After producing only 10 points in a Week 2 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oakland Raiders’ offensive struggles carried over into Sunday’s matchup against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Facing a tough Vikings defense on the road, the Raiders unsurprisingly struggled out of the gate and were held out of the end zone in the first quarter. The team finally found paydirt in the second quarter when Derek Carr connected with J.J. Nelson on a 29-yard touchdown on a flea-flicker.
It pulled the Raiders to within 14 points and they ultimately entered halftime facing a 21-7 deficit. Despite ending the quarter on a strong note, Oakland’s familiar scoring woes would resurface for the bulk of the final 30 minutes of play.
The Raiders were again shutout in the third quarter and did not crack the scoreboard again until late in the fourth quarter when the game was already out of reach. Tyrell Williams, one of the offense’s few bright spots through three weeks, nabbed his third touchdown of the season to pull Oakland within 20 points.
Carr finished the day completing 27 of his 34 passes for 242 yards, tallying two touchdowns and one interception for his efforts. The Raiders ultimately dropped their second consecutive game in blowout fashion, 34-14.
Despite another tough showing by the offense, Carr felt the Raiders moved the ball fine and opined that their biggest issue was finishing drives, via Vic Tafur of The Athletic:
Carr said the Raiders were moving the ball fine. “The problem was finishing drives.”
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) September 22, 2019
While the Raiders were outmatched for most of the game, they still accumulated 302 total yards in comparison to the Vikings’ 385. Oakland was additionally edged in first downs, though it wasn’t by a wide margin either (23-17).
With those numbers being closer than some might imagine given the final score, Carr believes the Raiders’ offensive struggles to this point aren’t comparable to previous seasons:
Carr: “It’s not the same feeling as in the past, when I thought we were going to have trouble gaining a yard.”
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) September 22, 2019
The Raiders offense was expected to turn a corner this season, highlighted by a revamped wide receivers corps that included the now-departed Antonio Brown, free agent signings Williams and Nelson, and 2019 fifth-round draft pick Hunter Renfrow.
The team also nabbed rookie running back Josh Jacobs with one of their first-round selections in the 2019 NFL Draft while additionally expanding Darren Waller’s role at tight end.
With so many new faces on offense, the Raiders hope it’s only a matter of time before everyone gels together. The group will look to right the ship next week when they return to action for another tough road contest against the Indianapolis Colts.
