The Las Vegas Raiders let a good chance slip away, falling 24-10 to the Cleveland Browns on November 23 at Allegiant Stadium despite matching up against rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
For Las Vegas, they again went pass-heavy, as Geno Smith completed 30 of 44 passes for 285 yards and one touchdown. Nonetheless, that decision from offensive coordinator Chip Kelly came at a cost: The offensive line allowed 10 sacks.
Moreover, Smith’s drop-back passes didn’t result in more points, as the Raiders scored only 10, leading to their fifth straight loss for the Silver and Black. After the loss to the Browns, Smith spoke to reporters and shared what happened on offense that led to him being sacked 10 times.
“It’s really on me,” Smith said about getting sacked on 10 occasions. “I got to make better plays, find a way… I wasn’t counting the plays or the sacks so that’s new information to me; I was just trying to go out there and execute and try to get the job done. In the first half, it looked like there were maybe two separate plays where there was some miscommunication and not everyone knew what the play was.”
Pete Carroll Talks Raiders Giving Up 10 Sacks
Despite the offensive line giving up 10 sacks in the loss to the Browns, Raiders head coach Pete noted that no changes to the unit were considered during the game, despite having rookie tackles Caleb Rogers and Charles Grant at their disposal.
“We watch practice every day, study the film, and do our work to make our evaluations,” Carroll told reporters. “Those guys will have their day, maybe sooner rather than later, and based on what we’ve seen and what we know, we’re giving it our best shot…
“We thought our best shot was to keep Jordan [Meredith] playing at guard. [Alex Cappa] has been snapping [at center] more seriously lately to give him that opportunity. He looked pretty good at the spot, and based on our practice time and evaluation, it was better to have Jordan there and have Cap jump in at center.”
Will the Raiders Play Their Rookie Offensive Lineman?
Raiders insider Vincent Bonsignore expressed his confusion about the Las Vegas coaching staff opting not to go with the rookies despite the sacks the Browns were racking up.
“Hard to imagine Caleb Rogers would do worse in the interior of the Raiders’ offensive line right now,” Bonsignore wrote on X. “But even if it’s a wash, you absolutely have to get the rookie out there. Same with Charles Grant.
Furthermore, former Raiders offensive lineman Richie Incognito echoed that Las Vegas is best served going with the rookies.
“Get the young guys in the game,” Incognito wrote on X. “These reps are a valuable opportunity to evaluate them.”
The running attack struggled once more, with Ashton Jeanty managing just 50 yards on 17 carries. He made his presence felt in the passing game, though, hauling in eight catches for 58 yards and a touchdown.
Even with Jeanty’s contributions, the Silver and Black’s offense under offensive coordinator Chip Kelly couldn’t top 20 points again. The Raiders now turn their attention to a Week 13 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, aiming to finish the season on a positive note.
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