Raiders offense erupts after moving coordinator upstairs

Maybe it’s just a coincidence that the Raiders’ offensive explosion against the Chargers on Thursday night coincides with offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree moving from the sidelines to upstairs in the coaches’ box for the first time this season.

But when an offense that had scored just 20 touchdowns all season erupts for seven in one game in a 63-21 victory, it seems less like a coincidence and more like a cause and effect.

As Hardegree pointed out Tuesday, the vantage point high atop the field opened a new perspective for the Raiders’ interim coordinator. From seeing the entire field better to picking up quicker on defensive tendencies to the communication to quarterback Aidan O’Connell, the entire operation was enhanced by his move upstairs.

That was reflected in a relentless game plan that attacked the Chargers at all levels of their defense and left room for three trick plays, two that went for touchdowns.

With Hardegree seeing the game through an entirely new lens, the Raiders played by far their best game offensively.

“The difference is you can see the full field, and you can really see it pretty quickly once you get feedback, which is really important as a play caller,” he said. “And that was an advantage, for sure.”

As a result, the operation felt as smoothly as it had been all season.

“Communication, quicker, I thought,” Hardegree said. “Adjustments. It was a different vantage point for sure, because you’re just sitting in a box, kind of soundproof. It was definitely a change, and it was positive for us.”

The impetus for the change was at the behest of interim coach Antonio Pierce, who has been trying for weeks to figure out a way to unlock the Raiders’ stagnant offense. The catalyst was a 3-0 loss to the Vikings four days before the Chargers game.

“It’s just something I thought about over some time,” Pierce said. “It’s been building up, and obviously after (the Vikings game) we needed to make a change.”

The play-calling against the Chargers was much more creative and aggressive from the first series. That included O’Connell’s deep ball to wide receiver Tre Tucker on the game’s second play. It fell incomplete, but a seed had been planted, and it’s one the Raiders never strayed far from. O’Connell threw 30-yard and 20-yard touchdown passes to Tucker and a 22-yarder to wide receiver Jakobi Meyers.

The Raiders have been talking about being more aggressive with throws downfield all season, but until Thursday, it’s been more miss than hit.

“I’ve been saying every week that’s the plan,” Pierce said. “A young quarterback, you got to let it go, and he did. Second play of the game, we took a shot. It wasn’t completed, but that set the tone, and you can see what we were going to do the rest of the game. Obviously, there were more opportunities later in the game.”

Hardegree said his new vantage point played a role in calling more throws downfield, as well as the two passes by Meyers — one that went for a 3-yard touchdown to Davante Adams — and the “wildcat” 26-yard TD run by running back Brandon Bolden.

“I’m always going to give the players the credit,” Hardegree said. “They executed the play, and they never looked back. We never took the foot off the pedal.”

If nothing else, Hardegree and the Raiders now have game-day experience to contrast the benefits of him remaining in the booth or going back to the sideline.

“It’s good to be a first-time play-caller and get both opportunities as you grow, to kind of basically take both of them and weigh by differences,” Hardegree said.

Considering the offensive explosion, it’s a pretty good bet Hardegree will remain in the booth for Monday’s game at Kansas City.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it — leave it alone,” Pierce said.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.