The Las Vegas Raiders suffered one of the most lopsided and shocking losses of the entire 2020 NFL season on Sunday when they were obliterated by the Atlanta Falcons, 43-6. There were almost no silver linings, and head coach Jon Gruden was rightfully embarrassed by what took place.
The Raiders came into their game against Atlanta as a strong favorite, with a chance to cement themselves in the AFC Wild Card race. After the loss, they’ve dropped to ninth in the AFC standings at 6-5 and are now a full game behind the Indianapolis Colts for the seventh and final playoff spot.
One of the things that upset Gruden the most in the loss was penalties, calling them a recipe for disaster by giving the opponent free chances, according to Levi Edwards of Raiders.com:
“We’ve had a couple of games where we have been penalized,” Gruden added. “Roughing the passer, roughing the kicker, we had some holding calls, illegal hands to the face. You fall behind in the down of distance, you give teams free shots, it’s a recipe for disaster and that’s what you saw today.”
Penalties were a massive hindrance for the Raiders as they were penalized 11 times for a massive 141 yards. Prior to this game, the Raiders were not known as a highly penalized team, currently ranking 12th in the league in total penalties and 13th in yards against.
Despite this, the Raiders will need to clean up their game before the final stretch of their schedule if they want to make the postseason. They’ll have a relatively easy game against the New York Jets in week 13 before an incredibly important matchup against the Colts the following week.
Derek Carr embarrassed by loss to Falcons
Jon Gruden wasn’t the only Raider to feel embarrassed about the team’s blowout loss to the Falcons. Quarterback Derek Carr spoke directly to fans after the game, apologizing to them and crediting the Falcons for playing an incredible game.
