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The Raiders made a lot of changes to their offensive line this offseason and Monday night’s loss to the Chargers showed that the group is very much a work in progress.
Quarterback Derek Carr was sacked four times and they averaged 3.8 yards per carry on the ground, so there wasn’t much success up front in any aspect of the game. The Raiders are playing without both of their projected starting guards and head coach Jon Gruden said that the team isn’t planning to shake things up in hopes of finding more success against the Bears in Week Five.
“We like our linemen. We really do,” Gruden said Tuesday, via the team’s website. “We did have some pretty good outings. We are not going to hit the panic button. We got to keep coaching. We got to keep developing these guys and sometimes, the medicine is what we all need. We all need a taste of that medicine even though we don’t like the taste. You got to get back to work, you got to get back on the horse. That horse will throw you off once in awhile and if you know anything about [Joey] Bosa and some of these guys in this league, they are pretty good at throwing you off your horse. So, you got to be mentally tough and keep fighting.”
The Raiders have scored three offensive points in the first quarter so far this season and stronger work from the offensive line could help the Raiders get off to faster starts. Gruden said they “have to pass protect better early in games” along with getting the run game going, so the line will continue to be a focus of attention in Las Vegas.
