Major Changes Raiders Must Make After 5-6 Start to 2023 NFL Season

The Las Vegas Raiders benefited from two major changes at the start of November when Josh McDaniels was fired and Jimmy Garoppolo got benched.

The coaching and quarterback changes provided a spark to help beat both New York teams, but as we saw in Week 11, there is still a large gap between the Raiders and some playoff contenders in the AFC.

Las Vegas will likely get another reality check against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12, but after its Week 13 bye, there is a chance to stay in the playoff race.

The Raiders enter Sunday with a 1.5-game deficit to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the No. 7 position in the AFC.

All of the teams between the Steelers and Raiders showcased flaws this season, so if the Raiders get everything right in December, they could be in the wild-card conversation until the end of the regular season.

Ease off Reliance on Davante Adams

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MIAMI GARDENS, FL - NOVEMBER 19: Davante Adams #17 of the Las Vegas Raiders catches a pass to score a touchdown during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on November 19, 2023 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

It may seem counterproductive to suggest throwing the ball less to the team's top wide receiver, but the Raiders have to do that a bit.

Davante Adams earned 13 targets from Aidan O'Connell in the last two weeks against the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins.

Adams brought in 13 of those 26 targets, totaled 168 yards and a touchdown, but there were stretches of both games in which he fell silent.

O'Connell needs to ease off his reliance on Adams a bit to let the passing game function better.

The rookie quarterback needs to trust his other targets in the passing game, so that attention can drift away from Adams on certain plays.

Adams has seven games with at least six receptions, but he has a single 100-yard showing in 2023 because defenders get right to him when he catches the ball.

If the offense can succeed on drives without Adams, the Raiders may get more production out of the top wide out due to spread out coverages from opponents.

Utilize Tre Tucker More

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 05: Wide receiver Tre Tucker #11 of the Las Vegas Raiders runs against the New York Giants in the third quarter of their game at Allegiant Stadium on November 05, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Raiders defeated the Giants 30-6. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Tre Tucker is the one difference-maker who can unlock a new dimension of the Raiders' passing offense.

The third-round pick out of Cincinnati has the most speed among the skill position players on the roster and he could be the answer to solving the too-much-volume-to-Adams problem.

Tucker was targeted on a season-high seven occasions against Miami, but he only came down with two receptions.

O'Connell needs to work on getting his fellow rookie involved more so that opposing secondaries drift away from Adams.

Few defenses are scared of what Jakobi Meyers, Hunter Renfrow and Michael Mayer can do across the middle.

The Raiders can scare defenses with Tucker's speed, and if they take advantage of that, the offense could function at its highest level of the season.

Fix Turnover Issues

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MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 19: Aidan O'Connell #4 of the Las Vegas Raiders looks on in the game against the Miami Dolphins during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium on November 19, 2023 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Bryan Cereijo/Getty Images)

The Raiders committed three turnovers for the fifth time this season against Miami.

All of the improvements can be made on both sides of the ball, but if the turnover problem persists, the Raiders will go nowhere.

O'Connell was intercepted three times in the second half against the AFC East leader. The final two picks ended 50-plus-yard drives for the Raiders.

The turnover issues went away a bit in the first two games under interim head coach Antonio Pierce. The Raiders had two total turnovers versus the Giants and Jets.

If the Raiders want to contend with the Chiefs on Sunday, and make a legitimate push toward a wild-card place, they need to be more responsible with the ball and starts with O'Connell being better in the pocket in key situations.