Raiders offensive line vs. Chargers pass rush
The Raiders offensive line was, well, not great against the Cleveland Browns.
Geno Smith was sacked 10 times, three of those by Myles Garrett who is on a path to break the single-season sack record. Per Next Gen Stats, Smith was pressured on a season-high 23 dropbacks (40.4% pressure rate).
The offensive line has gone through a lot of changes over the course of the season. Ankle injuries have forced Kolton Miller and Jackson Powers-Johnson out of action and onto injured reserve, and the trio Jordan Meredith, Alex Cappa and Will Putnam have split reps at center and guard. While it might seem like things can't get worse after allowing 10 sacks, they could in SoFi Stadium.
Chargers edge rushers Tuli Tuipulotu and Khalil Mack have been on a tear, as they combined for 12 sacks on the season. Tuipulotu also has 12 tackles for loss under his belt. As for Mack, it seems he takes it up a notch whenever he faces the team that drafted him in 2014. The nine-time Pro Bowler has a career 12.5 sacks in games against the Raiders, and six of those on Aidan O'Connell in his first career start in 2023.
Needless to say, it will take a group effort to mend the problems in the trenches.
"We got the guys we got," Pete Carroll said of the O-line, "and so we're going to continue to have our guys battle to show what they can do and have their play time and what they earn during the week. But more so, it's trying to get everybody connected with, really, the approach and the philosophy that really I've stood for for a long time."
"You always have to feel the pressure," Geno Smith said of how he can avoid taking sacks. "Obviously, know if you're hot or not, so that's understanding your protections and knowing who's blitzing and who's not. But you got to feel the pressure, and I try my best to not look at the rush, but to feel the rush. But when you're facing a great defensive line, similar to the Browns, you have got to speed up the process. And so, those are the things that I tried to do last week. Obviously, it wasn't good enough."