Line play has remained the root of Raiders’ recent problems on offense

By Case Keefer (contact)

Friday, Dec. 17, 2021 | 2 a.m.

Derek Carr and Josh Jacobs have trust issues.

That’s how Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson boiled down his unit’s continued struggles as the Raiders (6-7) go into Saturday’s Week 15 game at the Browns (7-6).

“Whether it’s the quarterback in trusting that they’ll get it done and I can get through my reads or progressions, and it’s no different with a running back, you’ve got to be able to stay with my read and not try to do too much or go beyond what the read is asking me to do,” Olson explained on Wednesday. “I think that sometimes comes into effect with both the quarterbacks and running backs, is the trust of what’s going on up front. They’ve just got to trust one another and stick with it there.”

That was a whole lot of words to dance around plainly expressing the issue at the core: The Raiders’ offensive line is holding its playmakers back. It’s been this way to varying degrees all year, even when Las Vegas got off to a 3-0 start, but last week’s 48-9 loss at Kansas City was especially problematic.

Receiving routes never had time to develop with Carr under constant duress and running lanes were consistently clogged as the team didn’t have a single rush of more than 10 yards. A lot of fingers are pointing in a lot of directions to explain the Raiders’ 1-5 stretch that’s served as a significant blow to their playoff hopes, but the biggest one still needs to be reserved for the offensive line.

“It really starts for us up front,” Olson said when asked how the Raiders can discover offensive consistency over the final four games of the year.

Getting better is not going to be an easy task in Cleveland. The Browns’ roster is ravaged from positive COVID-19 tests in most areas, but the defensive front is one area that’s been slightly less affected by the outbreak.

Their pair of former No. 1 overall pick edge rushers, Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney, are both slated to play as will rookie standout linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. The Raiders are preparing for Garrett and Clowney specifically to attack them from all angles.

“They stunt a lot,” Raiders guard John Simpson said. “Those guys are really great players. You’ve always got to know where they at, know what down it is and everything like that.”

Simpson and his linemates were completely overwhelmed by a lesser, though still-talented, Kansas City front a week ago. After a 17-15 loss to the Washington Football Team in Week 13, Jacobs said he thought the offensive line had showed marked improvement in the run game in the second half.

Such strides either didn’t carry over to the next week or was wishful thinking to begin with, as Jacobs got a reminder from the onset against the Chiefs that he’d have little room to operate. The third-year running back fumbled on the opening play, with the Chiefs returning the loose ball for a touchdown, when penetration caused him to bounce a run outside.

The fumble is still on Jacobs — ball security is one of the most basic fundamentals — but he was facing a loss of yardage either way with the Chiefs’ Chris Jones pushing Simpson into the backfield to give teammate Jarran Reed time to force the takeaway.

“When we do have downs, it’s just the cohesion part,” Simpson said of the offensive line. “We’re working hard every day to get close to each other, to understand each other and the way some people do certain things and things like that. We’re a tight group so whenever we have a down game it’s all of us. No one is pointing fingers or anything like that. We know what we have to do to get better after we watch the film, so we take it and just work at it.”

Garrett presents a similar, though likely elevated, challenge to Jones, and the latter tore apart the Raiders a week ago. It wasn’t just Simpson who wasn’t up to the task of blocking him, as Jones also beat right tackle Brandon Parker on multiple occasions to finish with four hits and a sack on Carr.

“I’m in a place now where I still have to move the ball regardless of if they’re getting in there or not,” Carr said. “I think for me personally, it’s growing and knowing that you can still execute even if it’s not perfect.”

Carr has refrained from pinning any blame on his offensive linemen all year, instead preaching personal accountability. Jacobs has occasionally been more open with his frustrations to media but has tried to stay encouraging on the field regardless.

The Raiders are running out of time for patience with their offensive line if it’s not too late already. The franchise gambled that a cheaper, less experienced group would be able to hold their own going into this season, and so far, that’s been a losing wager.

“As long as you’ve got effort, that’s all that really matters. Over time, it will work out. So I think effort is definitely the foundation of our o-line and giving all we’ve got each play,” Simpson said.

“We just have to focus on the things that we aren’t as good at and focus on that and keep stacking away.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or