As the clock wound down on Sunday, I found myself with two competing pathways for my brain to travel down: on one hand, I could be disappointed with the putrid performance the Las Vegas Raiders put on display against the New England Patriots; on the other, I could remember how they got here and just be glad they’re 2-1.
For me, it was option number two all day long.
Yes, I know the Raiders allowed a million rushing yards to a committee of running backs who aren’t very good. And I know the Raiders went into the red zone five times and came away with just two touchdowns. And yes, I promise you that I know the Raiders fumbled the ball three times and failed to get it into the hands of their best player (Darren Waller) until garbage time. But I’m still an optimist.
You see, the Raiders defeated the New Orleans Saints six days earlier on Monday Night Football, opening up their new stadium with the biggest game of Jon Gruden’s tenure — and walking out with a convincing win. In the 134 hours between the end of that game and the start of this one, the Raiders needed to fly across the country, adapt to a new time zone and game plan for one of the most unique offenses (hey there Cam Newton) they’ll face all season.
Oh, and they had to do all that without the quarterback of their defense (middle linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski), their two best receivers (Tyrell Williams and Henry Ruggs III), their first and second string right tackles (Trent Brown and Sam Young) or their starting left guard (Richie Incognito). Now I know that every team is pretty banged up right now, but throw all of those factors into a blender and is it really any surprise the Raiders lost?
I mean, I haven’t even mentioned that the Raiders lost three fumbles, missed a field goal and committed six turnovers. The point? Yes it hurts to lose, but sometimes the deck is stacked against you and this felt like one of those.
Offensive MVP: Hunter Renfrow
I actually called this one in the preview, predicting six catches and 85 yards for the shifty slot man. Renfrow finished with six catches for 84 yards and a touchdown — including the biggest Raider play of the game just before halftime, when he went up and made a leaping catch over a defender to set the Raiders up on the 1-yard line.
Josh Jacobs gets honorable mention here, as he averaged 4.4 yards per carry Sunday on 16 carries, but the offense just never seemed to get in a rhythm where he got the consistent touches he needed.
Defensive MVP: Maxx Crosby, Maurice Hurst and Trayvon Mullen
The Raiders did get some pressure up front on Sunday, with Crosby getting home for two sacks and Hurst making a number of nice plays — but it wasn’t even close to enough. Johnathan Abram, who has gotten a lot of love from the media so far, was dreadful on Sunday (aside from a gift-wrapped interception) — missing some ugly tackles on big plays.
Mullen, on the other hand, has been a forgotten man — mostly because his guy never catches anything. He had three pass breakups in the first half alone and was lights out whenever he was around the ball.
Random Musings…
- The Raiders defense started the game on fire — holding New England without a first down (aside from one given on a penalty) through their first 12 plays. Unfortunately, it seemed like the long week caught up with them pretty quickly after that.
- Jacobs fumbled the ball in the first half, but replays showed he actually recovered it himself and was down before losing it a second time. Somehow the officials missed this, but this was a MASSIVE moment in the game. The play started at the New England 13 and so we’re talking about at least three points taken away. On the flip side, the next drive Cam Newton threw an interception and the Raiders got their field goal anyways…
- A lot will be made of Gruden’s decision to kick a field goal down 13 with 11:22 left in the game. Personally, I think either decision would have been alright. The Raiders were facing a fourth-and-five from the 7-yard line, having just run two consecutive unsuccessful plays. They were also missing Bryan Edwards at the time, and so my question was simple: who, exactly, is getting open for Carr in that spot? My bigger complaint would have been not pounding the ball four straight times with Jacobs there — but by the time it’s fourth-and-five, you’re screwed.
- Overall, I think the most frustrating part of this game wasn’t that guys were flying wide open on defense, it’s that the Raiders always seemed to be around the ball — but just a half-second late. Again, if you chalk that up to tired legs then it isn’t all bad news moving forward…
