It's all about the ball against Tennessee
Turnover differential will be a key to victory, or defeat, for the Raiders.
While the Silver and Black lead the Tennessee Titans in a majority of categories in all three phases, the Raiders currently have a -6 turnover differential this season. Their 10 turnovers committed this season are the second-most of any team in the league. The Titans currently have a +1 turnover differential with their eight takeaways ranking within the top 10 across the NFL.
"Taking care of the football is absolutely primary focus. Unfortunately, we're not doing that well enough yet," Carroll said Friday after practice.
"If you're plus one in turnover ratio in a game, you win like 77% of time. OK, so let's get to plus this week," he added. "Let's get to plus next week, and let's see what happens to our football team. You'll see the whole complexion of the games change."
Geno Smith has accounted for 9 out of 10 turnovers on interceptions, with Carroll last week attributing "timing" issues to the substantial amount of picks thrown. As the offense continues to acclimate to Kelly's scheme and pace, these problems could alleviate themselves.
"Every pass play in the NFL or in college or in high school is a timing deal," Kelly said. "You're always trying to match the drop of the quarterback with the protection to the depth of the routes that you're running. There's a timing aspect to all those things. So, it's just the more familiar we get with them. But this is the same guy who was ripping the ball all over place in the Patriots game. So, I'm really excited about Geno, I'm really excited about his future, and I think he's a hell of a quarterback."