For the Raiders to become a playoff team, they are going to have to improve on the details. For example, they were one of the league’s worst red-zone teams (52.3 % TD rate) last year. An improvement in this area by even just a few percentage points would give them a few extra wins on the season.
Another way they can improve is by cutting back on the number of penalties they have per game. Since Jon Gruden took over in 2018, the Raiders have had the second-most penalty yards per game (65.7) in the NFL, only ahead of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Last season, it was their defense that often led them down in the penalty column, as they had 52 defensive penalties that resulted in first downs, according to ESPN’s Mike Tannebaum. That was the most in the NFL as the defense gave opponents free yards regularly. Unfortunately, their defense wasn’t good enough to overcome these penalties last season as the unit ranked 24th in the league in points allowed per game.
If Gruden can get his team to cut down on the penalties even by one or two per game, it will give the Raiders a much better chance of hanging around in games. And with so many games in the NFL being decided on the last possession, the difference of one or two penalties can often decide games.
Keep an eye on the penalty numbers for the Raiders this season as they could be a telltale sign of how close they are to competing in the AFC this year.
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