The Las Vegas Raiders officially have a new offensive coordinator. He’ll face a stiff test in his first game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Las Vegas Raiders are seeking a new direction. 12 weeks into the 2025 NFL season, they made a significant change after going just 2-9 despite coming into the year with expectations of being a dark-horse playoff contender.
Amid all of the disappointments the team has had on his side of the ball, the franchise elected to part ways with Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly after just 11 underwhelming games.
In his place is a familiar face, former Quarterbacks Coach Greg Olson, who Head Coach Pete Carroll elevated to the new role in an interim capacity. Olson has been the offensive coordinator for the Raiders twice before, first in the 2013-2014 seasons and then again between 2018 and 2021.
Olson is now tasked with leading a revival for an offense that’s currently ranked 30th in yards per game at 268.9 and tied for dead last in scoring, averaging just 15 points. Carroll has already gone on record to say that he envisions a much more productive rushing attack than what he’s seen so far from Ashton Jeanty under Kelly.
Greg Olson has an opportunity
Greg Olson has had some success in the past as an offensive coordinator with the Las Vegas Raiders. He produced a top-10 offense in 2020, and his unit was 11th in yards in both 2019 and 2021. Josh Jacobs had three straight seasons with over 1,200 yards from scrimmage and at least seven total touchdowns in each year under Olson.
Olson was also able to coax some of the best performances out of Derek Carr, a turnover- and sack-prone gunslinger, in his career. Now, the Raiders will see what he can do with Geno Smith and Ashton Jeanty. He’ll face a tall task in his first game at the helm, taking on the Los Angeles Chargers, who rank fifth in yards allowed per game and 10th in points given up on average.
However, LA is reeling a bit. Last time the Chargers took the field, they took a 35-6 beatdown from the Jacksonville Jaguars, who ran all over them to the tune of 192 yards and four touchdowns. Unsurprisingly, the Raiders are the underdogs in this game, spotted 9.5 points on the spread and listed at +420 on the moneyline by FanDuel. Olson will have his work cut out for him trying to keep pace with Justin Herbert on the other side of the ball. The over/under is currently set at 41.5 points.
