle Marshall Newhouse in free agency and signing running back Marshawn Lynch out of retirement.
The Raiders totaled 71 points in their first two games — and 53 in their next four, all losses, with Carr missing one game with a lower back fracture. Through nine games, Oakland’s offense ranks 19th in yards per game (324.6) and 15th in scoring (21.8).
“It’s obvious that some of the games that we lost, we were not able to put up some points,” said McKenzie. “We definitely need to get better there and find a way. We’ve got some guys that we feel like can get that thing done, and that’s what they’re working on. We’ll get it done, just have to be consistent in the way our approach is.”
Lynch had one of his better games Sunday with two touchdowns in a 27-24 win over Miami. The Raiders still rank 26th in rushing offense (87.6 yards per game), which McKenzie said is also reflective of an offensive line that had three players make the Pro Bowl last season.
“I just think the guys just need to continue to sustain their blocks,” McKenzie said. “A runner is a runner, he’s trying to get a feel for the guys in front of him. We’ve got to block better, we’ve got to run better. We’ve just got to get better all the way around.”
Oakland parted ways with offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave after last season and promoted Todd Downing from quarterbacks coach. Asked Thursday to assess Downing’s work, McKenzie said: “I’m not going to sit here and evaluate coordinators with you guys. But it’s obvious we need to get better offensively: score some points, move the football and help the defense out. And vice versa.”
Last season’s Oakland defense gave up yards but also forced 30 turnovers as the Raider tied for the NFL lead with a plus-16 turnover margin. The Raiders’ margin this season is minus-7, and the defense has become the first in NFL history to play the first nine games of a season without recording an interception.
McKenzie said he is “very surprised” by the lack of interceptions. “But we’ve got to figure out how to get our hands on the ball and get the ball back to our offense. That’s something we’ve got to get done.”
Despite the presence of Mack, the Raiders’ defense also ranks tied for 28th in sacks (13) after finishing last in the category in 2016. The lack of a pass rush has been problematic at times. Against the Dolphins, the Raiders allowed Jay Cutler, who was returning from cracked ribs, to complete 81 percent of his passes (34of-42) for 311 yards while sacking him once.
“Oh yeah, there’s chances to make plays,” McKenzie said. “But I think it goes hand in hand. I don’t want to just beat up the pressure. We’ve got to have better coverage. The total package has to get better. We’ve got to be better on defense, not just offense.”
to “Obviously, column, be more for in sure. we’d the like win But our record is what it is. And our play is what it is.” Reggie Raiders’ McKenzie, general manager