Before anyone decides the Raiders’ running game is beyond repair, consider where Klint Kubiak was a year ago.
Trying to fix one.
Working to improve an offensive line that had been a problem. Installing a new offense. Waiting for the blocking, timing and execution to turn the running game he envisioned into something his team could depend on.
Sound familiar?
It should. The early returns in Seattle last season were hardly overwhelming, either. With Kubiak in his first and only year as offensive coordinator, the Seahawks averaged just 3.7 yards per carry through their first eight games, finishing below 100 rushing yards four times.
Over their final 12 games, including the Super Bowl, they surpassed 100 yards 10 times and averaged 4.5 yards per carry.
That pushed their final regular-season average to 4.1, and 4.2 including the playoffs. But the improvement down the stretch tells the more meaningful story.
What began as a source of frustration became a strength, with Kenneth Walker III helping turn all that work into production when it mattered most.
That history deserves a place in the conversation about a Raiders running game averaging just 3.1 yards per carry and 93 yards per game through four weeks.
Sunday’s 30-27 loss to the Chiefs produced more frustration: 72 yards on 26 attempts, an average of 2.8.
Seattle offers a reason for patience.
And a basis for expecting better.
Kubiak and the assistants who followed him from Seattle, including offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko and offensive line coach Rick Dennison, have essentially stood here before, trying to get a new offense moving behind a line still learning to make it work.
They found answers there. The challenge is finding them here.
But there is another part of this equation that should not be overlooked: Ashton Jeanty apparently is still working his way back to being completely healthy.
The Raiders running back alluded to that after Sunday’s game while discussing the ankle injury that has been part of his season.
“I’m going to continue to keep getting better and stronger. It’s getting stronger, and I feel like I’m going to be 100 percent real soon,” he said.
Real soon.
Those words matter.
They suggest Jeanty is getting closer to feeling like himself, but also make clear that, by his own assessment, he is not there yet.
That belongs alongside the blocking and play-calling in any honest examination of why the Raiders cannot consistently run the ball.
It does not explain everything. Nor does it establish precisely how much the ankle is affecting him.
But it is reasonable to suspect it is contributing.
A running back’s job requires planting, cutting, accelerating and driving through contact. Even a small limitation can matter when the difference between an ordinary gain and something bigger is a split-second opportunity.
The Raiders need to create more room for Jeanty. They also need him physically equipped to take full advantage of it.
Getting both pieces right could change the picture considerably.
Jeanty, who is averaging 3.4 yards on 78 carries, is demanding more from himself.
“I think we just got to be better,” Jeanty said. “Simple as that. Make the plays out there. They’re there. So it starts with us, starts with me. Got to break tackles and just make bigger plays when they’re available.”
That is an acknowledgment worth hearing.
The running back sees opportunities. He believes he should be doing more with them. His assessment leaves room for improvement beyond simply asking the offensive line to block better.
Kubiak’s assessment starts even closer to home.
“Yeah, there is. I put it on myself. I got to do a lot better job of putting us in better position,” Kubiak said. “We’ve got solid backs, we’ve got a solid offensive line. And myself and the coaching staff, there’s plenty of things we can do better for our players.”
Asked what that means, he needed three words.
“Scheme them up better.”
That is where the Seattle experience becomes relevant.
The Seahawks’ improvement was substantial, but it took time. Their first eight games offered ample evidence of an inconsistent ground attack. Their final 12 demonstrated that those struggles did not have to define the offense.
The Raiders need a similar progression.
They cannot simply assume one is coming.
Different players present different challenges, and Seattle’s results will not open a single hole Sunday against New England. Kubiak has to determine what works for this group, with this line and a running back still regaining full strength.
There could be help coming at right guard, where Jackson Powers-Johnson missed the Chiefs game with a groin injury.
“Yes, he’s on the mend and planning on getting him back this week and getting him in practice,” Kubiak said.
His return would be welcome. It would not absolve everyone else.
The linemen must create movement together. The tight ends must sustain blocks. The wide receivers need to do the same. Jeanty must capitalize when the opportunities appear. And the coaching staff must give all of them a plan they can execute.
The urgency comes from what the Raiders have already shown.
At 3-1, they have given themselves a chance to make this season meaningful. Sunday demonstrated how close they can get to a team like Kansas City, even while generating so little on the ground.
Imagine giving Kirk Cousins and Brock Bowers a dependable running game to work alongside.
Imagine more manageable second downs, another reliable option near the goal line and a better way to protect a lead.
Those improvements could turn competitive afternoons into victories.
Seattle provides a credible reason to believe Kubiak can get them there. Jeanty’s improving ankle provides another reason to believe the current production need not be permanent.
Neither amounts to a guarantee.
But the Raiders have a coach who has worked through this problem and a running back who expects to feel stronger soon.
Now they need those reasons for optimism to start showing up between the tackles.
