It took only one preseason game for the Las Vegas Raiders to realize that they may have a serious problem.
The obvious retort would be that the preseason does not matter, especially the first game when the play-calling is still somewhat vanilla. That is admittedly true, as is the fact that most starters came out after a series or two on both sides of the ball. However, that does not mean ignoring the results entirely is a good idea, as it can serve as a baseline to see which areas are strong and which ones need improvement.
Needless to say, one area the Seattle Seahawks took full advantage of falls firmly into the latter.
Against the Seahawks, the Raiders allowed 170 rushing yards total.
That alone is not good, but the Seahawks did not play either one of their top two running backs in Kenneth Walker III or Zach Charbonnet to make matters worse.
With most of the Raiders’ starters playing in the first quarter, the Seahawks got the ball rolling with 68 rushing yards and a touchdown after the first fifteen minutes. Former Boise State star George Holani soundly outdueled his successor Ashton Jeanty, burning the Raiders for 61 yards and the scoring run.
It has to be a sign of concern for defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, as run defense was not too much of a problem last season.
In 2024, the Raiders gave up 116.9 rushing yards per game, a mark that was good for 13th in the league. However, players such as Christian Wilkins, Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo are now gone, causing the Raiders to make some changes up front.
It is far too early to begin panicking, but the early results show serious need for improvement.
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