raiders.com

Gutierrez: Raiders offense defined more by missteps than momentum

Ten games - and only two wins - into this new regime and the Raiders offense has finally found its identity.

But it's not one to be proud of. Far from it.

From playcalling to play execution, the Raiders are a quixotic conundrum when they have the ball. And that's on a good day.

On a bad night, like during Monday's humbling 33-16 loss to the Cowboys in front of a raucous crowd and a national television audience, it's, to be frank, embarrassing. And it was never more evident than on consecutive snaps deep in the Raiders' own territory early in the fourth quarter.

On first-and-10 at their own 2-yard line, right tackle DJ Glaze was flagged for a false start, to push the Raiders back a yard.

On the next snap, Ashton Jeanty was hit in the end zone - a common theme this season, the rookie running back getting popped before he could even reach the line of scrimmage - and was stopped before he could cross the goal line for a Dallas safety.

In the micro sense of things, the offensive line has been an issue all season. And its latest incarnation - left tackle Stone Forsythe, left guard Dylan Parham, center Will Putnam, right guard Jordan Meredith, right tackle Glaze - had no answer for the newest Cowboys interior defensive lineman, Quinnen Williams, who was acquired in a deadline trade. Yes, left tackle Kolton Miller and right guard Jackson Powers-Johnson are both on injured reserve but putting Putnam, in his first career start at center, against Williams just seemed, well, diabolical.

Though not as wild as how the Raiders started on offense. And that's the macro look at things.

Because if you thought it was borderline criminal what happened to Brock Bowers in only getting three targets - none in the second half - in Denver, wait until you hear what went down with Jeanty in the first half against the Cowboys.

Read full news in source page