The first season of the Josh McDaniels regime in Las Vegas didn’t go well and was punctuated with multiple embarrassing losses. This season, in year two under McDaniels, those deflating games were supposed to be a thing of the past.
But on Sunday against the Bears, the Raiders lost to a reeling Chicago squad that started a rookie backup who played Division II college football a season ago. The Raiders were favored in the game and had a golden opportunity to improve to 4-3. Instead, Vegas got embarrassed yet again in a 30-12 blowout defeat.
After that performance, it’s reasonable to believe that the Raiders haven’t improved under McDaniels or have even regressed. When talking to reporters on Monday, McDaniels said his team is better than they looked in their latest defeat.
“There’s a lot we can do better,” McDaniels said. “I know our team’s better than that, but we certainly didn’t put it out there on the field yesterday. We’ve got a lot to improve on.”
If the Raiders are better than they showed on Sunday, it begs the question: why didn’t they play better?
“I felt like we had a good week. We were ready to go,” said McDaniels. As proof, he pointed out that the Bears went 3-and-out on their first drive of the game and Las Vegas had a chance to take the lead on a missed field goal from kicker Daniel Carlson.
“I think, ultimately, the game kind of snowballed on us,” McDaniels continued. “When you lose control of the line of scrimmage/the score, the game always feels like you’re playing it backward or you’re chasing. That’s what yesterday felt like.
“We all know that that wasn’t good enough. When you get your butt kicked in the NFL it doesn’t feel good.”
Are the Raiders really better than their embarrassing performance against the Bears? The answer will be revealed over 17 games, but right now, it appears that Las Vegas is better in some areas; in other areas, they showed their true selves.
It’s telling that McDaniels mentioned the line of scrimmage. The Raiders ran for a paltry 39 yards and allowed 173 rushing yards in Chicago. While the defense has had some solid games defending the run, Sunday’s loss may have been a reality check. And the offensive line has been consistently poor at run blocking this season.
On the other hand, the Raiders have a trio of superstars in wide receiver Davante Adams, running back Josh Jacobs, and defensive end Maxx Crosby.
But this isn’t the NBA, and it takes more than a “Big 3” to win ballgames. McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler basically ignored the offensive line in the offseason, failing to improve a middle-of-the-road group that has clearly regressed.
On defense, their suspect plan to sign free agent DE Chandler Jones was an absolute disaster, both on and off the field. Crosby has carried the defense on his own at times, but just like the offensive line, the defensive front hasn’t received an influx of talent on par with the Raiders’ superstars, both on the edge and on the inside.
The loss to the Bears was so awful that the team is likely better than their performance, as McDaniels said. But it appears they aren’t that much better, and that is due to personnel in the trenches who can’t set the table for the Raiders’ superstars.
Of course, McDaniels could coach his way out of it. But he hasn’t shown the ability to do that, either. Fortunes can turn fast in the NFL, however. Step one for a turnaround is to avoid any more embarrassing losses and show progress, not regression as the Raiders did in Chicago. They’ll get their next chance on Monday night against the Lions in Detriot.