A tough year for Josh McDaniels in his first year with the Las Vegas Raiders continues.
Just when you thought the McDaniels Raiders were getting it together after three straight wins, they let Baker Mayfield — in just his third day with the Los Angeles Rams — stun them with a gutsy last-minute 98-yard touchdown drive. Instead of a 16-3 win, they took home a heartbreaking 17-16 loss.
Given that the Raiders’ 13-point lead felt insurmountable with just a few minutes to play, it seemed like they had this one in the bag. Then McDaniels and Co. unfurled the steps to a stunning collapse on their end and a glorious comeback on the Rams’ side of the matter.
It’s the fourth loss for McDaniels’ Raiders this year, where they, at one point, held a two-score lead:
Josh McDaniels blown leads, 2022:
Week 2 vs. 4-8 Cardinals: 20-0
Week 5 vs. 9-3 Chiefs: 17-0
Week 9 vs. 4-8 Jaguars: 17-0
Week 14 vs. 4-9 Rams: 16-3 in final 3:35 with 2-day Rams veteran Baker Mayfield at QB— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) December 9, 2022
Oof. Not a great look for a first-year coach like McDaniels. Considering how utterly decimated the Rams are health-wise — literally having to sign Mayfield after losing Matthew Stafford — this one has to especially sting.
Instead of inching closer toward .500, the Raiders now slide back to 5-8 and need a lot of help to sneak into the AFC postseason picture. After already losing to interim/”limited” experience head coach Jeff Saturday in his first game on the job, McDaniels can now say the same of Mayfield … on his third day on the job.