Raiders' offense thrives in 1st game without Gruden

Published Oct. 18, 2021 5:47 p.m. ET

Associated Press

The offense for the Las Vegas Raiders had a different look in the first game without Jon Gruden, and the changes paid for at least the first week.

New play caller Greg Olson utilized more play-action, allowing Derek Carr to hit some more big plays that had been lacking the previous two games when the offense stalled, leading the Raiders to a

While the foundation of the offense is still what Gruden installed in the offseason, Olson put his own twist on it against the Broncos.

“The advantage to us, this is the first game ‘Oly’ called in a while,” interim coach Rich Bisaccia said. “They were trying to figure out what we were going to do. ... I thought we ran the ball better. A little bit more play-action look to us today and we moved Derek out of the pocket. Offensively those guys did a great job with that, so it was fun to watch again.”

The Raiders more than doubled their play-action rate with Olson calling plays, using it on a season-high nine drop backs, according to Pro Football Focus.

That helped open the deep game as Carr averaged 18.9 yards per completion for the highest rate for a Raiders QB in 10 years. He gained 219 yards

Carr got things started with a

It added up to the most efficient day on offense for the Raiders in nearly a quarter-century with their 8.19 yards per play doubling the rate of the final two games under Gruden, and were the most for the team in a game since Sept. 14, 1997, against Atlanta (9.20).

“For us, we are always looking to push the ball down the field," Carr said. “We always believe we can do that.”

WHAT’S WORKING

Pass rush. The Raiders put heavy pressure on Teddy Bridgewater and had their first five- sack day since 2019.

WHAT NEEDS HELP

Running game. Las Vegas still failed to generate any consistent running game even against a banged-up Denver front seven. The Raiders finished with 86 yards on 23 carries, with Josh Jacobs being held to 53 on 16 attempts. Jacobs has played four games this season and has failed to average 3.5 yards a carry in any of them. He's the first Raiders player since Tyrone Wheatley in 2000 to have four straight games with at least 10 carries and less than 3.5 yards per carry.

STOCK UP

There were some questions raised when the Raiders gave Drake an $11 million, two-year deal in the offseason and they only got louder when he made little impact the first five games. Drake had just three touches on offense the previous two weeks but made the most of his 12 snaps on Sunday.

He caught the TD pass late in the first half and then broke it open with an

STOCK DOWN

Amik Robertson. The 2020 fourth-round pick was forced into a starting role the past two weeks because of injuries to Trayvon Mullen and Damon Arnette. Robertson didn't last long on Sunday, playing only 13 snaps after allowing three catches on three targets for 44 yards and a TD while also missing two tackles, according to Pro Football Focus.

Brandon Facsyon, signed earlier this month off the Chargers' practice squad, played well in Robertson's place and had an interception.

INJURIES

Raiders LB Nick Kwiatkoski (foot) and S Roderic Teamer (shoulder) dealt with injuries during the game but Kwiatkoski was able to return.

KEY NUMBER

25 — The Raiders had seven pass plays gain at least 25 yards, becoming the first team since at least 1991 to do that in a game, according to Sportradar. Their previous high was four in 2012 against Atlanta, and no team had even had six in a game since Detroit did it against the Bears in 2015. The big plays were spread around with Ruggs getting two, and Drake, Jacobs, Edwards, Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow all getting one.

NEXT STEPS

Host Philadelphia on Sunday.

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