Raiders' league-best starting field position somewhat misleading
The Raiders are leading the NFL in starting field position. But that number is somewhat misleading and not entirely a good thing.
When you hear that your beloved team has the league's best starting field position, it's natural to assume this is a positive sign. After all, we want our defenses to stop opposing offenses deep in their own end of the field and maybe even secure some favorable returns. However, this stat for the Raiders might not be as straightforward as it appears.
According to Gridiron Stats and Info, the Raiders currently lead the league in starting field position, averaging a 34.6-yard line on offense. While they do boast Dylan Laube's league-leading kick return average, the issue lies in how this stat doesn't differentiate between kick returns and punt returns. We also know the Raiders' defense isn't pinning teams deep in their own territory.
In fact, the AP's Josh Dubow pointed out that the Raiders have allowed teams to punt the ball the fewest times this season. Since forcing punts can contribute to a team starting drives closer to their own goal line, the low starting field position number is likely due to the Raiders allowing scores rather than preventing them. This results in the six-game streak of allowing 30 or more points.
Therefore, the impressive starting field position is largely a result of the Raiders' defense failing to stop teams, leading to more field position gains from kick returns. Combined with Laube's league-leading return average, this creates a skewed advantage in the starting field position stat.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
