5 Troubling Stats the Las Vegas Raiders Should Worry About During the Offseason

#5 2nd place in AFC West

How do you place second to a team you actually ended up beating during the regular season? While the truth is that the Raiders lost their second game to the Chiefs, and took a key loss to the Chargers in week 16, it is still a hard pill to swallow. Keep in mind that the Raiders lost 43-6 to Falcons at this time, and proceeded to go 1-3 after that lopsided game.  That's why the Raiders need to be worried about finding a way to stay competitive throughout the entire season.

Now, a lot of the Raiders problems last year had to do with injuries and pandemic protocol, but those weren't the only reasons the team fell apart.

#4 43-6 loss to the Falcons

Although the Las Vegas Raiders were already handed losses by the New England Patriots, The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Buffalo Bills, it was their 43-6 decimation by the then 3-7 Atlanta Falcons that ended their season. There's just something about the game that sucked every bit of momentum out of the Raiders and caused them to doubt themselves. Derek Carr couldn't even get his team down the field, which only made things worse for the team. It even gave credence to the idea that Marcus Mariota was the more deserving starter.

#3 27-9

It's no secret that Derek Carr is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL today, but he just hasn't managed to get to the next level yet. Of course, a lot of that has to do with other shortcomings on the team, but some of the blame lays solely on him. Think about it!  A 27-9  touchdown to interception ratio isn't exactly a stat that inspires a lot of confidence. Carr simply can't afford to keep turning over the ball during key moments of the game.

Then again, he needs to be able to increase his end zone numbers as well. While 27 touchdowns might not sound that bad, one has to remember that Tom Brady had 40 touchdowns and Patrick Mahomes had 38. Like it or not, that's what it takes to get to the Super Bowl, and Carr has to find a way to replicate that. Maybe the Raiders will give Carr some new offensive weapons to play with during the offseason, which could create a sort of super team.

#2 14th in total rushing yards

Joshua  Jacobs was one of the NFL's leading rushers in the 2020 season, but the Las Vegas Raiders still finished 14th in total rushing yards.  Not only does that raise questions of how much longer Joshua Jacobs can pilot the running game on his own, but it also creates a discussion around getting him some help. In fact, there are so many free-agent running backs in this year's pool that the Raiders might actually want to look into putting a better runner on the roster.

In the end, Jacobs is still a great runner and maybe even a future Super Bowl-winning running back, but he can't do it alone.

#1 434-478

Where was the Las Vegas Raiders' defense throughout the 2020 NFL season? Where were they when the Raiders got blown out by the Patriots? Where were they in the seven-point loss against the Bills? Finally, where were they in the game against the Buccaneers?

It was just a complete mess. The team failed to get the opposing offense off the field, and couldn't come up clutch when their offense needed it.  Unfortunately for the Raiders, there was just no leadership or discipline on defense in 2020, and it cost the Raiders a lot. Heck, might as well say it cost them a deserved spot in the playoffs last year.