The Raiders would prefer if their starting offensive line played every snap in a given game. That shows stability and production, giving the unit continuity it needs to thrive.
Scroll down and take a look at the offensive line's snap count following Thursday night's 34-3 loss to the 49ers. It's an absolute mess.
Injuries struck yet again, decimating the confidence and momentum established during an excellent showing the week prior.
Kolton Miller aggravated a knee injury on the opening series, and things went haywire after that. An excellent start stalled and the typically terrible 49ers pass rush kicked into high gear.
They allowed seven sacks and seven more pressures in Derek Carr's 30 dropbacks. A.J. McCarron was also sacked once in mop-up duty.
That happened while the Raiders were mixing an matching across the line. Ian Silberman entered at left tackle for Miller, a less-than-ideal situation for someone who doesn't play there. He moved to right tackle when Brandon Parker was removed, with left guard Kelechi Osemele moving to left tackle for the second time in his Raiders tenure and Jon Feliciano taking his place inside.
Then Osemele re-injured his knee and came out, so Parker reentered at right tackle and Silberman moved back across the line.
Got all that? It was exhausting for all involved. Protection was predictably busted, eventually leading Carr to get pulled with the game out of reach.
"We've been playing a lot of people (up front)," head coach Jon Gruden said. "It's tough no matter how you slice it."
The Raiders struggle mightily without Miller, especially with Donald Penn on injured reserve, and T.J. Clemmings inactive and destined for injured reserve.
Choas on the offensive line normally leads to poor play, as it did against the 49ers. Here's the entire Raiders snap count:
Offense
Total offensive snaps: 57
Quarterback – Derek Carr 47, A.J. McCarron 10
Running back – Doug Martin 26, Jalen Richard 22, Keith Smith 10, DeAndre Washington 10
Wide receiver – Brandon LaFell 53, Jordy Nelson 43, Seth Roberts 32, Martavis Bryant 21, Dwayne Harris 1
Sports
Tight end – Jared Cook 34, Lee Smith 21, Derek Carrier 12
Offensive line – Gabe Jackson 57, Rodney Hudson 57, Brandon Parker 41, Ian Silberman 30, Jon Feliciano 28, Kolton Miller 25
Defense
Total defensive snaps: 55
Defensive line – Johnathan Hankins 40, Maurice Hurst 36, Frostee Rucker 35, Clinton McDonald 34, PJ Hall 34, Arden Key 21, Fadol Brown 15, Bruce Irvin 9
Linebacker – Tahir Whitehead 55, Emmanuel Lamur 32, Marquel Lee 31, Jason Cabinda 15, Nick Morrow 9, Kyle Wilber 2
Defensive back – Gareon Conley 53, Marcus Gilchrist 40, Daryl Worley 39, Reggie Nelson 29, Erik Harris 25, Leon Hall 23, Nick Nelson 15, Karl Joseph 13
Special teams
Lee 25, Wilber 25, Harris 25, Carrier 20, Harris 18, Morrow 18, K. Smith 15, L. Smith 15, N. Nelson 13, Lamur 10, Gilchrist 9, Joseph 9, Conley 8, Trent Sieg 8, Johnny Townsend 8, Washington 7, Whitehead 7, Hankins 7, Worley 7, McDonald 7, Key 7, Brown 6, Daniel Carlson 4, R. Nelson 3, Jackson 2, Osemele 2, Parker 2, Silberman 2, Feliciano 2, Rucker 2, Cabinda 1
