Raiders Are Winning With Old School Football

By Zachary Smith

Despite the additions of wide receivers in rookie Henry Ruggs and newfound deep threat Nelson Agholor, the Las Vegas Raiders have decided to play old school football in 2020: run the football. This old school formula has led Raiders to a 6-3 record, and firmly in the hunt for an AFC playoff spot heading into an important Sunday night matchup with their biggest division rival in the Kansas City Chiefs.

Josh Jacobs currently has 700 rushing yards and 8 rushing touchdowns on the year. (Getty Images)

The Chiefs offensive unit is easily one of the most dangerous units in the entire National Football League. They are led by Patrick Mahomes, reigning Super Bowl MVP, and include All-Pro Under head coach Jon Gruden, the Raiders have committed to running the ball down opponents’ throats all season long. Last year, the Raiders ranked 11th in attempts and 13th in total rushing yards as opposed to this year where they are currently ranked 4th and 7th in those categories, respectively. The tandem of Josh Jacobs (182 carries, 700 yards, 8 touchdowns) and Devonte Booker (49 carries, 304 yards, 3 touchdowns) has spearheaded the league’s 8th highest-scoring offense at just over 28 per game. Booker has been a nice surprise for the Raiders, as he has been averaging over six yards per carry and has added 3touchdowns in the last two weeks after signing with Las Vegas as a free agent in May. Booker has been his most productive when Jacobs has struggled to find his rhythm for parts of the season. With Jacobs getting on track the past couple of games, the Raiders are equipped to play in any type of weather as we head into the end of the season. 

After a great start to the season in Week 1, the rushing attack started slow during the first month of the season, having averaged just 115.25 yards per game through 5 weeks of football. Those rushing numbers would currently have them ranked just 13th in the league.  However, during the last five games, they have averaged 158.4 yards per game on the ground, which ranked 4th in the entire league. In two of the last three games, the Raiders have rushed for over 200 yards, which just goes to show how the Raiders are finally finding their groove on the ground late in the season. With teams the Raiders are playing in the next few weeks, they might be going over 200 once again. With games against the Chiefs, Jets, Broncos and Chargers, the Raiders should be able to take advantage of them at the point of attack as none of those teams are ranked in the top half in rushing defense. Against the Chiefs and Chargers especially, the Raiders ability to run the ball could be the difference between a win and a loss, due to the quarterback play of those two teams.

Another benefit of running the ball as well as the Raiders have is the pressure that it has taken off quarterback Derek Carr. Carr is currently playing his best football since the 2016 season, the last time the Raiders made the playoffs. This season Carr has not been asked to throw the ball as much as he has in the past. While he’s thrown the 26th fewest pass attempts in the league this year, Carr is completing 69% of his passes. The play-action has been a critical part of the Raiders offense all year long as it has allowed Carr to take smarter shots down the field and allow his speedy weapons like Ruggs and Agholor to stretch the field.

With the Raiders being able to run the football the way that they do, it keeps their 21st ranked defense off the field for longer periods of time.  Throughout this season, the Raiders have possessed the ball on average for five minutes more than their opponents. Since the Raiders defense has struggled against better offenses, they do not want to have the defense on the field longer than it needs to be. Being able to keep the ball on the ground is huge for teams that struggle defensively. In their upcoming Sunday Night match-up with the Kansas City Chiefs, their ability to run the ball consistently will be the biggest key in keeping Patrick Mahomes, and their own defense, off the field. 

While Jon Gruden was criticized a lot when he decided to return to coaching, he has gotten this team to play smash-mouth football, almost exactly how he coached the Raiders in his first stint as the team's head coach way back in 2001. This style of play is a big reason why the Raiders are in a position to make the playoffs for just the second time since 2002. 

Zachary is a sports writer for La Tonique