Reports: Las Vegas Raiders Have Just Announced The……Read more

Just getting the offense to click would be enough to give the Las Vegas Raiders a shot against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, and any chance of winning the season overall.

An uneven rushing assault, wasted opportunities, and expensive turnovers prevented the Raiders from grabbing the road win against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1, despite the offense showing signs of promise. The club ultimately lost 22-10.

A former Silver and Black player who was a part of a winning Raiders team would know more than anybody what the current squad needs to succeed.

Now an analyst for Raider Nation Radio, former Oakland Raider and six-time Pro Bowl cornerback Eric Allen recently shared his thoughts on what needs to change.

Earlier this week, Allen stated on “The Morning Tailgate” that the offensive is in need of a “vibe” and further consistency. It needs some unity, and you’re talking about a quarterback, Gardner Minshew II, who is starting for the first time this year and was just named starter in the past two weeks.

So, he’s getting all the reps with the first team, even though he never had a chance to play before due to Davante Adams’s absence after the birth of his beautiful child. Quality time was lost on him. Obviously, Brock Bowers’ position on the offensive line prevents him from seeing significant playing time.

We had a key component missing from our offense at every level that wasn’t working with the quarterback in practice. So, going into the first game, you anticipate using non-verbal cues, especially—to return to the fumble interception—in your communication. Even though it was a hot route, the timing was completely off.

The ball slipped from Gardner’s hands as he attempted to regain possession of it, and I have no doubt that things would have turned out differently if the two players had communicated and worked together. Those are the specific offensive issues that really bothered me and require immediate attention.

On Sunday, the Raiders’ offense will confront a formidable Baltimore defense to determine whether it has improved since Week 1.