It’s no secret that the Las Vegas Raiders running attack has been awful through the first two games of the 2024 season. Despite head coach Antonio Pierce preaching all offseason that he wants to establish the running game and have an offense that focuses on the running game, the Raiders rank dead last as a team after two weeks with 98 rushing yards.

Las Vegas is also the only team that hasn’t reached triple digits yet. Even the Los Angeles Rams, with their battered offensive line, have 136 rushing yards (31st in the NFL). And it’s not just a volume problem for the Silver and Blacks; they rank 32nd in the league with a team average of 2.5 yards per carry, 0.7 yards per carry behind the Rams.

While it would be easy to blame the problems on running backs Zamir White and Alexander Mattison, the Raiders’ biggest problem isn’t with them. White and Mattison combined for 90 rushing yards, and 67 of those, or about 75 percent, came after initial contact, according to Pro Football Focus.

The biggest problem was the offensive line, as the Silver and Blacks are the second-worst run-blocking team (44.1) in the league according to PFF. Pierce also expressed this in a conversation with reporters after his team’s Week 2 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

“It has to start at the beginning,” the head coach explained. “I’m going to be honest and use a coaching cliche here, but it starts with me. It starts with our coaches, our offensive line coach, our coordinator. This is bad, this is crappy bad and it’s not good enough. And our players are going to find out in a second here.”

“We just can’t do that. I mean, less than two yards per carry (against Baltimore), getting thrown back, third-and-short and not getting anything done. I mean, there has to be an intent and a style of play that we’ve talked about, that we practice, that we’ve preached since day one, that doesn’t come to fruition on game day.

“So if changes or plans are needed, everything is on the table.”

Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images

There are likely personnel changes coming that should give the unit a boost. Most notably, freshman Jackson Powers-Johnson is filling in for Cody Whitehair at left guard, as Whitehair received an ugly 46.9 run-blocking grade from PFF. Pierce also mentions a change in scheme from offensive coordinator Luke Getsy that should help jumpstart the running game as well.

According to PFF charts, Getsy has called 20 zone runs and just 12 gap runs in the first two weeks of the season. However, the Raiders’ offensive line is doing better in the latter.

A grade of 60.0 is considered baseline for PFF, and Dylan Parham is one of two linemen to have earned a grade above that as a run blocker. Parham earned a grade of 70.3 for zone runs, but his grade of 75.9 for gap runs is still better. Kolton Miller was the other above-average run blocker, and his grades follow a similar trend: 71.9 for gap and 69.6 for zone.

Even Andre James, who is usually viewed as more of an athletic lineman than a bruiser, was better at gap runs than zone runs, with ratings of 58.9 and 46.2. The same goes for Whitehair: 52.8 on gap runs and 38.3 on zone runs. And if Powers-Johnson makes the starting lineup, his physical nature will also fit the power running game. Granted, the rookie will have to get healthy first.

The only Raiders offensive lineman who has bucked that trend so far is Thayer Munford Jr., with a 41.7 mark as a gap blocker. However, his 45.5 mark on zone runs is still awful and shouldn’t stop Getsy from changing plays.

Additionally, White has always been known as a more power/downhill runner who is best in a gap scheme. Two of his biggest issues coming out of Georgia were vision and lateral mobility, which are essential for a running back in a zone-based system.

Yes, the offense still needs to play better or improve its performance, as some of their gap run blocking numbers are still below average and Getsy’s philosophy change probably won’t be a magic wand that gives Las Vegas a top-notch rushing attack. But the team needs to mix things up to get the running game up to a respectable level, and a philosophy change could be a good start.

The attack can’t get any worse now.