To the surprise of no one, the Raiders again boast one of the best offenses in the NFL.
With Pro Bowl level talent at most positions, general manager Reggie McKenzie has arguably built the most impressive offensive roster in the league.
Nevertheless, and somewhat surprisingly, there’s a weakness of sorts that’s been rearing its ugly head through two games.
The Raiders are struggling to find consistency running the ball to the right side.
Excluding Jalen Richard's long run against NYJ, the #Raiders have totaled 40 yards on 18 carries (2.22) when rushing right of center in '17.
— Austin Gayle (@PFF_AustinGayle) September 20, 2017
According to Pro Football Focus analytics, the Raiders are averaging 5.58 yards per carry running to the left and 5.11 yards per carry running to the right. Those numbers are good on paper, but take away a 52-yard run by Jalen Richard and the Raiders are only averaging 2.2 yards per carry running to the right.
It’s no secret that the Raiders strength is running behind the tandem of Donald Penn and Kelechi Osemele and that’s undoubtedly why they’ve run 34 times to the left this season and only 19 to the right.
As for the right side, right guard Gabe Jackson, in particular, has struggled as a run blocker. He’s the Raiders only starting offensive lineman with a PFF run-blocking grade under 82 and his run-blocking grade through two games (37.9) is well below what he achieved a year ago (79.2).
As of now, Marshawn Lynch is averaging 4.0 yards per carry – exactly what Latavius Murray averaged a year ago. Considering how well Lynch has run with the ball, there’s no question there’s room for improvement along the Raiders offensive front – albeit mostly in terms of run blocking and primarily on the right side.
Whether it’s a shift in scheme (the offensive coaches have implemented more zone blocking) or something else, the Raiders need to crack the code and find success running to the right.
If there’s good news, it’s that the sample size is small. A solid game from Jackson and the Raiders right side on Sunday night and the narrative is buried right next to the ‘demise of Sean Smith’ stories – many of which were conceived right here.
twitter: @raidersbeat
Stupid analogy, I can cherry pick a run or two from the left side to lower the average yards per carry on the left side. Everyone knows your best lineman play on the left side too protect a right handed QB. Therefore this yardage difference is not all that unusual.
The blind side protection on the left, for right-handed q’backs like Carr, is for passing, not running. Excellent pass protectors are not necessarily good run blockers. Two different animals, as Jackson himself has demonstrated.
Uh what about Pattersons run to the right that went to the house also?
Gabe Jackson is somewhat of a late starter . It sometimes takes him while to get going . He’ll be fine . One thing that will help the team in future seasons is an upgrade at the RT spot , something they have actually needed for a few years now . That upgrade could be on the roster already and they’re grooming him or it might be something they have to address in the coming draft . We’ll see .
takes time for OL to jell…GJ and Newhouse played 2 games together and almost zero snaps in preseason…it will get better