Throughout the season, so far, the Las Vegas Raiders endured a mix of decent, but occasionally maddening line play.
If you blindly rely on PFF, the Raiders offensive line is doing a fine job. Left tackle Kolton Miller is top-five at tackle. Right guard Greg Van Roten is top-ten at his position. Even Andre James(13th) and Dylan Parham (21st) are above average for their roles. Yet, they could collectively do better, especially at running the ball.
Rejuvenation
After only one game, the Raiders offensive line looked rejuvenated in Week Nine versus the Giants. You could say the same for pretty much the whole team but Josh Jacobs had holes to hit and also found some nice lanes to cut into. Collectively, the Raiders did enough on their double teams and picked up run stunts. It was also the most explosive, inspired and confident Jacobs looked running this season. It helps Jacobs when the guys upfront make the job easy. Hopefully, the running game can keep that momentum going into the second half of the season. Rookie quarterback Aiden O’Connell needs something to count on.
Too Much Credit Early
Otherwise, the Raiders offensive line received a lot of credit the first couple of weeks. They didn’t allow any sacks the first two games. That was against a Bills defense without Von Miller and a rebuilding Broncos defense. A lot changed a few weeks later when the Raiders faced real tests. First, the Steelers exploited the offensive line with four sacks. TJ Watt got home twice. Then, Khalil Mack single-handedly beat the Raiders with six sacks. Overall, the Chargers defense finished with seven for the game. Mack once again killed the Raiders tackles with his combination of speed and strength.
Reality Check
Of course, some of the failures falls on the injury of Jimmy Garoppolo in that Steelers game. He was brought in to get the ball out and that takes lots of pressure on the offensive line. His absence hurt the offensive line versus the Chargers. Some of those sacks go on the rookie Aiden O’Connell, who took over for Garoppolo versus the Chargers. The Raiders allowed four sacks to the Green Bay Packers. Kenny Clark gave the interior line problems. Both Rashan Gary and Preston Smith got home too. It could’ve been worse once again but Jimmy G. helped the o-line by getting the ball out quickly.
Bounce Back to Mid
They bounced back by not allowing a sack versus the New England Patriots. Brian Hoyer was only sacked once the next week versus the Bears. The offense struggled but they got the ball out. Then things got real when Detroit registered six sacks. Many were coverage sacks or off the blitz. Jimmy Garoppolo looked punch-drunk and out on his feet on those final two drives. The bright spot was that they contained Detroit star edge Aiden Hutchinson for the most part.
Better Execution
Still, O’Connell didn’t take a single sack this past week versus the Giants in his second start. That’s saying a lot considering Giants edge Kayvon Thibodeaux has the speed, length and strength to disrupt the Raiders tackles. Giants’ defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence also has the size, anchor and length to dominate the Raiders interior. He played solidly but didn’t change the game. The Raiders successful running game made it hard for the Giants to really rush the passer. New York was also down a key d-lineman after the trade of Leonard Williams. Last year, this unit relied on a much stronger and more effective running game. That allowed the offensive line to hide some deficiencies in pass blocking. Those cracks got exposed after the first two games. Better play calling and added inspiration will help the Raiders offensive line continue improving into the second half of the season.
Mr. Consistent
Miller has given up three sacks. He needs to play better versus elite talent if he wants to cement himself as one of the best in recent years. Miller has struggled with speed to power. He also needs to be better at the point of the attack on runs and it would also help if he finished more blocks. However, we’ve been saying the same thing about Miller since he came out of the draft. At the very least, he is consistent and he hasn’t hurt the team with penalties. He’s only had one this year.
Up and Down
James left the game at SoFi last year with a concussion. That gave the rest of the group a plea for a bad performance in L.A. last year. Vegas showed some liabilities in blitz pick up against the Chargers again with James playing this year. He also had two killer penalties versus the Steelers. Overall, the Blitz pickup has improved as the season has gone on. James can still generate more push in the run game. Lawrence did give James and the whole interior line some problems too but they did enough to stay in front of him and create some cutback lanes.
- Feed has no items.
Sophomore Slump
Parham had a great year last year. He started the year with a bit of a sophomore slump. He still looks good on pulls and run blocking at the second level. However, his size, power and timing can be a liability versus the pass as well as at the point of attack. Parham can get bodied by bigger and stronger defenders. His pad level and balance have gotten better minus a few lapses versus Detroit.
The Tackle Battle
Right tackle Jermaine Eleumunor was one of the more consistent players upfront last year. He has struggled with speed and bend, especially in those games versus the Steelers and Chargers. He bounced back versus the Patriots and Bears but some of that falls on their lack of a pass rusher. Eleumunor had his best game of the year versus the Giants, per PFF, after struggling a bit versus the Lions. I still think it makes sense to move him back inside to guard. He won’t have to worry about speed or punch timing as much inside.
Play On, Thayer
Fellow tackle Thayer Munford has had his moments. Munford looked decent in the Detroit game versus an old foe, Hutchinson, from college. He also looked good in extended time versus the Patriots and Bears. The second-year player definitely gives the Raiders more in the run game than his RT counterpart Eleumunor. Munford ranks ten spots ahead of Eleumunor in PFF’s tackle grades. His pad level and punch timing is still inconsistent. He also struggled with the speed to power of the Chargers. Munford missed the Giants game due to injury but hopefully he gets healthy because Vegas also likes to use him as sixth offensive lineman.
The New Guy
As for Van Roten, he does just a bit more than last year’s starting guard Alex Bars. Van Roten doesn’t generate a lot of push but he does well at positioning himself in the right spot to move defenders laterally, especially in zone type plays. Van Roten does enough to give his QB time. He struggles more with strength than speed. Van Roten also is better at picking up stunts than the right side of the offensive line.
Around Full Press Coverage
OPINION: Morten Andersen: The Toughest Place To Kick? For Me, It Was This Place
NFL: NFL 2022: Five Key Statistics for Week 2
NFL: Kansas City Chiefs Stock Report: Week 2 2022
FULL PRESS BETS: NFL MVP Odds: Patrick Mahomes Leapfrogs Josh Allen For Top Spot
FANTASY FOOTBALL: Fantasy Football Value Picks In Every Round
PODCAST: Full Press NFL Podcast Ep 54: Chargers At Chiefs Preview
More Season, More Challenges
Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams and Miami Dolphins edge Bradley Chubb are coming up on the schedule. They also have Vikings edge Danielle Hunter and Colts interior lineman DeForest Buckner later in the season. Plus, the Raiders have another bout with the Chargers and two more with the Chiefs. Kansas City’s Chris Jones always gives the Raiders problems across the offensive line.
Setting the Tone
All in all, the Raiders offensive line needs to continue to improve as the season goes on. Fans should be hopeful a deeper commitment to the run game will help out the entire offensive line. Either way, the line needs to show more push in the run game with that commitment. They must set the tone and impose their will if the Raiders hope to do anything this season. It would help if players like Miller, James and Van Roten really set the tone by finishing their blocks.
Taking Shots
If Vegas wants to take more shots deep, the offensive line will need to do more than just the bare minimum in pass pro too. They need to be more consistent with pass pro and blitz pickup to give whoever is playing quarterback a chance. Thus far, this group has done enough despite bad play calling, quarterback play and overall execution. The offense ranks in the middle of the pack for total passing yards and in the bottom-five for rushing yards. However, that doesn’t fall squarely on the o-line.
The Rest of the Season
This offensive line will be the difference between this team winning or losing some close games. Barring another team’s injury, the Raiders have more elite tests coming up on their schedule. It’s fair to say they’ve been hot and cold so far versus elite talent. It could be worse but it could also be better. A good offensive line can help Jacobs get back on track to be among the league’s rushing leaders and they can help their rookie quarterback play with confidence. If they play like the o-line plays like it did versus Pittsburgh or Los Angeles, the air could easily come out of this team’s refreshed attitude.