HENDERSON, Nev. — This Sunday, the Las Vegas Raiders will welcome the Kansas City Chiefs, a team that appears to continually find new ways to secure victories. In stark contrast, the performance of the Raiders has been less than impressive lately.
Over the last three weeks, the Raiders have suffered through a series of misfortunes, committing ten turnovers and being penalized 25 times for a whopping 201 yards. They have lost all three games during this stretch, with two of those games seeing them mired in double-digit penalties, while the third featured critical mistakes that proved damaging. Expectantly, each of those recent encounters resulted in at least three turnovers for the Raiders.
“We’ve got to eliminate our self-inflicted wounds with turnovers and penalties,” head coach Antonio Pierce expressed on Monday. “When we have chances, we need to capitalize on them. Right now, we’re not doing that.”
The situation for the Raiders is concerning, with the team also grappling with injuries. Quarterback Aidan O’Connell is anticipated to remain sidelined for at least a month due to a broken thumb, while wide receiver Jakobi Meyers has been unavailable for the last two games due to an ankle issue, alongside several other players being ruled out for the remainder of the season. Currently sitting at 2-5, they face the daunting task of taking on the Chiefs before heading to Cincinnati right before their bye week. Analyzing their schedule suggests it may be tough to find many wins moving forward.
Unless there is a significant change in performance, speculation surrounding the team’s future and potential offseason adjustments is likely to increase. However, Pierce is not eager to engage in such discussions. “There’s still a lot of football left to play,” he stated firmly. “The season is not over. We’re not in a position to throw in the towel, nor are we aiming to lose games for future improvement. We’re focused on being the best team we can be right now, and we’re not living up to that standard.”
Pierce also emphasized that the team’s focus is on improvement and mentioned that there was palpable frustration among players after their latest loss, a narrow 20-15 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams. “We cannot get comfortable with losing,” he asserted. “Everyone here is working hard to prepare for the next challenge ahead. We play for 17 weeks, and while we certainly didn’t anticipate winning every game, we also didn’t expect to drop three in a row.”
On a brighter note, the Raiders have shown strength in their special teams department. Daniel Carlson was the sole scorer against the Rams, successfully converting all five of his field goal attempts, putting him at 13 of 15 for the season. Punter AJ Cole averaged 47.5 yards with a punt landing inside the 20, currently ranking as the second-best in the league with a gross average of 52.2 yards.
However, there remains considerable room for improvement. The Raiders managed just three conversions on fifteen third-down attempts against the Rams, underscoring their season-long struggles. They rank 28th in the league with a 31.1% success rate on third down. Their performance on fourth downs is equally disappointing, as they sit at the same rank with a meager 30% success rate.
In terms of player performance, rookie tight end Brock Bowers is making a name for himself, building a reputation as an elite player at his position. In the game against the Rams, Bowers caught ten passes for 93 yards, becoming the fourth tight end in NFL history to register at least ten receptions in one of his first seven games. Pro Football Focus has rated him as the highest-graded tight end of the season so far.
On the flip side, Pierce faces challenges due to a lackluster offense, the absence of a franchise quarterback, and significant injuries affecting key players. Additionally, there have been questionable in-game decisions that have raised eyebrows, including choosing to kick a field goal when down by eight points late in the game rather than attempting to score a touchdown.
Regarding injuries, there was optimism surrounding Meyers possibly returning this past weekend, so his potential availability against the Chiefs might boost the Raiders’ chances.
A notable statistic for the Raiders is that they have trailed by double digits in all seven of their games this season. Historically, the only teams in the last three decades to commence a season in a similar fashion were Miami in 2019, Jacksonville in 2013, and Washington in 1998.
Looking ahead, Las Vegas is set to host the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs, the two-time defending Super Bowl champions, presenting another significant challenge for the struggling Raiders.