The Las Vegas Raiders have enough issues on offense as it is with bad quarterback play, no rushing attack and an inconsistent offensive line, but making things worse this season has been the play-calling, which is best described as scared.
We saw yet another example of this during the Week 8 game against the Kansas City Chiefs, when the Raiders got the ball with 1:57 left in the first half at their own 30-yard line while trailing 14-10.
Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy went on to call a short pass to wide receiver Jakboi Meyers that gained nothing, and then a run play to running back Ameer Abdullah that picked up just two yards.
The Chiefs used their second timeout and the Raiders failed to convert on third down after, handing the ball back to Kanas City for what turned out to be a field goal drive to close out the half.
The approach was the exact opposite of what you’d expect in that type of situation. Granted, nobody is going to guarantee that Las Vegas’ offense would’ve scored, but the Raiders should’ve been far more aggressive with that opportunity.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, head coach Antonio Pierce’s explanation for the conservative approach only makes it worse.
“We wanted to score but, more importantly, we wanted to keep the clock running,” Pierce said, per Tashan Reed of The Athletic.
More importantly? If anything, running the clock there is less important, but that really shouldn’t have even been a concern until the Raiders made their way down the field.
The baffling end-of-half play-calling on Sunday was just a microcosm of what we’ve seen all season long.
Getsy and Pierce always seem to clam up, which runs counter to what you’d expect out of a supposedly hard-nosed head coach and former player like Pierce.
The more we see of Getsy and Pierce, the more it becomes clear the Raiders don’t have the right guys for those jobs. Las Vegas is going to have to take a long, hard look at who is leading this team into the future because what has transpired this season is unacceptable and can’t continue beyond what is already a lost season.
