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Who’s to blame for the Las Vegas Raiders’ woeful rushing attack?

The Las Vegas Raiders’ ground game struggled mightily against the Kansas City Chiefs, despite the offensive line facing relentless pressure from a dominant Chiefs defensive front. Peter Woods, Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Chris Jones, and Khyiris Tonga combined to overwhelm the Raiders’ blockers, frequently initiating contact and disrupting blocking schemes.

The Chiefs’ defensive line excelled at defeating double teams and combo blocks, while also limiting the Raiders’ ability to climb to the second level. Even when designed holes appeared open, the Chiefs’ aggressive approach often resulted in run stuffs, such as a play where Chris Jones maintained outside leverage before defeating Caleb Rogers’ block attempt and forcing Mike Washington Jr.

back toward his help. Spencer Burford, a key contributor to the Raiders’ run game when successful, was repeatedly pancaked by defensive tackles, leaving little room for offensive linemen to create running lanes.

Beyond personnel issues, Klint Kubiak’s offensive scheme lacks the creativity needed to exploit mismatches, with predictable tendencies—such as running inside zone on first downs or edge runs on second downs—easily exposed by the Chiefs’ defensive adjustments. The absence of misdirection plays, endarounds, or counter schemes further limited the Raiders’ ability to sustain their rushing attack, as the Chiefs’ defense consistently overloaded the line of scrimmage whenever motion was used.

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