How Can Oakland Raiders Add Variety to Offensive Game Plan?

The Oakland Raiders’ high-powered offense transitioned into a choppy, bumbling and conservative attack, lacking the explosiveness to exploit any NFL defense on Sunday.

Oakland accumulated a season low in passing yards (164) against the Detroit Lions, dropping its passing offense to No. 11 in the league.

Quarterback Derek Carr doesn’t resemble the same accurate, strong-armed pocket passer compared to his play following the Week 6 bye. In the previous two outings, running back Latavius Murray has accumulated a mere 76 yards on 25 carries.

What’s the solution to digging the offense out of a rut? Variety.

The Raiders’ new and improved offense went stale pretty quickly once opposing teams caught on to the primary weapons on the perimeter and a predominantly single-RB system in the backfield.

Oakland cannot take the field against the Tennessee Titans in Week 12 and expect better results with the same tight rotation of plays used in the past two weeks. It’s time to further integrate an underutilized offensive skill player and squeeze the most out of the running back position.

Noncommittal and Predictable Rushing Attack

Oakland supplements its offense with the rushing attack instead of fully committing to moving the ball on the ground. Opposing defenses won’t push a safety into the box to defend fewer than 20 carries per game:

	Rush Attempts	Rushing Yards	Touchdowns
Week 10	17	72	0
Week 11	19	42	1

In the previous two outings, the Raiders’ ball-carriers (excluding the quarterback) recorded 17 and 19 carries in close contests when the play-calling should've featured a more balanced approach.

The refusal to allot more carries to the running backs keeps opposing defensive backs comfortable in coverage, forcing Carr to manipulate more freelance defenders playing the pass.

Secondly, the offensive design fails to feature Murray’s capability to run the ball laterally and find lanes on the edges:

	Running Back Carries	Left End	Left Tackle	Mid/Guard	Right Tackle	Right End
Raiders	192	9%	9%	63%	10%	9%
Average	X	10%	13%	54%	13%	10%

As illustrated above, the Raiders run the ball up the middle nearly 10 percent more often than the average NFL team. Opposing linebackers don’t have to engage off the edge, allowing them to cover passes in the flat.

The backfield lacks an elusive scatback capable of stretching the defense with quickness and good vision. Running back Taiwan Jones fits the description, but ball-security issues and a knee injury hurt his chances of earning a significant role in the backfield.

The Raiders have increased fullback Jamize Olawale’s role as a downhill ball-carrier and receiver, but he’s not an ideal candidate to bounce runs outside.

In the offseason, the front office brought in running back Roy Helu, and it’s inexcusable to leave him on the sidelines for four consecutive games as a non-factor. He’s a balanced tailback who averaged 5.4 yards per carry in his final season with the Washington Redskins in 2014.

Remove Clive Walford’s Training Wheels 

Harry How/Getty Images

It’s time to inject the offense with another potential playmaker to expose holes in zone coverage. A receiving tight end serves as the safety valve for a quarterback in the pocket in any situation.

On Sunday, the Raiders struggled to move the ball with wide receiver Amari Cooper’s drops and only one reliable target in wideout Michael Crabtree on the perimeter. The coaching staff could’ve provided a boost to the vertical attack with a big target in the middle of the field to loosen zone coverage.

Oakland has slowly brought rookie tight end Clive Walford into the fold. This season, Carr has targeted the 6’4”, 258-pound tight end more than three times in only one game, but he’s shown the ability to secure passes in tight windows in or near the end zone over the past few weeks.

He’s caught three touchdown passes in the last five games. While he’s going through the process of earning trust within the offense, he needs more rope to make the steep climb as a rookie.

The Raiders need a big receiver with sure hands as Marcel Reece’s targets take a nosedive due to Olawale’s emergence.

	Targets	Receptions	Receiving Yards	Touchdowns
Weeks 1-5	18	14	162	3
Weeks 6-11	9	7	41	0

Without Reece heavily involved in the offense, the Raiders have negated their mismatch target on linebackers in coverage.

With a tight end as dynamic as Walford, offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave should establish him as a consistent matchup advantage in the passing attack—especially when the wide receivers struggle on the perimeter.

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All statistics are provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com, Pro Football Focus and Team Rankings unless otherwise noted.