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(Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
The Las Vegas Raiders slipped to 2-9 after a 24-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 12, continuing a season in which their offense has rarely found its footing. The group has spent most of the year near the bottom of the league in scoring.
Las Vegas have been held under 20 points in five of its last seven outings, a stretch that has fueled its current five-game slide. With the unit showing little progress, the team announced on November 23 that Chip Kelly had been dismissed as offensive coordinator.
“I spoke with Chip Kelly earlier this evening and informed him of his release as offensive coordinator of the Raiders,” Carroll said in the statement. “I would like to thank Chip for his service and wish him all the best in the future.”
With the Raiders ending the Kelly era after 11 games, former NFL player Shannon Sharpe didn’t hold back on his take when reacting to the news.
“[The Raiders] paid a lot of money,” Sharpe said on the November 23 edition of “Night Cap.” “They made him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in football. Alright, now let him go. If that works, you go back to college. You can have a great career in college.
“If that works, but you go ahead and try to change guys that have been doing stuff there [for their football career]. Because remember, the first thing he did [was] ask Ashton Jeanty to put his hands on his side. The man had been standing up [his] whole [football career].”
Former Raiders Coach Chip Kelly Reacts to His Firing
After Las Vegas fired Kelly, FOX Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer spoke with Kelly and relayed the coach’s reaction to the Raiders’ decision to make a change.
“I am grateful for the opportunity with the Raiders, bottom line in this league you have to win,“ Kelly said on November 23, per Glazer. “I really loved those players, I’m a huge, HUGE Geno Smith fan, that was one of the best parts of this experience for me, working with Geno and those guys every day. But hey, we gotta win. I get it.”
Raiders’ Offense Gave Up 10 sacks in Chip Kelly’s Last Game
Las Vegas leaned on the air attack once more, with Geno Smith connecting on 30 of his 44 throws for 285 yards and a touchdown. That approach came with a steep price, though, because the protection broke down throughout the night, and the line gave up 10 sacks.
Despite all the drop-backs, the extra passing did not spark the scoring, and the Raiders finished with only 10 points. It marked their fifth consecutive defeat for the Silver and Black. Following the loss to the Browns, Smith met with reporters and walked through the issues on offense that led to him being taken down 10 times.
“It’s really on me,“ Smith said about getting sacked on 10 occasions. “I got to make better plays, find a way… I wasn’t counting the plays or the sacks, so that’s new information to me; I was just trying to go out there and execute and try to get the job done. In the first half, it looked like there were maybe two separate plays where there was some miscommunication and not everyone knew what the play was.”
The Raiders now turn their attention to a Week 13 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, aiming to finish the season on a positive note with someone else running the offense.
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports journalist covering the NFL for Heavy.com. He previously covered the league for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has contributed as a freelance writer for The Sporting News. He also served as an editor for Athlon Sports and Heavy Sports focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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