Raiders find run game, need it to travel against Broncos

HENDERSON, Nev. -- Antonio Pierce played linebacker in the NFL for nine seasons, so the Las Vegas Raiders coach has more than an inkling as to what can frustrate and take the starch out of a defense.

And it has little to do with an opposing offense airing things out.

"That's one thing that plays in your mind," Pierce said Monday in his weekly news conference. "You can throw the ball for 500, 600 yards, but when a team is running the ball on you, that gets into your head -- mentally, emotionally and physically. And it just wears on you.

"So, the more you do that, it opens up our play-pass, our play-action, our keepers and things of that nature."

In other words, it's about taking the will out of your opponent.

Check out the Raiders' run game finally showing up in Week 4, then, against the Cleveland Browns.

Consider: Las Vegas, which entered the game with the worst rushing attack in the NFL, averaging 2.8 yards per carry and running for 153 total yards in three games, gouged the Browns for 152 yards on the ground while averaging 5.2 yards per rush.

Then consider the Raiders got more than running backs Zamir White and Alexander Mattison involved, with receivers Tre Tucker and DJ Turner both running for touchdowns on gadget plays, and rookie tight end Brock Bowers getting a 12-yard pickup.

Throw in the drama enveloping All-Pro receiver Davante Adams, who is now open to being traded, league sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter, and, well, it's obvious the Raiders need to pound the rock. Again. Because Adams missed his first game in three seasons with Las Vegas on Sunday with a hamstring issue ... and the running game thrived, related or not.

Passing stats are fancy, but running games travel ... and the Raiders are going to need something of a repeat performance Sunday at the Denver Broncos, who limited the New York Jets to 64 rushing yards on a 2.8 yards per carry average in a Week 4 win.

And yes, the Raiders were the first team this season to have multiple rushing TDs by wide receivers in the same game, according to ESPN Research.

"I mean, it keeps the defense on their toes, it keeps them thinking," said Mattison, who rushed for a game-high 60 yards on just five carries. "They don't know who's getting the ball, they don't know where the ball's going. So for us to be able to keep them ... thinking like that, it's big."

Something else for the Broncos' defense to contemplate going forward: What will the Raiders' new-look offensive line look like?

Rookie second-round draft pick Jackson Powers-Johnson got his first NFL start at left guard, between left tackle Kolton Miller and center Andre James, and later moved to right guard when Dylan Parham aggravated an Achilles' tendon. Fellow rookie DJ Glaze started at right tackle, in place of Thayer Munford Jr., who is dealing with ankle and knee injuries.

Cody Whitehair came in for Powers-Johnson at left guard when the rookie made the switch for eight second-half snaps.

"If it wasn't for [Powers-Johnson] and the big guys up front, there's no running game, and it was his coming-out party," Mattison added. "He had a great, great day out there, and I just can't wait to keep going forward and get all the O-line healthy, get them out there and moving forward, we're just going to continue to ride the wave and emphasize our run game and, hit it."

Powers-Johnson, who was slowed in training camp and did not play in the Raiders' first two games because of injury, credited his "amazing running backs" for the run game showing out against the Browns (yes, even with White's costly fumble on the first play of the fourth quarter resulting in a scoop and score for the Browns).

The Raiders had eight rushing first downs against Cleveland, after having five rushing first downs in their first three games combined.

And sticking with the run, rather than panicking, helped enable Las Vegas to get its second double-digit comeback win thus far, after not having any such victories last season.

Plus, with the scores by Tucker (a 3-yard reverse) and Turner (an 18-yard inside handoff jet sweep), it marked the first time the Raiders had multiple rushing TDs outside the tackles in the same game since Devontae Booker and Josh Jacobs did it in Week 9 of the 2020 season, at the Los Angeles Chargers.

"Everybody did their job," Powers-Johnson said. "Everyone did their 'one-eleven,' and we just played complementary ball. We blocked for each other; we didn't just block for ourselves. We blocked for each other, and I think that's why we had a good week.

"And what's great is we get to go prove it next week."

The Broncos, riding a two-game winning streak, have limited their past two opponents to a combined 155 rushing yards.

All the more reason for the Raiders to establish their ground game early and often in Denver, no?

As Pierce said, it has been a goal of his team since training camp.

"Hey, man, let's get this running game going," Pierce said he told the team in Costa Mesa, California. "Let's get some positive yards. Let's get these chunk runs, these explosive runs.

"And that really showed up. Again, for a defense, you don't want that."

Duly noted.